Friday, December 21, 2007

Traveling the Holiday Train



Hey Everyone, Happy holidays, every one of them! The above pix is of me at the airport in Phoenix sorta, I don't remember it being that blue, but that's what it felt like.



Speaking of blue... This is Danny explaining how he is going to run for the Peace President! He is going to be in the spider man party so everyone better switch affiliations so you can vote for him in the primaries! He really is the best choice.

Here is Danny's full crew making double chins! We are sure we are ready for the presidency because between us we have the ability to solve all manner of Rubik cubes, put on our socks and shoes and knit a beanie. There you have it, the ministry of mastery, the department of looking good and the caucus of hooks and needles.

Vote For US!

Enjoy your holidays! LI

Monday, December 17, 2007

Crocheting a Barbra Chapman Frenzy!

Marty's Raucous Purse, by LI Hertzi 2007


I am just in love with the textural quality of the wild-winging-it-but-deeply-artistic style of crocheting called "scumbling". I learned this technique from Barbra Chapman in a class at the Black Sheep in Encinitas, CA. Basically, you free form the stitching as well as the yarns, adding and dropping colors in mid-row, changing the stitch, bobbling, circling, backing-up and generally playing around as you go. How perfect for relaxing! No counting! Only noodling and "feeling" for what comes next.

Look at the texture! Now, this is a semi-monochromatic yarn selection... mostly oranges, reds and some purples, all huddled together on the color wheel, so it isn't as easy to show the tactile richness on a flat screen, but it is there.

I first heard the term "Scumbling" from my mother who used it to mean putting a light glaze of watercolor paint over a darker color to soften or give a glazed effect to a painting. This was when I was doing my graduation project in illustration and was flummoxed by making water ripple around a floating teacup!

The Free Dictionary by Farlex pontificates thusly:

scum·ble
(skmbl)
tr.v. scum·bled, scum·bling, scum·bles
1. To soften the colors or outlines of (a painting or drawing) by covering with a film of opaque or semi opaque color or by rubbing.
2. To blur the outlines of: a writer who scumbled the line that divides history and fiction.
n.
1. The effect produced by or as if by scumbling.
2. Material used for scumbling.

In crochet, I like the idea of blurring the outlines, and I encourage you to get wild and fuzzy with those hooks this holiday season!

Visit my other fiber-delighted blog here: Art Doll Adventures Blog!
Visit the site for my book: Li's Book!

Thanks for reading, LI

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Beautiful even in Death, our Beloved BDC lay enshrined in eternal slumber


BDC
Born - 1992

Passed into the sleep from which there is no awakening - 2007

For your service and loyalty you will be missed. Rest in Peace.


I am so aggrieved to let it be known that my dear and faithful BDC passed away this morning just before 8 O'clock in Carlsbad, CA.

BDC served diligently and without complaint until the very last day of his life, enduring grueling hours of labor in excruciating heat and never uttering even a whimper of discontent. No, He was my loyal companion of 15 years, spending every morning (except vacations and Christmas) serving my needs. Never did he grouse when the winter days in my Colorado studio meant working all day to cheer and warm the frosted denizens of that altitudinous state seeking graphic contentment. Never did he complain when he was unplugged from his life force and boxed in the dark for yet another journey, ah how he trusted me, yes, he trusted me completely. Never, Never, Never did he shirk his responsibilities even in the face of my heartlessly commenting on his worn out state and pondering right there in front of him, the allure of others of his kind. Oh How shamed I am! Ohhhhhh.


We believed that he was suffering only from the ravages of time and an injured power cord, but alas, as I lifted him this morning to lovingly load him into the car to visit the esteemed electrical healer, Billiam, for the laying on of hands, his bottom detached with a wrenching sound, and his poor innards were exposed to this cruel world. What pain he must have felt, but at least it was swift. The official cause of death is Consumption.

For his good service I am thankful.

(BDC was his familiar name, his given name being Black and Decker Coffeemaker)

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

The fires are slowing down...






The book is still on sale! Go to Amazon with this easy-Parcheesi link and buy one!


Tuesday, October 23, 2007

The "Fire Storm" Of 2007



Well this was the color of the sky around 3 today. The air is yellow and flaky, tastes like over burned marshmallows and is prickly in the eyeballs, but over all, bearable. And considering that my home and most of my friends homes, still stand, untouched, except by soot, makes us some wicked-lucky San Diegans!

There is an ethereal quality to the last two days for me. All waiting and watching the maps, scrolling statistics, phones singing to me (I recently got some new rings and my brain is still surprised when the tiny John Lennon and Yoko Ono snuggled in their jammies at the bottom of my purse, begin to vibrate and chant loudly: "all we are saying, is give peace a chance, all we...) and relief!


I send my thoughts and prayers to all!

Thursday, October 18, 2007

The Month of the Dead, October




This month I created a doll in honor of my friend Mari who committed suicide several years ago.


She was creative and funny, with a wicked New York City sense of deliciously sarcastic humor, an astounding skill for astrology powered by an affinity for channeling and a deep spiritual connection that might seem impossible to reconcile in someone other than Mari.

She was of Italian descent and whenever we were out together, I was amazed by the spell she cast over men and women alike. She was so tall! So solidly confident! I was furious with her for taking her life, mad because there were things I wanted to tell her, things we shared and laughter that danced around us when we talked about even the most grim of things! She loved to play solitaire on the computer and had once owned a bookstore. She lived in Taos and had a dress shop in the corner of the square that was full of sheer fabric and silk thingy-dos. Her favorite color was beige, she smoked and her fast little red car was always saturated in Benson & Hedges residue and littered with potato chip bags. She did sweet things to surprise you but if you crossed her, she shunned you for awhile... then shaking a finger in your face with a look that skewered you onto the wall of the present, noted that you might not have your priorities straight because they were different than hers! Hah! Then later, it was all OK. Mari changed her name from Lynn to Mari and Mari was better.

She was haunted by something fierce, deep and sharp, but many of us loved her dearly and felt blessed by her life, including me. Halloween Thanks Mari...



This doll was created with wire, paper clay, fabric, stuffing, gauze, Kreninik Metallic threads and the arms of a dollar store Barbie that are tied behind her back. Enjoy Halloween and create something that is a stretch for you, something that wakes you up to a slightly different way of looking at this rich and juicy life we have! Make Stuff!




The book is still on sale! Go to Amazon with this easy-Parcheesi link and buy one!


Tuesday, October 02, 2007

How to Shave a Pencil

*Special Sketch Note for Discovering Drawing students*



Isn't this a delicious picture?
Look at all of that color!
Does your desk sport such brilliance?

Now, as we all know there are several ways to skin a point. Your first thought might be to poke it into that sleek electric pencil sharpener in the corner over there. And that is great for detail work and has a specific feel that is pleasing to the hand as well as the eye.

Another way might be to use an Xacto knife and shave the wood off to carefully reveal the lead as they did in this picture. I recommend that you try this method just for the fun/experience of it. It is a great way to BOND with your points, feel the wood, smell that new pencil smell, see the wealth of color and contrast, hear the sound of the shaving... (Employ almost all of your senses, except for tasting... Never, ever eat any part of a pencil it might be worse than running with scissors. Grin!)

Last weeks class focused on bonding with your points and tho we are mostly working with black and white, I encourage you to try the third "Daily Draw" with colored pencils. Besides being fun, you can experiment with carving the point on your pencils. Try crosshatching with a blunt tip and a very pointy one. Try smudging and doodling, try meandering touch and holding the pencil in a tightened fist!

*ALWAYS use care with sharp objects! I have several finger scars from pocket knifes, Matt knives, xacto blades and other slicing tools!*

Play! Enjoy the week, Li



The book is on sale this week! It is cheaper than I have to pay to get them! Go quick before the sale is over! Go to Amazon with this easy-Parcheesi link and buy one!


Thursday, August 30, 2007

The week of little things....

The second set of small things first!

The second small thing that arrived in my week was encountered at Gee Gee's Stamps and Stuff in Carlsbad. A wonderful teacher Georgia Lichon taught the hows and what-nots of using Easy Cast Resin. I have never used this and thought that it would be fun for doll faces... I think it will be fun for hours... and hours.... and hours! Grin!

These were the first ones I did. Georgia had all kinds of images for us to use. (I, of course, brought my whole, big, honkin, sewing tool-kit full of photos, old art, collage and beads, tons of beads) She also supplied little plastic paint "tins" and some recycled packaging. The latter is what I used first to get the hang of it. The Easy Cast is basically smell-less and takes 72 hours to dry (Argh! No immediate gratification there) We first poured a little in, dropped our "art" in and then poured until the rest of the space was full.


Below is a pile-up of the other things we did. The ones that almost look globular, are from the paint "tin". You can get these at Michael's for pennies and as you see here, they make nice molds. The other shape is the bottle tops which are all the rage with the crafty types. Only last night at my doll club, I saw a lovely pair of earrings with Frida Kahlo featured prominently, peering from under her massive uni-brow, no doubt with haughty disdain for our doll-crafty selves. The creator had the last laugh tho, she surrounded the artist with a halo of patriotic glitter beaded the be-zeebers out of her! Tho a bit corny, I actually like the little caps and have a nice 6 of Sierra Nevada cooling in the fridge, ready to start on for some more raw material! (I hear you can buy them on line, but that wouldn't be recycling, now would it, hum?)






















Have a look at my Art Doll Adventures site to see some really cool, English business cards, tiny and thick! As well as stickers and my usual commentary!

Finally...

I am teaching a new drawing class at Doll Street















"I draw every day - sometimes I draw for work, always for play, sometimes it turns into something else, sometimes it sucks, rocks, just is, sometimes I love what I do, sometimes I show it off and sometimes I tape a piece of paper over it, then do another drawing on top - so it is my secret, sometimes I wad it up and sometimes it has a life of its own, sometimes it is just a way to pass the time, sometimes it is spying, sometimes it is to catch a moment or just make a pretty picture to occupy my mind until I can figure out what I am supposed to do next, sometimes a drawing becomes a doll, a pot, a shirt/skirt/crazy hat, sometimes it feels like I am getting better at it, sometimes not, sometimes after it, I see differently.

My plan is do this until I die."


As you see, drawing is a passion for me! As well as therapy, work and well... FUN! There is nothing as delightful as catching an exquisite moment on paper or being able to translate that creativity swimming around in your head into "reality." This class is designed to wake up those eyes and hands to the truth that you ARE already an artist and help you enjoy it!

You will learn the basics of sketching through Exercises, Sketch Notes, Loosen UPs, and Daily Draws. The Exercises will lead you through a "how to" of the drawing skill we are exploring in the chapter. The Sketch Notes are just like my doll class Sketch Notes, they will offer you ideas about the feeling, thinking, and writing around the subject. The Loosen Ups are fun little exercises that will make you laugh, loosen up and draw like a monkey, just kidding on that last one, but that's the idea! and Finally, the Daily Draws are the drawings you can choose to do every day. Daily Drawing nurtures your innate talent, gently evolving it into the eye/hand/observation/soul skills that will shine more sweetly through all of your work!

Click here to see more or sign up! Have a great holiday weekend! Li

Tuesday, July 31, 2007

I just wrote a new Acrostic for my SugarPlum Scary Class...

Soothing doodling
Kisses the pages
Easing me out of the
Turmoil of thought and into
Calm -
Happy to be watching the world...

By Li!

http://www.artdolladventures.blogspot.com

Monday, June 11, 2007

Art Doll Adventurer gets to paint!

Life guard stand in Carlsbad at dusk



Oh Dear! This color looks so dull on my monitor!
It was warm and striking and the painting looks very richly colored!
Hopefully your monitor will render it with the vibrancy the evening deserved.

I decided to try a sketch last night just to see if I still remembered how to do it and still liked the process... I do... I have an easel named Daddy Longlegs that I have loved for years, a French easel, and ever so dapper, but Longlegs is missing a few screws! Upp and wing nuts and well, he is just so darned heavy. So I am off to find a lighter alternative. Anyone have any suggestions?

Enjoy the evening, LI

Sunday, June 03, 2007

See Me Grinning!


Yeah! The book is out in the world!

It seems to be seeping from the east coast - New York was the first "sighting" - towards this side of the country where it has yet to land in my mail box... I am hopeful for the mail tomorrow.

I have been working all weekend on creating blogs and generally thrashing around helplessly in Dreamweaver! Blogging is much easier, and oh, so addicting!

Here is the new website which will be updated... Hummmm... After I go buy a BOOK on Dreamweaver!

http://www.artdolladventures.com

And

Here is the new art doll adventures blog!

http://www.artdolladventures.blogspot.com

Enjoy! Create! Share! And Play! Li

Friday, June 01, 2007

Hi Everyone!



Welcome to summer!

One of our "book dolls" waves you into the new season with wishes of a beach-full of creative inspirations!

Here is a little site that I made last week.
http://www.artdolladventures.com

Ahhh you say, where are the pictures? Whats with all of the black? hummm is this really the Li I know? Yes! it is a work in process, more soon.

In the meantime click on the Amazon link to see more and make comments!

Later, LI

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

li and anna



Just trying to see if this works...