playing with image transfers - a giveaway !

cyndi ! you won !! :)

i'm recovering from thanksgiving week and i'm so happy to be able to talk about this GREAT book that my friend courtney cerruiti just wrote called Playing with Image Transfers. if you have been meaning to give image transferring a try - then you will want this book. it gives descriptive instructions with photos for reference and then provides you with 19 project ideas to get started. there's also a whole chapter of inspiration - artists using transfers in their work. i happen to have a copy to GIVEAWAY too !! leave a comment here on this post and i'll choose a random winner Sunday Dec. 8th. you can also enter to win again by reposting and commenting on an instagram photo i'll be throwing up. [i'm private, but i'll let you follow me if you request - and you can unfollow me after the giveaway is over ;)]

i threw out a couple of questions to ms. courtney and here's what she had to say::

- for people out there who don't know you [and WHO could that be?] can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

I call myself the Maker Extraordinarie, and mostly thats because I can't decide what I do. I paint in oils and watercolors, make paper animals and flowers, draw with neon markers, design sets for online workshops, create window displays, make giant animals out of cardboard, make yarn banners, collect vintage objects and am obsessed with instagram (@ccerruti). I love beautiful objects, tea, and make something everyday. 

- what is your creative workspace like? Can you show us a few images?

Often, its a mess. I work on my yellow kitchen table and when that is occupied, I work on the floor. I have stacks of vintage books, fabric remnants and collections everywhere. My bedroom showcases drawings and paintings I've collected from all over and I love it all.  I feel like I live in a museum.

my piece of mail art !

- you've been doing a mail art project for quite some time – can you tell us a bit about it? Why you are drawn to mail art and who you decide to send images to? 

I've always loved sending and receiving special mail. I started altering vintage postcards and sending them to by boyfriend (@cendre) a few years ago and that really got me in the habit of making and sending mail. I was traveling a lot for work and I started drawing these little figures on index cards and mailing them out. I sent them to friends and then to people who's work I liked or friends of friends. Sometimes people send me postcards back and sometimes I just send them out because! I'm always happy to do a mail art exchange with anyone who wants to trade.

- I know from my own teaching experience that some people find image transfer techniques daunting – but really they are pretty simple and fun once you know the process. I really appreciate how straightforward your instructions are and the fun projects you came up with. Which one is your favorite? 

Oh, that's so hard. I think the Mixed Media Wall Hanging might be my favorite this week because I really enjoy using fabric scraps and incorporating threads and little findings into my work. The process of combining images, paint and fabric is really exciting right now. 

courtney gifted me a "caught in flight" piece during my opening of sen ;)

courtney has generous supplied directions to a cool project that didn't get put into the book. CLICK HERE to download a project called "caught in flight" - see above as an example.  

- you have such a fun looking job – working at creative bug – can you tell me a bit about that? What are some of the best parts of your job? And the worst?

Haha. Everyone says my job is the best. And it is, but it can also be exhausting. We all work really hard and wear so many hats. I like the variety of my day to day. I make a new set every time we film a new artist, I work with them on developing their classes and I'm on set with them while we shoot to make sure we get the best class we can. I also contribute to our instagram feed, pinterest and creating DIY projects for the blog. Sometimes its hard to always be creative at work. Its difficult to carve out the time and mental space to make art in a busy work environment.

- I also really appreciate all the artistic inspiration you provide in the book. Are there any artists that you wish you had room for, but couldn't fit in? Or ones you've discovered since the book was published?

Yes! I really love the work of Lee Mckenna (@leeamckenna) and I'm inspired by her instagram feed. She beautifully combines paper and imagery and creates the most amazing packages. I didn't know she used Image Transfers in her work otherwise I would have asked her to contribute! I also love the photographs of Paul Munro (@cattleking69). He's a floral designer and takes the most beautiful landscape and portrait photos. I don't think he does any image transfers, but he should!!! Since the book release, I'm finding more and more artists who use image transfers in their work, and its so inspiring!

-what is on the horizon for you – teaching wise, art wise, book wise, etc.

I have a book on 100+ washi tape projects coming out in the Spring (I'm addicted to tape). I'll be teaching at Craftcation and offering some new courses in at Kala Institute and the San Francisco Center for the Book. I'm always looking for new places to teach, and I hope to just keep moving forward!

can't wait to see the next book courtney ! thanks so much for all the answers.

remember to comment to win a copy of playing with image transfers + enter on instagram to increase your chances of winning !