Fortune Cards Workshop

Ever since creating my own oracle deck, The Golden Moth Illumination Deck, I've wanted to lead a workshop to encourage others to make their own. But unlike my deck, which was reproduced by offset and digital printing, I thought the experience of making a one-of-a-kind handmade deck would be approachable for beginners, and a refreshing change for me. The cards above were some samples that I created using acrylic paint, collage, and ink. 

In February I taught my first "How to Make Your Own Fortune Cards" workshop at The Visual Arts Center of Richmond. I will be teaching another section of this weekend workshop on July 18 and 19th, so sign up here if you're interested.

I call them "fortune cards" because I don't want to be too confining by calling them tarot or oracle cards, though they are definitely inspired by them. I thought participants might want the openness of using them for different purposes. The title was also kind of a play on words - people can "make their own fortune" as well as "make their own fortune cards."

The participants in the workshop were wonderful. Everyone came in with such an open mind. I loved the concepts behind their cards as much as I loved the cards themselves. Many of the students were at least somewhat knowledgeable of tarot and oracle cards, but there were a couple of people who weren't. Some students professed they had little art experience, so it was pretty amazing to see what they turned out. Every student had their own unique perspective and each approached their cards thoughtfully. They used watercolor, ink, colored pencil, collage, and photocopy transfer, and they graciously allowed me to share their cards with you.

This deck was inspired by the major arcana of the Rider-Waite tarot. She mixed traditional tarot imagery with her own symbolism and and a fresh color palette.

These cards were based on the sun, moon, moths, and butterflies as symbols of introverted and extroverted energy.

This deck used four suits as in tarot, but each suit was based upon different pyschological states. I love how she used action and sound words in her cards.

This deck was also based on the major arcana, but each symbol she chose had personal significance in her life. 

These cards also used personal symbolism, and each card represented one year of his life.

He used a cool technique called xylene transfer. He placed photocopies of images face-down onto his cards, saturated them with a clear blender marker, then rubbed the backs of the copies down hard with a spoon to transfer the images into the cards. This technique works for laser copies in black and white and color, but it's not the best for your health so I'd recommend you do it in a well-ventilated room.

This student is a poet, and she used titles and imagery from various poems to create her deck. Great idea, huh?

This student is an illustrator who used imagery from her own dreams.

Look closer at some of this surreal imagery. She hopes to create a more finished deck in the future, and I hope she does because I'd love to own a copy myself! You can check out more of Amy Lovvik's art here. 

Here are some more sample cards I made during and after the class. The beetle card in the middle uses another form of photocopy transfer called gel transfer. There are a couple techniques to do this, but for this one I applied clear acrylic medium to my painted card, placed the photocopy of the beetle face-down on top of it, and burnished it so it stuck flat. After it dried, I wet the back of the paper with water and rubbed the paper off with my finger. Some of the image rubbed off, but most of it remained. 

I also created stencils for the backs of my cards out of cut-out cardstock. I placed the stencils on top of the cards and dabbed acrylic paint on them with a paintbrush. 

Teaching the workshop made me see how empowering and creative it is for individuals to make their own decks of cards. It was an amazing thing to witness.

I hope you've enjoyed seeing some of the wonderful things that came out of this workshop, and maybe you're inspired to make your own!

Art Workshop Schedule for Winter-Spring 2013

Now you can keep up to date on all my course offerings by clicking on the Art Classes tab at the top of my blog!
 
Here is the list of art workshops and classes I'm offering this Winter-Spring 2013 season at The Visual Arts Center of Richmond and the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Studio School. Click on the name of the workshop to be directed to the course page and/or a link to online registration.

The Visual Arts Center of Richmond

1812 West Main Street, Richmond, VA 23220

(804) 353-0094

You may register for classes online or by phone.

VMFA Studio School

2911-15 Grove Avenue (across from VMFA)

at the corner of Sheppard Street, Richmond, VA 23220

(804) 367-0816

For Spring classes, mail-in registration begins Jan 2 and phone-in registration begins Jan 22.
Note that Fall students are given the opportunity to register early. Find detailed registration info here.

Gelatin Printmaking Postcard Workshop

Beginners

Saturday, January 26
12 – 4 pm

at The Visual Arts Center of Richmond

Create one-of-a-kind postcards using gelatin slabs as your printing surface. Experiment in a no-mistakes atmosphere, working with hand-cut stencils and found objects such as lace, string, and leaves to create colorful patterns and texture. Then make a simple book structure to store your prints. Have fun with this loose, surprising approach to printmaking. All materials will be provided.

Linocuts – Exploring Color and Pattern

All Levels

6 Wednesdays
January 30 – March 6
6:30 – 9 pm

at The Visual Arts Center of Richmond

Discover the fun of printing in color using a spontaneous approach. Carve a few background patterns to print in different colors and combinations, and then print a strong final image on top to bring it all together. Learn the basics of design, carving, printing, and paper selection. All tools and materials will be provided for the first class, but you may need to bring your own papers for subsequent classes.

Dream Book Workshop

All levels

2 Saturdays

February 16 & 23

10 – 4 pm each day

at the VMFA Studio School

Image Coming Soon!

Experiment with printmaking, bookbinding, and the written word in a fun, no-pressure atmosphere. Using dreams as inspiration and with guidance from the instructor, students make monotypes, collages, and found poetry using words cut from old books.

Paper Bead Jewelry Workshop

Beginners

Saturday, March 2

10 – 4 pm

at the VMFA Studio School

This workshop teaches you to create fun and funky jewelry from decorative and recycled papers, such as magazines, newspapers, and wallpaper. Simply cut paper into strips and roll it into beads or experiment with some simple techniques for origami jewelry. Using yarn, thread, beads, and vintage buttons, students assemble their creations into necklaces, earrings, and bracelets. Tools and materials for simple beading provided. If you want to get fancy, bring your own findings, accent beads, and wire.

Printmaking Lab – Independent Projects

Intermediate

4 Thursdays
April 4 – 25
6:30 – 9 pm

at The Visual Arts Center of Richmond

If you have prior experience with printmaking methods produced on the etching press, such as linocut, collagraph and monotype, this is your opportunity to carve out some work time, receive artistic and technical input, and experiment with new ideas. Demonstrations will be provided according to the needs of students. Some materials and tools provided.

Zine Sampler: Creative Self-Publishing

Beginners 

2 Saturdays
April 20 & 27
12 – 4 pm, each day

at The Visual Arts Center of Richmond

Creativity + everyday materials + photocopier = ZINE! A zine is like a magazine, but its content is only limited by your imagination. We’ll experiment with several exercises – some silly, some serious – merging art and writing to jog the mind and fill the pages. We’ll discuss how to generate content, design pages, and produce and distribute zines. You’ll leave with a copy of a collaborative zine and ideas for starting your next one!

How I Made "April Mouse"

Most of you know that I'm a printmaker, but I'm sure that some of you don't know how exactly a print is made. It's not actually that mysterious, but it does require some trial and error and it helps if you can learn to "think backwards." And for some reason, I really enjoy that. Some printmakers are very process-oriented, and some like to try things out and see what happens. Either way, it's a surprise what happens. You can plan and plan, but never truly know what your print will look like until it's finished. That can be frustrating, but also part of the fun.

I was asked by The Visual Arts Center of Richmond to contribute a 2-color print for a 2013 Calendar that will be handletterpressed by printer and teacher Paul Morris and other generous volunteers. Sales of the calendar will go towards buying new rollers for VisArts' platen press, which was donated by the Valentine History Museum and rescued from a life of storage. This collaborative, community project is being created by some local art-stars, including Diego Sanchez, Dennis Winston, Aimee Joyaux, Mary Holland, and others. The calendar date grid was typset by hand, and the images were created by artists using linocut, woodblock, lead typesetting decorations, and hand-drawn artwork converted into magnesium plates. The calendar will debut at VisArt's 48th Annual Craft + Design Show on November 17th  and people will be able to take pre-orders until the limited edition of about 300 calendars is released to the public in December.

I will now show you the process of creating the April calendar page. I call it "April Mouse."

First, I think about the month of April and what it means to me. I wanted to incorporate Dogwood blossoms, but decide it doesn't really work with my composition because I want to include a mouse in there. So I research on the internet about an early-blooming plant and the Bleeding Heart is my choice. I search on the internet and print out some reference photos of mice and bleeding hearts, then sketch ideas until I come up with a composition I like.

Here is the finished composition. I include all the most important shapes, but leave out a few details that I will carve in later. Notice that I also draw a house-key in there. It makes me think of a story - maybe someone lost their key in winter and the leaves get raked in spring so it can be discovered again? But only the mouse notices it now :)

Then I trace the image onto tracing paper.

Here is my linoleum block. I like to paint the surface with India Ink (I use Rapidraw Black India ink by Rapidograph). The reason for this is that when I carve my image, it makes it easier to see which areas will not print and remain white - the carved areas - and which will print in color - the areas that remain black.

Using a yellow carbon paper (yellow because I want it to show up against the black ink), I trace the image onto my linoleum block. But first I flip the tracing paper so that I'm drawing the reverse image. When the final block is printed, it will reverse again and the image will appear in the same position as the original drawing - see what I mean about "thinking backwards?"

Then I begin carving - see the section with the key and grass. Some printmakers like to draw out their image exactly as it will appear, but I truly enjoy starting out with a black field and just my line drawing to guide me. I have done many linocuts, so for me this is the most fun part and I get to "discover" how I will carve it. I also sometimes do tests on scrap lino to test whether I like the marks I make.

And the first plate is carved!

Such a sweet mouse.

Then I proof my image. The print will be in two colors, brown and pink. The first plate is to be printed in brown. I set up a little make-shift print studio in my bedroom because these prints are just to help me check that I like my carving and to figure out where to place the next color. I roll up some brown ink on a cardboard slab covered with saran wrap (plexiglass would be better, but I had this on hand).

Using my brayer, I roll a nice even coat of brown and then transfer it onto my block.

Then I place a piece of scrap paper over the block and rub the surface with a baren. This transfers the ink onto the paper.

Here is the proof print. It's not perfect, but I don't need it to be for my purposes. Notice how the image is reversed?

I let the print dry and then I go in with a pink colored pencil and color in the area I want to be pink.

I take a piece of tracing paper and trace just the areas that will be pink.

Then I repeat the process of transferring the drawing onto a 2nd plate using carbon paper. I carve my plate so just the areas to be printed in pink will remain.

At this stage, I decide to proof the pink print.

Here is the pink proof!

I take a brown print and print the pink plate over it so I can check my registration. Registration is how the plates align together. I have to carve away a little bit more of my pink plate so that the colors will register better, but in general I was careful enough with my other steps that I was fairly spot-on (yes!)

Here are a couple of proofs of the pink and brown together. They look pretty crappy because I was trying to work fast and just test things out. I didn't wait long enough for my inks to dry, so more of the pink showed through than I would want for the final print. But the proofs are good enough for me to think that they will print fine. I decide I liked the darkness of the brown color in the top print, and the pink color in the bottom print. These are the proofs I will give to Paul Morris when he mixes up the colors for the printing of the actual calendar pages.

And before I am ready to give the plates and proofs to Paul, I decide I will carve a bit more texture into the bricks. I don't bother proofing that step since I'm guessing that they will still look pretty good once printed.

I usually print the plates myself on an etching press, but for the Calendar project it was going to Paul Morris to be printed on his vertical press at Benj. Franklin Printing Company. His printer is much faster! When Paul was ready to print my pages, I biked over there to watch him and okay the final print.

Here's the studio! Lots of machines.

Here is my pink block locked into the press. The ink appears red on the plate, but will print pink on paper.

Here is a close-up. I also carved some little ornaments to go in the calendar grid area, which you can see on the right.

Paul printing! The machine is fast and looks a bit scary, honestly. But Paul really knows what he's doing.

And the pink is printed! We talk about how light I want the pink, and Paul is much obliged to get the color exactly the way I want.

Paul lets me look at a Pantone color guide to figure out the color brown I want. I look at the handprinted proofs I gave him before and settle on a shade of brown.

The next week I go in and help Paul finalize the brown color so he can finish printing it. And here is the final image!

 Voila, April Mouse!

So as you can see, creating a print from start to finish can require a lot of planning. But I think it's worth it in the end :) I hope that seeing this has helped demystify printmaking a little bit. Let me know if you have any questions! And I will post more updates about this calendar project as it comes nearer to completion.