Something neat happened. It turns out that I popped up on a Google search for "table size planter boxes." Laura wrote me to ask if I could create some planter boxes for her Tunisian style wedding in June.
I made this box tonight to test out some stencil ideas. Keep in mind that I don't really go for the colors of the stencil, but it's a start.
As with out first Happening, I used cedar fence boards (very inexpensive.) But, this time I sanded them and even rounded all the edges. They look good in person.
I found a jpg of a Moroccan motif that was interesting. I brought it into Photoshop, traced the outlines and exported the paths to Illustrator. Using my Silhouette Digital Craft Cutter, I created the stencil. (The easy thing is, now that I have the file, I can cut a new stencil at any size in under a minute.)
After staining the box, I used the stencil twice; once with gold and then a second time with a deep orange. I'll be doing some trials to see what looks good, and I think I'll make them more uniformly spaced with cleaner edges.
Here's a look at the stencil itself. I finally got smart and started wearing gloves when I spray. The big advantage here, is that you're able to hold the stencil flat against the object without worry of spraying your fingers. Luckily, I have almost 100 pairs of surgical gloves I picked up at an estate sale years ago. I knew they would come in handy!
Monday, March 31, 2008
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Electricity, Electricity!
This logo came together rather quickly for a seller on Etsy. She was looking for a trade - logo for a knit cap.
I have an old lamp with an art-deco looking plug. It was the natural solution for the electric part of this logo. I realize the blue bird's head is super simple, but I really am a lousy illustrator; so I went with it.
When I sent it to her excited to see it added to blanket and cap tags; I asked her if she wanted the eps file. She let me know that she was just using it to print out a coloring page for her child. Oh well.
Never did ask for that cap!
I have an old lamp with an art-deco looking plug. It was the natural solution for the electric part of this logo. I realize the blue bird's head is super simple, but I really am a lousy illustrator; so I went with it.
When I sent it to her excited to see it added to blanket and cap tags; I asked her if she wanted the eps file. She let me know that she was just using it to print out a coloring page for her child. Oh well.
Never did ask for that cap!
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
I'm Still Looking For . . .
This student chalk board was purchased from an estate sale and I must have more than 20 of them left. They're the perfect canvas for stenciling.
The stencil was created from a photo of a girl I met on Match.com. I actually met her and some friends at a karaoke bar in Glendale called the Winchester Room. The place is a hoot and left me with an awesome story. You'll have to ask me in person to get all the low-down. Highlights of my very own Twilight Zone episode:
• I wore a sticker that said "I'm Looking For:" with a picture of the girl on it. Awesome!
• She looked nothing like the sticker.
• I got slapped on the back while ordering a drink from the bar. I turned around and yelled, "Cowboy!!"
• I played doubles pool with Cowboy and his tweaker friend. They kicked our ass!
• As I'm sitting with the group of friends, I'm disoriented and confused. I finally realize that the friend I'm sitting next to had written me twice on Match, and I hadn't responded. I felt I was being set up for some bizarre retaliation. It was just the oddest coincidence, though. The friend was from OC and the girl was from the Valley.
• The girl left early. When I asked if everything was OK, she told me she was getting her taxes done early the next day. Nice one; Damn you Uncle Sam!!
I think this stencil kicks ass. I made her photo hi-contrast in Photoshop. Next, I went through, making sure there were no islands that would make printing difficult. The hair highlights and part of the eye were from a separate stencil. I'm still using Adobe Streamline to turn my TIFFs into vector art. (Is there another way? It sucks because I have to use System 9 when using Streamline.) My Silhouette Digital Craft Cutter was used to cut the stencil out of index paper. They've created an Adobe Illustrator plug-in that gets the job done nicely. I used blue masking tape to define the boundaries, tearing the edges to give a more organic look. I think it's very successful . . . well, not the date . . . just the final product.
The stencil was created from a photo of a girl I met on Match.com. I actually met her and some friends at a karaoke bar in Glendale called the Winchester Room. The place is a hoot and left me with an awesome story. You'll have to ask me in person to get all the low-down. Highlights of my very own Twilight Zone episode:
• I wore a sticker that said "I'm Looking For:" with a picture of the girl on it. Awesome!
• She looked nothing like the sticker.
• I got slapped on the back while ordering a drink from the bar. I turned around and yelled, "Cowboy!!"
• I played doubles pool with Cowboy and his tweaker friend. They kicked our ass!
• As I'm sitting with the group of friends, I'm disoriented and confused. I finally realize that the friend I'm sitting next to had written me twice on Match, and I hadn't responded. I felt I was being set up for some bizarre retaliation. It was just the oddest coincidence, though. The friend was from OC and the girl was from the Valley.
• The girl left early. When I asked if everything was OK, she told me she was getting her taxes done early the next day. Nice one; Damn you Uncle Sam!!
I think this stencil kicks ass. I made her photo hi-contrast in Photoshop. Next, I went through, making sure there were no islands that would make printing difficult. The hair highlights and part of the eye were from a separate stencil. I'm still using Adobe Streamline to turn my TIFFs into vector art. (Is there another way? It sucks because I have to use System 9 when using Streamline.) My Silhouette Digital Craft Cutter was used to cut the stencil out of index paper. They've created an Adobe Illustrator plug-in that gets the job done nicely. I used blue masking tape to define the boundaries, tearing the edges to give a more organic look. I think it's very successful . . . well, not the date . . . just the final product.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
