Welcome

Double exposure self-portrait

You can see my photographs and original designs at my SMUGMUG GALLERIES .  My handmade artwork is available through my ETSY SHOP. You can also see a large variety of products with my designs on them (sneakers, ties, much more!) at my ZAZZLE GALLERY.  Interested in learning to print on fabric?  See my new ebook, Inkjet Fabric Printing, available through my ETSY SHOP or LULU.COM.    Email me at heidirand@gmail.com for more information.

Okay, I guess I’ll just jump into this.  Now, a quick introduction — I’m Heidi, a photographer lucky enough to be married to a wonderful, gifted naturalist, George, who has the most amazing green thumb and a vast knowledge about animals and plants.  So whereas I used to have to search for things to photograph, I’m now surrounded by a menagerie of animals, including turtles, hummingbirds, butterflies, squirrels, and much more … and a wonderland of orchids, roses, native plants, trees, and much more — just begging to be depicted in pictures.

George arising from the pond

This is a picture I took of George coming out of the pond in our garden that he restored.  A couple times a year he disrobes and mucks around in the pond, cleaning out the algae and upsetting the mosquito fish and goldfish.

All photographs and images on this blog are copyrighted. Please do not copy or download any of my images.

Handmade gifts with your inkjet printer : one-day workshop November 15th

This is going to be a really fun workshop.  I’ll show you how to make personalized gifts (for friends and family or for yourself!) using your own photographs, designs, or other material and your home printer.

Fabric on tote bag

 We’ll explore a  variety of different techniques to create unique gifts, like printing on fabric and other special surfaces ideal for making presents.  Each person will complete at least one project at the workshop, and you’ll go home with many ideas and new things to try on your own printer.  There’s plenty of time before the holidays to create gifts for everyone on your list!

Lavender sachet

When you make a personalized gift you can save money and show that you care to take the time to create something special for your loved ones.

Fabric covered light switch plate

You can use photographs and the originals or scanned memorabilia of things in your lives together for gifts that people will treasure and keep. 

Treasure bags with fabric iron-ons

The workshop will be Sunday November 15, 2009, noon to 3:30.  Cost is $35 plus materials. It will be held at the Canyon Trail Art Center in El Cerrito California.  Please pre-register by emailing me at heidirand@gmail.com, or you can pre-register at the El Cerrito Recreation Department, 7007 Moeser Lane El Cerrito, (510) 559-7000.

If you want to see the gifts that I make from my photographs and designs, please visit my ETSY shop.

Egret in flight lutradur art quilt

I took a photograph of a gorgeous Great White Egret flying at the Miller/Knox Regional Shoreline in Point Richmond.  I blended it with my photograph of an allium flower in bloom, ending up with this collage:

Egret in flight

I printed the blended collage onto lutradur that I coated with matte-for-porous-surfaces Digital Ground (for more on that process, see my prior detailed posts about printing on lutradur with Digital Ground).  I thought the print turned out very well – the detail in the egret’s wings is nearly as good as a print on inkjet paper, and the color is accurate and saturated.

I decided to use the piece in an art quilt. I backed the lutradur print with soft batting and did some free motion stitching around the abstract lines, using a few different colored threads.  Here are two closeups of some of the stitching:

Egret in flight closeup

Closeup of stitching

For the frame, I chose an elegant dark gold silky fabric. The lutradur print is about 7.5 x 11 inches, and I added about 2 inches to each side for the frame.  I added another layer of batting to the back of the gold fabric, and did more free motion stitching to adhere the backing to the lutradur print.

I decided to use a simple pillow-type technique to finish the piece.  I chose a patterned sturdy off-white fabric for the backing, and sewed them face to face, leaving an opening to turn the piece right side out and small openings on both sides near the top for my hanging apparatus.  This is the finished piece:

Egret in flight art quilt

To hang it, I painted a wood dowel with dark gold paint, and slid it through the openings at the top.  I wrapped a length of wire link chain around each side. Here’s a closeup:

The hanger

This is the finished piece as it hangs from the chain:

Egret in flight art quilt

A word about inspiration and motivation! I printed this piece months ago, but it had been lying in my “to make into something” pile since then. I’ll be teaching a workshop on using lutradur at the New Pieces Quilt Store on January 23rd, and I wanted a piece to show their customers how lutradur can be used in their quilts. This was the result ….

Native Plant Fair and Sale October 10-11

Fawn lilies

The East Bay Chapter of the California Native Plant Society will host their Fourth Native Plant Fair and Sale at the Native Here Nursery, 101 Golf Course Drive in Tilden Park, Berkeley.

Other than a wonderful selection of local native plants, there will be local photographers and craftspeople with native and nature-related arts and crafts. This event is a major source of funding for the East Bay CNPS.   Over twenty people volunteer regularly at the Native Here Nursery, open year round to benefit the chapter through sales of local native plants.

Fair hours are 10 am to 3 pm on Saturday, October 10; noon to 3 pm on Sunday, October 11.
I will have a table both days with a large selection of my original arts and crafts works, including many new prints of native plants and butterflies, my fabric art, tile boxes, and much more!

Workshop : Inkjet transfer techniques

Inkjet transfer techniques : one-day workshop

Sunday October 25, 2009, noon to 4.  Canyon Trail Park & Art Center, 6757 Gatto Ave., El Cerrito.

Masdevalia orchid box

Learn several techniques to transfer images and text to a variety of surfaces.  We will explore using inkjet transfers to enhance your artwork and to create mixed media, collage and other works.  You will
complete at least two transfer projects at the workshop.

Swallowtail butterfly tile

For more information, or to pre-register, email me at heidirand@gmail.com.   You can also pre-register at the El Cerrito Rec Dept., 7007 Moeser Lane, El Cerrito, (510) 559-7000.

Lavender and rust art quilt

George found some wonderful french lavender and has been growing it for me in the back garden.  I took some photographs of the stalks in bloom.  Lavender’s not the showiest flower, but the scent and that incredible saturated color really make up for that …

Lavender in bloom

Later in the day we went on an adventure, and I took some photos of an old piece of rusted machinery.  The images were so different I couldn’t resist trying to blend them, and came up with a blended collage that I really like:

Lavender and rust

I printed the image onto pretreated cotton.  I was very happy — the colors turned out beautifully saturated, very true to the original file.  I backed the printed fabric with two layers of batting and quilted with different colored thread, mostly at random, outlining the elements of the image. The sturdiness of the cotton and two layers of batting make the quilting really stand out.  The piece is only about 7.5 x 11.25 inches (18.5 x 28.25 cm).  I’m thinking of framing it within a wood frame that I’ll adorn. More later about that. For now, here’s a photograph of the quilted piece:

Lavender and rust art quilt

This is fun. The sun was streaming in my window as I was taking photographs of the quilt, so I taped it to the window and shot some photos — you can see the sun shining through the needle holes.

Here’s one last shot of a part of the quilt, you can really see the sun shining through it…

Now the hard part for me, how to frame it. Stay tuned …..

Inkjet Fabric Printing – step by step instructional ebook

I just finished my very first ebook, on my most favorite subject: inkjet printing on fabric.  After writing an extensive booklet for the workshops I’ve been teaching, I decided to put it into ebook form so people who can’t come to my workshops could get the same information.

I take you through the entire process to quickly and successfully begin printing fabric on your inkjet printer. You will learn about types of inks, differences between treating fabric yourself or printing on pre-treated fabric, how to prepare fabric for printing, printing the fabric, post-printing treatments, and more.

The information and tips I’ve learned over years of printing on fabric will save you hours of time and much wasted ink and fabric. I have included many illustrations, questions and answers, and trouble-shooting tips.

Illustration: peeling off backing

There’s even a gallery of my original fabric creations to spark your imagination and creativity.

Gallery: butterfly art hanging

There are many books on the market about printing on fabric, but because the technology is moving so quickly, a lot of them are outdated. My guide is up to date, and I will revise it as often as needed to reflect changes in the field of inkjet fabric printing. Also, most of the books give general information that might not apply to your personal printer/ink setup. I tell you how to figure out what kind of inks your printer uses, and I can also answer by email personalized questions about your setup, or other problems you run in to when you print fabric. I also discuss the pretreated fabrics that are available commercially, and share the results of my extensive experimentation with printing using the different inks.  In the second edition of the ebook, now available, I added information about using two great products with fabric, inkAID and Golden Paints Digital Grounds (both coatings that make any surface inkjet printable.)  I’ve written a lot in this blog about Digital Grounds, and I wanted to expand the book to include these coatings – most appropriate for art fabric uses.  I also deemphasized the use of Bubble Jet Set 2000, a liquid solution that is the most common product used by people who want to treat fabric themselves for inkjet printing.  BJS contains formaldehyde, and I know a lot of people are concerned about any potential danger.  If you’re interested in the subject, the manufacturer addresses the issue in an article (read it by clicking here).

My ebook is in the format of a PDF file, which you can open and print using Adobe Reader.  I’m offering it through my etsy shop or lulu.com for $10.  Click here for the link to my ebooks section on etsy. If they are sold out and you would like one, please let me know and I will post more copies.  Or click here to see a preview and get it through my lulu shop.

Pinole Art Center Too!

Pinole Artisans, a wonderful group of artists and crafters in the East Bay, just opened a second gallery at the Pinole Valley Mall (across the mall from Trader Joe’s), just off I-80 at Pinole Valley Road.  The original gallery, still open — the grand opening of the newest show will be Saturday September 12th — is at 2221 Pear Street in Old Pinole, right near City Hall.

Initially, the hours for the new gallery will be 4 to 8 pm, Thursday through Sunday.  We had a glorious grand opening on Saturday September 5th for the first show: The Drama of Light.  Here’s Joan Landis, the immediate past president of Pinole Artisans and current manager of both Pinole Art galleries, cutting the celebratory cake ….  Ira Nelken, current president of Pinole Artisans, supervises.

Joan Landis cuts the cake!

The gallery is large and light, showing the artwork off beautifully.  The walls and panels are covered with an amazing array of paintings, photographs and mixed media artwork.  Fiber art, including scarves and purses, also adorn the walls.  The many talented jewelry-artist members of Pinole Artisans have filled the glass cases at the new gallery with a wonderful variety of handcrafted necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and pins, including PMC, beadwork, polymer art and my butterfly earrings made from lutradur.

Grand opening

The big attraction on Saturday was an amazing sculpture by Donald Lieske.  Lieske is an incredibly talented sculptor who uses recycled materials to create unusual and thought-provoking metal works, usually with incisive wordplay titles.  Many of Lieske’s pieces are mechanical and use electricity. This rolling ball sculpture combines light, sound and movement:

Donald Lieske's rolling ball sculpture

The gallery also has an abundance of surfaces to display 3-D arts and crafts, good news for me because so much of my artwork doesn’t hang on the wall.  There are shelves for the many things I make out of the fabric that I design and print: vases, fabric books, pillows, purses, and more, my tile boxes, etc.

Grand opening

The Pinole Artisans meet the first Friday of every month, usually at the Pinole United Methodist Church, 2000 San Pablo Avenue, in Pinole (make a right just past the Bus Stop Mural if you are coming up out of Old Town Pinole toward Appian Way).  It’s a very friendly and talented group of people — notable for welcoming a wide variety of artisans.  Members also offer art classes on a range of subjects.  If you’re interested in learning more about the group, check out the website:  http://pinoleartisans.org/ and come to a meeting.

To exhibit your work in the Art Centers, you must be a member and sit for a number of hours a week (currently 4) in one or the other gallery.  The shows last about two months.  If you have any questions, call the Artisans at (510) 724-2008.

Book review: Digital Essentials by Gloria Hansen

Gloria Hansen is well known to people in several different worlds: she’s a multi-award-winning quilter, a pioneer and expert in the field of inkjet fabric printing, and an internet guru who co-owns a Web design company, GloDerWorks.  Hansen drew on her vast knowledge in each of these areas for her recent book, “Digital Essentials.”  Although sub-titled “The quilt-maker’s must have guide to images, files, and more!” this book is not just for quilters – it’s a must have guide for anyone who is navigating the complicated world of digital imagery.

Aware that her audience ranges from newbies to the experienced, Hansen provides a comprehensive overview of the basics, and progresses to providing tips and clear explanations for problems that bedevil even the digital-savvy among us.  She explains in understandable terms complex subjects such as file resolution, resizing / resampling, and color management, and includes plenty of clearly labeled screen shots and graphic examples to supplement the text.

Even the chapters specifically directed to quilters contain invaluable information for non-quilters.  For example, “Removing a quilt from its background,” covers the use of selection tools and “Preparing images for digital show entry” explains how to submit digital images to any kind of juried art show.

When Hansen discusses using graphics software, she explains how to do each process in Photoshop, Photoshop Elements and Paint Shop Pro, recognizing the reality that not everyone uses the heavyweight full Photoshop.  Similarly, she’ll let you know if there’s a different key to use if you have a Mac or Windows PC.  She also includes helpful keyboard shortcuts and alternate ways to accomplish many tasks.  Posing and answering the questions that you’re likely to be asking yourself as you read, Hansen sprinkles helpful “Questions for the Expert” and “Quick Q and A” boxes throughout the book.

Addressing a problem that anyone who wants to post their artwork on the internet has grappled with, Hansen’s chapter “Image protection – can it be done?” begins by saying that you can’t completely protect your work if someone really wants to download it, but then suggests several things to try, ranging from making them harder to find or to steal, to adding copyright notices and watermarks.  Hansen has made this chapter of her book available as a free pdf download.

I have long admired Hansen for her extensive knowledge, and her gracious generosity in giving advice online.  She’s an invaluable member of many internet mailing lists, including my favorite, the yahoo group dedicated to printing on fabric which you can find at http://tinyurl.com/myqudn

Hansen’s website, http://www.gloriahansen.com/ has numerous articles on a range of subjects, and you can see photos of her stunning quilts.  “Digital Essentials” is packed with so much information that another writer might have spread it out over several different books.  If you want to learn how to make the most out of your digital images, get this book.   http://www.gloriahansen.com/DigitalEssBook.php

Exploring Lutradur : One-day Workshop

Workshop taught by Heidi Rand

Canyon Trail Park & Art Center, El Cerrito
Sunday September 13th – noon to 3:30 p.m.
$35 + materials

Butterfly window collage on lutradur

Learn ways to create personal art with this exciting new product that combines the best qualities of fabric and paper.  Lutradur looks, feels and folds like translucent paper and doesn’t tear or fray. It’s the perfect medium for a wide variety of mixed media art, crafting, and sewing.

I will give an overview and demonstrate many ways to use lutradur: sewing, inkjet prints, transfers, heat gun, soldering iron, stamps, and more…
You will have time to explore a variety of effects to create a mixed media art project.

I will provide paints and other basic supplies.  Bring your favorite art materials to try on lutradur, as well as any photos, beads, etc. for your personal project.

Email me at HeidiRand@gmail.com or call 510.919-4652

The schedule of my upcoming workshops, all in Canyon Trail Art Center, El Cerrito CA

Sunday September 13, 2009, noon to 3:30. Exploring Lutradur

Sunday October 25, 2009, noon to 4. Inkjet transfer techniques

Sunday November 15, 2009, noon to 3:30. Handmade gifts with your inkjet printer

Saturday January 16, 2010, noon to 3:30. Handmade jewelry with your inkjet printer

Sunday February 21, 2010, noon to 4. Inkjet heat transfer techniques

Interested in any? Please email me

Introduction to Inkjet Fabric Printing

Inkjet Printing on Fabric
Taught by Heidi Rand at the Canyon Trail Park Art Center, El Cerrito
Sunday August 23, noon to 3:30 p.m.

Inkjet printing on fabric: One-day workshop

Learn to print your artwork, images and designs on silk or cotton using an inkjet printer.
This exciting technique opens the door to many possibilities for creating original fabric to use in gifts, quilts, art pieces, and much more….

You will go home with two sheets of pre-treated fabric that we have printed with your images, and with the knowledge to begin printing on your home inkjet printer.
You will learn about types of inks, differences between treating fabric yourself or printing on pre-treated fabric, how to prepare fabric for printing, printing the fabric, and post-printing treatments.

Pre-treated fabric and other basic supplies will be provided. I will have a computer and printer to demonstrate and print your fabric. I will also bring a sewing machine and iron to demonstrate and for you to use with your printed fabric.

Bring images or artwork that you want to print on a CD or flash drive, sized to a maximum of 8.5 x 11 in.  If you don’t have digital images, bring originals to scan (max size 8.5 x 11 in). If you email me your jpegs two days before class, I can size and prepare them. I can also print some before class. You can also bring fabric paints, beads, ribbon, fabric scraps, or anything else you can think of to adorn your project.

I am a nature photographer using my original photos to create designs that I incorporate into my artwork & mixed media pieces. I have been designing and printing my own fabric for several years. I use the fabric for my art hangings, vases and bowls, pillows, scarves, and more…
I write about my work and emerging techniques on my blog, http://GardenDelightsArts.WordPress.com
I exhibit online at http://Garden-Delights-Arts.Smugmug.com & http://GardenDelightsArts.Etsy.com
I have exhibited locally at the Pinole Art Center, Glenn Custom Framing and Gallery, MC Art Gallery and Eclectix Gallery.

Cost: $35 + $8 supplies
To register or for more info, please call me: 510.919-4652 or email: HeidiRand@gmail.com