TIM HOLTZ TIME & BACKSTAGE AT THE SHOW

Me and Tim

I had a great time at the 'Ranger On The Road' gig for retailers, teachers etc, at the Birmingham NEC on Saturday.

Tim's & Dyan's samples for the workshop - copyright Tim Holtz

My three, done in the workshop - copyright Susie Jefferson

In 3 hours, we all decorated (and finished) three canvases each, and I had a whale of a time playing with all the new products: sticky-back canvas, Distress inks, new Paint Dabbers, Claudine Hellmuth's paints, Perfect Pearls in 4 new colours...

Me with Tim

Me, Tim, and Chris McMillan

Tim in Real Life is a total sweetie, warm, very funny and has the patience of a saint! He also posed with me (and with Chris McMillan, one of the teachers at Blade Rubber Stamps, also on Blade's Design Team along with me) as did Mario - another total sweetie, and Dyan Reaveley from Art From The Heart, who is also a very fun person to get to know.

Closup of Tim's first project - using the new Distress Stains, sticky-back canvas and Tissue Tape

The wings are grungeboard, with Crackle Paint in Clear Rock Candy painted first, then the cracks emphasised with the new Distress Stains - I used Antique Linen.

Extra shadowing and antiquing added using Distress ink in Black Soot (very lightly) on the edges of the canvas torso, wheels, phrase and frame.

The background paper is treated so the print resists the Distress Stains - I used Antique Linen on the canvas torso of the dress model, and also on the quotation. I used Broken China all over the background paper (which is Grunge paper, so it's that natural brown - covered up really well, too). If you want more depth of colour, add more Stain.

Dyan Reaveley from Art From The Heart, who designed this project (and the stamps!)

This is my version!

Showing my doodling along the sides and top of the frame (using Perfect Pearls)

This project, designed and taught by Dyan, features a background using one of her own journal pages printed onto Sticky-back Canvas (using an inkjet printer) with Tim's Birdcage die, and Dyan's stamp designs (chicken and flowers - all painted with Perfect Pearls).

Me and Dyan

Dyan, Chris McMillan and me

She had the most amazing diamante skull pendant, which I lusted after...

I seem to be the only one who painted in their windows! My house has someone living upstairs...

I also stamped all over the sides, top, bottom, background....

As you can see: very dimensional, with the lolly sticks used to stir the paint repurposed (don't you love that word?) to form little trees, then buttons stuck on top for foliage - and a LOT of stamped and cut-out flowers.

The final project was the messiest (hence kept till last) where Tim featured Claudine Hellmuth's new stamp designs - a solid one, applied with her acrylic paints; and a line image which is stamped over the solid image. The line images are very loose, very sketchy, and not intended to index perfectly - so just let loose and allow the stamp to hit wherever it wants to!

Me and Mario - he's a little shy, very sweet - and has the most lovely smile

This is where someone nearly dropped my camera - Mario's laughing - I'm slightly panicky...

I then collared Mario for a photo opportunity - another great guy with the patience of a saint! How many middle-aged women run up to him and Tim begging for more photos and more photos... and Tim was stood there signing autographs (including some of the projects - so if you see any of these canvases on eBay, I can tell you they aren't Tim Originals!)

I have this awful feeling I've finally officially descended into Groupie-dom.  Nevertheless, off with a happy heart... Chris and I were sitting with another Chris (part of the Design Team for Your Touch of Craft) along with Kay (Your Touch of Craft) and Kay's daughter had a stand at the show selling WOW Embossing Powders - so Kay was able to sneak us in for a quick look around. There wasn't much to see as everything was being set up, so I didn't take more than a couple of pix...

Chris, me and Sara

You'll all recognise Sara Davies, owner of Crafter's Companion (and the inventor of those amazing embossing boards et al - National Business Person of the Year 2010, etc). Sara's now got her boards into the US (the US rep was there) and also Canada (Carmi represents her in Canada).

Me with Sheena

Sheena with Chris

Sheena has just gone solo, and this was her very first wholesale show as Sheena by Sheena Douglass. All the stamps you see are her design, she has a new DVD just out - and I rather think she'll have done very well somehow!

Work in progress...

I thought I'd finish this post with pix of works in progress at the workshop - these are Chris's and Kay's. You can see they are all the same - yet all a little different, too