Shibori Workshop - Part One

My 3-d students were extremely fortunate to have worked with renown Shibori/Indigo Dye Textile Artist, Glennis Dolce, also known as Shibori Girl.  See here blog and info here.  She found us thru my blog that is highlighted on Jude Hill's blog., and contacted me asking if my students and I would be interested in taking a workshop with her??  Are you serious???   YES!!!  So on June 16th, several of my most serious art students had their parents drive them out to my studio in Anaheim Hills for this all day workshop.  I think about 12 kids showed up and it was just the right amount for my studio space.

Glennis started by showing many beautiful examples of Shibori, and also discussing how indigo dye is made.  It was extremely interesting and I know we all learned so much from her vast knowledge.

Here Glennis is showing us the correct process for dyeing the fabric in the indigo vat.  She is also demonstrating how to dye in the ombre technique, from light to dark.

Our first project was to do some simple lines and shapes in the Shibori technique.  Here are Aman and Karisma working on their pieces.  I also got to participate.  My lines and shapes are below.  First we drew them with a pencil, then we stitched them with a basting stitch with a big knot at one end and a long tail at the other.

Next we dunked the cotton lawn cloth ( a tad thinner then regular cotton) in water, then pulled the tails as tightly as possible and knotted them, then submerged them in our first indigo dip (below).

Here are my second and third dips.  With each dunk the fiber gets a deeper blue after we take it out of the vat and it hits the air.  Oxygen turns the dye from a turquoise color to a brilliant blue.  We also rinsed the cloth between each dip in another vat of water.    

Finally my fourth dip and rinse.  Now the really fun part comes when you get to pull out all those stitches to reveal your design (below).

 

Here are Nikki and Phoebe with their first project, and then all the kids results below.

Our second project was to learn to make a dragonfly.  We where all so excited to do this.  Again we started by drawing our design, then using basting stitches for each shape.  But the tail was done in a very cool, different technique.  We made a pleat where the tail was then stitched thru the bottom of the pleat.  See below.

To see the results scroll down to Part Two.

Shibori Workshop - Part Two

I know I had as much fun as the kids did.  Here I'm taking out my dragonfly stitches, and am so excited to see my results (below)

Glennis was able to show us two more techniques before the day was over.  I had purchased silk scarfs for each student to do this next project with.  Glennis has made this really cool rolling devise to help in the process.  You tape your fabric to the pvc pipe, then roll lots of string around entire piece and tie it off.  Then Glennis shows us how to scrunch it down.  You leave it right on the pipe to do the dyeing.

Here are Pauline and Joan taking out their dragonfly stitches.

Below is the pipe that has been dipped several times for desired darkness of color.

This was our clothesline, the back of Glennis' car.

 Karisma is helping Pauline or Joan to unwrap her scarf.

My husband Jim got in the act and tyed this t-shirt, then dyed it.  I really like how it turned out.

The last technique you can see here with the 3 others.  We folded a piece of cloth many times on itself, then clamped shapes onto either side before dipping into the indigo.  The square piece right under the t-shirt was mine.  I fan folded both on the vertical and the diagonal then clamped circle shapes to each side.  After my first dip and rinse, I moved the circles half over then clamped and dyed again, just to see what would happen.  I think I got some really nice moon shapes.  Aman and Tiffany got some nicely clamped pieces as well. 

And here are many of the rolled and scrunched works, each one so unique.  I know the kids really enjoyed themselves.  I hope to host many more workshops throughout this next year.  Let me know if any of you are interested out there in attending a workshop here in my home/studio.  I'd love to set something up.  In can be in any of the art/craft forms that I teach.

A Belated Happy Father's Day to My Man...

and Julie and James' daddy.  We LOVE you big time!!!!

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xoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Julie treated us to a delicious lunch at the Chateaux Marmont in Hollywood.  the last time she ate their she saw James Gandolfini from the Sopranos, so we were hoping for a star siting.  But alas, all we saw were beautiful wantabe actors and actresses waiting to be discovered, in gorgeous, lush surroundings.  Thank you Julie for a lovely day.

Music Interpretation - Student Work

Even though I'm about 5 months behind on posting my student's work, I just thought I'd skip around and show you some recent work that I really like.  This piece belongs to junior Cindy Kim and was her 4th quarter final.  She had to pick a piece of music to work to, and when I graded her the piece it had to flow with the music.  The bummer is I can't remember the piece of music she pieced, so Cindy e-mail me will ya??  I'm pretty sure it was a Bob Dylan song though.  Maybe I'll remember tomorrow.  That's pretty much how my memory works these days.  Anyways, she had to combine collage with monoprint and one other medium.  She chose acrylic paint.  What I think is brilliant is how she wired the piece to make it interactive.  I love it Cindy, way to push yourself!!

Youngest Ones, a Final Farewell

I almost forgot to showcase the fantastic job the 7th graders did with their Line, Texture and Pattern Unit.  Plus they put their designs on top of a watercolor wash they learned how to do.  I felt the cleverest piece was done bu Cathy Huang titled "This is How I Roll".

I've really worked with so many incredible children this year.  Thank you 7th graders for giving me all you had and then some!

One More Good-Bye Little Ones

Had to also show off the last 7th grade group's soap scrubs.  They have so much fun learning how to felt,  and the scrubs always turn out so nice.

Above we have starting from left to right above:  

Sara Cantu, Wesley Hsiao and Melissa Mateos.

Along the bottom row are:

Cathy Huang, Jenna De La Paz and Faizah Mohamed.  

Good Bye 7th Graders

It was wonderful getting to know all you 7th graders this year.  I was very fortunate to have 4 terrific groups to work with.  Many of you made a lasting impression and I hope you will return when you are juniors and seniors.  Even as sophomores if you can fit me in your schedule (there are ways  :)  So thank you all for making this year so special.

Above we have Sara Cantu and below is Jenna De La Paz, two of the top artists from the 4th quarter group, with their graphite spheres and the clever compositions both girls worked them into.

Hello 4th Quarter 7th Graders

Another very sweet, smart and artistic group.  

These are a few of their value scales.

The mermaid was created by Jenna De La Paz.  This is such a great composition for one so young.  She fills the paper really well for balance and then she adds a touch of colored pencil to make it even more special. 

In this next piece Eric Kim comes up with a very cool design to house his value scale.  And below we have Sara Cantu adding her own cute additions.  I especially love her sweet, quirky bird.  

Hi Deanna and Martha...

Welcome Aboard!!!

Just a Little Peek :)

About two months ago or so, fiber artist Deb Lacativa was doing a fabric giveaway of her hand dyed vintage linens, so I said, sign me up, and just look at all the lovely fabrics she sent me.  I cut small pieces off each colorful piece and played with an arrangement that was pleasing to my eye and began stitching with pearle cottons.  I take it everywhere I go and am really enjoying the handwork.  Hope to get it done on my trip to Florida that's coming up real soon.  We are off to see Jimmy's and wife Bette.  This will be my 3rd summer with them in Hobe Sound.  

Quilt Weaving - Student Work

I tried Jude Hill's quilt weaving technique this year with my 3rd year 3-d kids, and I was really pleased with the results.  I had them start by watercoloring on bleached muslin first, in various colors, and setting the color with the heat of an iron.  Then they ripped those cloths into strips and wove a base for their quilts.  Next they appliqued shapes and put embroidered touches on as well. 

This very sweet, delicate piece was created by senior Kelsea Lee.  Look closely at her embroidered details.  Just lovely Kelsea.

In this next piece by senior Nandi Best, you can really see her watercolored, woven strips before she began adding all her details.  I really like the subtle gradations you can achieve with the watercolors.

Nandi's finished piece is below.

And a close up to see the incredible amounts of effort Nandi puts into her work.

Thank you Jude for your inspiration!

Glueline Portraits - Student Work

In 4th quarter Beginning 2-d Art, my students are introduced to a wide range of color media.  They learn to work with both water and oil based pastels.  In this Glueline assignment I partner them back up with their Before/After partners that they drew so realistically in 3rd quarter.  But this time I ask them to abstract each other thru exaggeration, distortion, simplification and thru color.  But at the same time I still have to be able to recognize the subject.  A very good challenge for them at this point of the year.  The results are often spectacular.

Above we have sophomore Megan Yeu drawing junior Corrine Marcus.

To begin work on these pieces I ask the kids to draw each other with a glueline from either an Elmer's Or Tacky glue bottle.  They make a preliminary piece first to decide which glue they like better.  They also practice starting and stopping their lines.  We let the glue set for 24 hours then the next day they use oil pastels to color the piece in with.  Another choice they have to make is whether they pastel over the glueline or do they stop when they reach the line.  Two very different looks.

Above we have Corrine doing Megan in this very expressive work.

I really like how senior Emily He off-centered her piece of junior Sabrina Velasco, and senior Joan Kim's interpretation of senior Dustin Lee is terrific.  

Senior Victoria Wang is showing sophomore Courtney Soung what she'd look like without hair, and senior and Valedictorian Michelle Chang is emphasiing senior Carolina Navor's beautiful eyelashes.

And our very talented senior William Luo is giving junior Halah Eslsahhar a striking, expressive mood in this last work.