Lo-Tech Printing NEW! Online Class Nov 17

Lo-Tech Printing ONLINE new! Class
Sunday, November 17, 1-3:30pm MT
Instructor: Janet Strickler
Limit: 25 students. All participants must be 15 years or older.
*New Class Format: Class materials not included  - see the class materials list below for what to have on hand.

Class Details

How great to come across a technique that’s simple and fun, that requires only inexpensive materials, and that’s easily scalable! Janet Strickler’s introductory class on lo-tech printing checks all the boxes. Janet, a mixed media artist known for recycling discarded and overlooked items to make her art, enjoys sharing her techniques with others.       

The key material in Janet’s lo-tech printing class is humble craft foam. She “draws” on it with a hard, pen-shaped tool to create grooves in the foam and depress the design below the surface. She then uses that piece of foam like a rubber stamp to print on tags, cards, gift bags, wrapping paper, stationery, place cards – you get the idea. There are two big advantages to this lo-tech printing technique. First, it can be done on the spur-of-the-moment. Second, drawing a design directly is easier than carving one on a rubber stamp where the background is cut away to create a raised image.

Janet demonstrates several easy ways to generate designs. One effective technique is using simple shapes to create repeat patterns. Another is tracing an existing image or picture to make your stamp or print block. This technique also lends itself to incorporating words, including your own hand-writing. We particularly like Janet’s demonstrations on how to create a “magic window” view finder and how to extract shapes from a favorite image. Simple, yet so effective. With these techniques, you can make anything from tags, cards, and wrapping paper to a series of art pieces.

Join Janet to enjoy the quick and easy fun of going lo-tech!

This online class will be recorded and made available to class participants for 14 days after the class.

Class Materials

Please bring the following materials:

• Craft foam - a few 9”x12” or 6”x9” sheets (Sticky-backed is best. It’s often in the children's crafts.)
  
• Something for embossing. Nothing fancy. A dull pencil or an out-of-ink ballpoint pen. Actually anything that creates grooves in the craft foam as you “draw” your design will work. If you’d like, invest in a stylus or simple embossing tool.
  
• Scissors
  
• Ordinary pencil
  
• Paper to use for practice and experimenting. Ordinary copy paper or paper scraps work.
  
• Pieces of foam board or thick cardboard (can also be scraps). These are used to back your craft foam design (small for small designs or as big as your craft foam sheet for something larger).
  
• X-Acto knife with sharp blades
  
• Metal ruler (preferably one with a cork backing) or a clear quilting ruler.
  
• Permanent marker pens - black plus a color or two
  
• Stamp pad. Two is enough but several are more fun. All-purpose or dye pads work best.
  
• Items to stamp on: tags, cards, gift bags, wrapping paper, stationery, place cards, etc.
  
• Optional: tracing paper if you want to trace a design from a printed source.
  
• Optional: your favorite glue, if the craft foam is not sticky-backed.
  
• Optional: paper towels and/or wipes
  
• Optional: apron
  

Zoom Info

An email will be sent to participants the Monday before the class. Classes with homework may receive pre-class info earlier.  The email includes class date/time, materials list, pre-class prep, and Zoom link/info. No email? Double check the email address you entered when you registered and your SPAM folder. Due to SPAM filters and inbox settings, we cannot guarantee you will see, read, or open these emails. Two Hands Paperie assumes no responsibility for non-attendance of a class. Contact twohandsclasses@gmail.com with any questions and see our Class Policies page for more information.

Class Refund/Cancellation Policy - Online Class Without Kit

For cancellation made 14 days before class we can either issue a refund or apply the funds to another class. We retain a $10 processing fee for EACH class cancelled. If you cancel fewer than 14 days before the class there is no refund or credit. If Two Hands Paperie cancels a class, we’ll contact you by email and refund the FULL class fee.

Instructor Bio

Janet Strickler, a mixed media artist living and working in Colorado, calls her work Art of the Ordinary. In truth, there’s nothing ordinary about what she creates. What is ordinary is what she uses: recycled and reclaimed objects, construction leftovers, discarded magazines, candle stubs, coffee grounds, natural materials, and even old paper clips. She loves to explore different media and will attempt to make art out of nearly anything. You can often find her in the Art Parts Creative Reuse store in Boulder, softly exclaiming to herself, “I could make art out of that!”. She enjoys the challenge of turning ordinary materials and cast-off items into objects of beauty.

Much of Janet’s work involves a spiritual element. It’s no surprise, given that the goal of her own art making is to create a beautiful, harmonious, and peaceful environment. Woven throughout her work is a deep love for geometry and pattern. She’s made a lifetime study of art history around the world and has been influenced by works as diverse as ancient manuscripts, medieval architecture, American quilts, Australian aboriginal paintings, Byzantine mosaics, and the decorative traditions of India and the Middle East. Their patterns are a starting point and don’t necessarily result in a predetermined layout. For her, art making is about beginning and then finding out where the piece leads.

True to her personal approach to art, Janet’s classes are fundamentally about exploring and experimenting. Rather than teaching students how to make a particular piece of art, she likes to demonstrate what can be done with a set of materials and then turn students loose to play with them. It’s both astonishing and instructive to see how different the results can be. Classes with her are delightful adventures in discovering the unexpected! Learn more on her website: artoftheordinary.net