The weather outside is delightful here. I know other folks are not so lucky. We've been having days in the 80's and nights in the 50's and 60's. I know that's going to change, but it's been great while it lasts. I hope all of you with the terrible weather get better weather soon.
The inside of the new small building finally has concrete and we've been able to move the old vehicles and motorcycles down there. John built little cubbyholes for the car and pick-up. He made shelves over them -so we have started the process of moving all the stuff down there that isn't Cameo.
Next we have to start re-doing the Cameo facility so it has a new roof, a floor and windows, inside walls and insulation and a ceiling. Then of course, there is lighting, heating, cooling, decks over the main room to store things on. There's a lot left to do. My goal was to have the Winter Workshop in there - but with all the rain, etc. I don't know if that can happen. We'll just have to wait and see.
Let's talk about the Animal Quilt Blocks. The first half was wild animals from around the world. The second half is wild animals from North America.
These blocks can be made into one quilt, or two quilts. My sister, Sharon, has three (3) boys. She's making one boy a quilt out of the 'world' animals, one boy a quilt out of the North American wild animals and the oldest boy is getting the big quilt made out of all twelve blocks.
I hope you like what we've done with these. We've kept the outside bamboo framing on all of them so that they go together. Let me know what you think.
Now you know that you can use these on shirts, too. If you have a family - just make each of them a shirt with different animals. Maybe you want to pick the animal that is most like that child or adult. You can have a lot of fun with these - so paint and be happy.
Maybe you've always wanted a 'wild animal' outfit. These transfers would make a great jogging suit with animals all over it. Put them on the front and back - up and down the legs and arms. Take the bamboo frame off if you want and that will give you more room to work with.
If you're a teacher - how about an animal skirt and top? Teach kids the different animals on your outfit. (Sorry! I know that came out of left field. My middle daughter is a kindergarten teacher. I was thinking of her.)
When you get transfers and notice that parts have been cut off - that's because we (the printer or I) have found bits of transfer ink where it's not supposed to be. Sometimes the 'press' has it's own ideas where the ink should go and sometimes it's not where I think it should go ---so ---we cut off the bad part. The transfers are fine. In fact, they are better than they were before. Just thought you might like to know that little factoid.
I really wanted to get some of the new Christmas Holiday transfers in for July. In fact I was so determined to do that - that I have been waiting for them to get back from the printer before I got this newsletter out. I got them back today and I hope you think it's worth the wait.
There are two new snowman transfers and one new Nativity transfer. The Nativity transfer, T4689-Cave Nativity, is a pre-shaded transfer and I hope you like it as well as I do. Of course, since I just got the transfers back today, none of them are painted. Instead of waiting, I'm just going to put the black and white pictures in for this month. I'll put colored ones in next month when I get them painted.
I know that the Fall and Winter craft shows are coming up soon. (At least it's soon when you have all that painting to do.) I hope my few Christmas-in-July transfer additions will help give you ideas for your projects.
We've got enough snowmen transfers to do all kinds of winter scenes. You can put them on tree skirts (P1224 & P1225), sweatshirts, mini flags (P322), or make a big scene on the bigger wall hanging (P324) that I put out.
I should remind you that the transfers iron onto wood, too. If you want to make wood designs that should work out great.
Of course, you know that the paints go on wood. You can use it right out of the bottle with the tip on, or you can use a brush. You can stain the wood - with the paint - then put the foreground on after it dries.
Tablecloths (P1220-P1221-P1222-P1223), pillow cases (P1594 & P1595), body pillow covers (P1593), throw pillow covers (P1482 & P1483), placemats (P1289) and tote bags (P1492) are all things that can be painted up for craft shows.
Good luck on you ideas and getting the job done in time.
Don't forget when you're working a fair that the more things that you have painted up to show - the more supplies you will sell.
I hope you like the other new transfers that I'm putting in this month. I like them so well that I'm going to make the Special and the Monthly Class out of one of them. The T4684-Faith, Love and Peace transfer is just such a beautiful picture, and it just fits on a P322-Mini Flag, and doesn't take too many different paints.
The July Special for 2006 (MSJUL06) is the new transfer -T4684 -Faith, Love and Peace. It is really easy to do and only takes nine (9) different colors. (101107-124-125-126-159-168-178-181) When I add in a Sandpaper Blotter, a small set of Fiber Blenders (C369) and a Mini flag (P322) to put it on -the package is a complete kit that you can give as a gift to someone to do themselves, use as a class to teach others the Techniques that are used in the picture, or just to do yourself (either for yourself or to give as a gift for the up coming holidays).
The Animal Quilt blocks are set up for outline and fill-in. These would be good for beginners. Children would love doing these colorful blocks. I have a couple schools that teach quilting classes to their students (elementary schools). These would be perfect to start a class at your school either during the daytime class times or in the after school latch-key times.
The Flower Face Quilt blocks give you a chance to teach shading and highlighting, how to use the Fiber Blenders to smooth the paints into the material and how to use them to smear the paint together in blending. These have you blending up to 4 or 5 different colors at a time. They, also, let you teach feather stroking as a technique to paint in hair and the fact that using lots of colors in hair actually make it look more real. This is an interesting class for everyone. 4-H groups could use this to make an entry-style project. You could get together with the leaders and teach them to teach, or you could run the classes yourself at their regular monthly meetings.
For those of you that are doing the Flower Face designs, I have a hint on their faces and make-up. Paint the entire face with the base color (105) and then do the lips. When you get done blending the colors of the lips together - use that same blending tool to blush a little of those colors on the cheeks. You don't want too much color and if you use your blending tool while the paint is still damp on it, it has just about the right amount of color to look like her blush. If you get too much on - just go back over it with the 105 to dull it down a little bit.
This is, also, when you put in the shadow color around her chin and on her nose.
The Unicorn Quilt blocks take in even more techniques than the other two. The first thing that you teach is how to do a dry wash. You can use a brush or a small piece of rag. Almost everything in these pictures needs to be shadowed and highlighted. You have to use your Fiber Blenders all the time.
Wait for the base paint to dry before you use your Dual Point pen. These are used on the Flower Faces and the Unicorns. Do the base painting - then make sure the paint is dry before you use your Dual Point Pens. This keeps the Dual Point Pens from bleeding out on the perma press and keeps you from ruining your pen nib by getting wet paint on it.
It has been really interesting to see how these are going over. Every month more and more people are doing them. As they decide on doing another Set - they order all the previous Sets That they need to do the whole quilt. So every month I have people buying #1, #2, #3 and now they will be getting #4. It's very gratifying to see these go out in such large quantities.
I spend a lot of time just being amazed as I am packing orders to go out the door at how wonderful you all are.
I have gotten comments on the little hints that I put in each month. I'll keep trying to come up with new things to teach and things to teach about.
I have to say, again, how happy I am with the Fiber Blenders. As I sit down to paint up the newest transfers each month, I love using them because they are just the right size and shape to smooth and blend the paintings that I am doing.
When you smooth the first layer of paint into the material, you are giving yourself a nice even layer to put on your shading and highlights. Don't forget to do that - it makes everything much simpler.
AQ07 Animal Quilt Block Pak |
FFQ07 Flower Face Quilt Block Pak |
UQ07 Unicorn Quilt Block Pak |
The Carriers now hold 60 paints. Terri re-did them a little. They look great! You can still use some of the loops for your accessories, but you can now use them for paints, too. You can get 10 paints per row.
T4680 Birdhouse Birds |
T4683 IceCream Anyone |
T4684 Faith Love Peace |
T4685 Fantasy World |
T4686 Skunk Cabbage |
T4688 Love Is Christmas |
T4689 Cave Nativity |
T4690 Winking Snowman |
T4496 Bird Houses |
T4523 Crosses |
T4541 Fawn |
T4547 Sunflowers |
Sorry about not putting the date in last month. I guess I just figured everyone knew the third Thursday of the month is Cameo Workshop time here.
We had a real good turn out last month. I guess changing the early meeting here to start at 11AM was a good idea. We'll stick with that next month when I have the meetings both here again.
Remember the meeting in Lansing is every other month. The night meeting here is every month. In the months that I don't do a meeting in Lansing, I will do two (2) meetings here at the Facility.
Be sure to bring your paints and Fiber Blenders. Cost of the class will be $15.00.
Let's go back to transfers for a minute. One of the most important tools that you have in your Cameo supplies is your Fiber Blenders (C369 or C371). With these you can smooth out the paints that you put down. You can blend colors together. You can make the pre-shading on a transfer come up through your paints. With all the pre-shaded transfers that the Company is putting out, this last one is very important. The pre-shading on the transfer needs to show up well in your painting - other-wise there is not a lot of need for it.
Some of the transfers, like the T4689-Cave Nativity, lose a lot of the interest if you don't make sure the pre-shading comes through. It's not hard, (just really important) that you make this happen. After you paint a section, and while the paint is still wet, smooth the paint down into the material with your Fiber Blender. Even if you plan to do more shading on top of the pre-shaded area, you still need to be able to see the shading that's there. If you use the side of the Fiber Blender, rather than the tip of it, you will smooth things in, and together, much smoother. You only really need to use the tips of the Fiber Blenders when you're trying to get into small spaces or into corners, etc.
When you make sure the paint is pushed into the material well, you are, also, making sure that the paint will stay in through washing.
When you look at a piece of material you will see that it is made up of lots of threads. These threads turn and move as the material moves. If you don't make sure that the paint goes INTO the material, then you have threads that are not painted on all sides and when they turn your design looks like it was not painted well. Be sure to use your Fiber Blenders to push the paint into the material so it coats these individual threads on all sides.
We would love to show our readers what you've done with Cameo Paints. Send us [email protected] or [email protected] some of your pictures and be sure to tell us about them and yourself.
See some of our past reader submissions in the Gallery
I want to remind everyone that I close down the Company for a week surrounding the Labor Day Holiday. I take that time to go see my Mom and my other relatives down south. Just want to make sure you remember to order ahead at that time, or expect your orders to be late coming back to you. We'll leave early on the first of September and open back up on the 11th of September.
The rest of the year we're just pretty much here. If we leave, it's only for a day or so, so we can get the orders out in a timely fashion.
Well, I guess that's all for this month. Keep that those suggestions coming. I need every one of them. See you at a meeting.
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Copyright Gingers Cameo 2003 © |
Page Updated 7-10-2006 |
