The simplest form of relief printing is rubber stamping, and that's familiar to all crafters. But, the technique is far more versatile than that. And, bestselling author Gwen Diehn is just the person to lead us from the familiar to the adventurous. For those of us with printer's block, there's a terrific section on developing a design-getting visual ideas from casual doodles, nature tracings, photographs, and found objects. Then come the materials, tools, and techniques--making eraser prints, carving a linoleum block, making a woodcut, even building block out of polymer clay. And, because designs are even more fun on objects than framed on the wall, all of the prints appear on functional things: wrapping paper and note cards, book covers, a calendar, a poster, a T-shirt, even a lampshade. Relief prints have a classic, almost folk art look that is universally appealing. With this informative introduction, crafters and beginning artists alike can create handsome designs and well-decorated objects.
Gwen Diehn was born and raised in New Orleans, LA, and studied art at Indiana University at South Bend, The University of Notre Dame (MA), and Vermont College (MFA). She has exhibited her artwork internationally and has work in many private and public collections, including the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, DC. She has taught college art as well as workshops for many years. She has also written several books about art and also journal keeping and making. One of them, The Decorated Page, is being re-issued in a revised edition/bind-up with another one, The Decorated Journal, in spring, 2012. Her most recent book, Real Life Journals, was listed as one of the top 10 gardening and crafts books of 2010 by Booklist.
You can visit her blog at http://real-life-journals.blogspot.com.
