Playing around with new ideas for the Feb. 29 class at Kalamazoo Book Arts. We’ll create leaves and feathers as well as learning how to make these friendly creatures. They look great perched on a window sill, small rock or even a houseplant!
We played with a variety of ways to use encaustigraphics in an introductory class offered at the Kalamazoo Book Arts Center on February 29, 2020.
We began by learning how to make the e*graphics with provided prints, and then branched out into using the material to create “super simple sculptures” with fun and easy techniques. We experimented with the many ways the material can be used— for sculpture, window art, books, jewelry and more— and then we worked with the students’ own images (digital photographs and scans of artwork) to translate those into various creations. I also demoed how to construct large forms like those shown on the home page of this site.
Great group of students and a fun creative time. If social distancing allows, I’ll be offering the class again in November 2020.
The e*graphics intro class is upcoming on February 29 at Kalamazoo Book Arts and we’ll be exploring both flat and dimensional forms. A great bridge between the two is to display your 2D e*graphic creations with a creative base.
Nearly anything can be repurposed as a base for displaying your e*graphics. Whether your style is rough or refined, large or small, the light weight of e*graphics allow them to float or be captured by minimalist frames. Below are some examples— the top photo shows a woodtype block with a heavy copper wire bent into a spiral and an oak leaf held by a cast pyramid; the photo below shows frames made from plaster, polymer clay and twisted roots from the beach.
While it’s easy to cut e*graphics by hand, another innovative way to shape them is in tandem with one of plot cutting machines available for home use (Silhouette and Cricut are two well known makers). The complexity of design options available when the two are combined is amazing, and very rewarding.