. Posted by Sherrie Thai by Shaireproductions.com .
Antheia, Goddess of Florals, is my entry for the upcoming Syzygy magazine, alongside other amazing artists and writers, dropping this Friday.
Available at etsy.com/shop/shaireproductions
. Posted by Sherrie Thai by Shaireproductions.com .
I applied the hummingbird design to a Face Shield fundraiser for Open Source Shield and Face Shield Art, with all funds going to creating and distributing face shields for essential workers.
. Posted by Sherrie Thai by Shaireproductions.com .
“Macabre Roses” was inspired by the old bookplate designs of the Arts & Crafts Era and the Art Nouveau periods. Although ram skulls are incorporated into the piece, they take a backseat to the bevy of roses. This piece has a gothic romanticism to it, where skulls are not a thing of horror, but simply a part of life.
The piece was created initially with pen and graphite, then scanned, digitally colored, with custom textures created and incorporated into the background.
. Posted by Sherrie Thai by Shaireproductions.com .
“Bone Decor” was a new piece that was created with the Chillin Productions art show in mind. It is more of a decorative, non-narrative piece with a collage of different elements–bones, flowers and a snake skeleton. The shape of the piece mimics that of the human anatomy, with the ribcage and colorbone. I want the viewer to appreciate the beauty of the organic osteological forms and not get distracted by the horrific notion of death. The lily flowers were incorporated to compliment the theme.
. Posted by Sherrie Thai by Shaireproductions.com .
This “Tribal Underwater Marine Animals” Art print set was super fun to create. Get the set here on ETSY~ today! 🙂
. Posted by Sherrie Thai by Shaireproductions.com .
I will gladly admit that I’m a pretty big fan of Game of Thrones, so I created this Longclaw Sword concoction as a lil tribute to the series.
Prints are now available on my ETSY SHOP
If you are so inclined, the Direwolf, Dragon and Raven GOT Animal Pins are also available! More art to come later 🙂
. Posted by Sherrie Thai by Shaireproductions.com .
At the core, leaves and flowers are organic pieces of art, filled with wonderful tannins, natural colors that can dye papers when coaxed with the right conditions. I took a 2-day course at the SF Center for the Book with Dorothy Yuki, exploring different techniques to expose the beauty of the plants on paper.
The setup and process
I learned that Eco-printing is all about experimentation. I happily discovered that I could produce simple concoctions without much use of chemicals, where I could then reproduce the process in my tiny home kitchen. Initially, you can dampen the paper with a Water-Vinegar solution and apply that same solution to your plants. Different plants have differing level of tannins; Roses give a nice splash of color, and a reddish Japanese Maple leaves transfer a remarkable green tone when placed in a bath solution. Ultimately, if you go simple with just a water/vinegar solution throughout the process, you can get a subtle watercolor effect, perfect for layering artwork–illustrations, calligraphy or photography.
There are tons of variables, like incorporating mordants, like alum or iron, to enhance the colors of the plants, but the main transfer mechanisms of plant to paper are physical contact and simmering the plants in a bath solution (like water/vinegar for a simple treatment, or using red onion for a deep orange hue). Here, the plants have been rolled into the paper along a cylinder and bound with a string. It then soaks up the water solution for about an hour, where all the magic happens.
Revealing the artwork from a copper pipe (with rose petals still attached)
When the artwork is finally unrolled, it’s like Christmas! The transfer result is widely variable, so it’s a treat to see what the end result is. In this indigo blue piece, a logwood rag (of beet red), was placed on top of the plants, rolled up, and simmered in an iron water solution. The prints were laid to dry for hours, then flattened with an iron, then is ready to be used and appreciated.
Part of creating art is about learning different techniques and experimenting. I’m super happy to have been able to take this course and work with the wonders of the garden; I hope to incorporate these with my illustrations more. Stay tuned!
. Posted by Sherrie Thai by Shaireproductions.com .
This spiral notebook is available on ETSY HERE and is adorned with my “Steampunk Skeleton Heart” artwork (a mixed-media creation inspired by Day of the Dead and the Steampunk genre). It’ll be a lovely gift for yourself or for that special someone who enjoys writing and appreciates a touch of macabre steampunk in their collection.