The Story Behind the Summer 2011 Collection
by Helga Strauss
Here is the inspiration board that I have up in my studio.
So many fun things inspired the Summer 2011 Collection: seeing the Water For Elephants movie,
a beautiful arch in the
current Anthropologie catalog, an accordion book in Oprah's magazine,
a circus shrine by Angie Miller and more.
From my inspiration board, the Summer 2011 Collection was born: Eco Accordion Book Kits (perfect for displaying your
ATCs and so easy to put together!). Lucky Elephants! and unique Frames to put them
in. Beautiful, Red Seahorses and Coral.
Oh, I had such a blast designing everything!
Once all of the art supplies were ready, I wanted to make some lovely pieces of art to show them off. It was around that
time that I stumbled upon my treasured copy of Collage Discovery Workshop: Beyond the Unexpected by Claudine Hellmuth.
I highly recommend this book and consider it a must-have for all paper artists. In her book, she mentions having a color
journal and she uses that to inspire her artwork. So, that got me thinking...hmmm...
I decided to make an inspiration board and pull a color palette together and make myself a "cheat sheet" of meanings of
symbols that appear in the collection. Plus, notes on what colors coral and seahorses are found in nature. I selected paints and painted them onto the page. Color scheme: red, orange, magenta, lime green and turquoise.
I selected colorful bright, happy, patterned papers to compliment the bright color palette. Then I ripped and glued papers
into a patchwork pattern.
Inca came by to check it out.
I ended up making this inspiration board to help guide me in playing with my new supplies. I propped it up on my art table
and went to town. I had so much fun! Get a taste of what I made In the Studio!
Here are some close up shots. I couldn't resist sewing on a bit of pink thread to add a bit of texture to the beautiful Red Coral. Soft coral can have fuzzy ends and I wanted my ties to reflect that.
I made a little note here on our Red Label that coral symbolizes protection. And the colors of coral that occur naturally.
This is helpful when contemplating ideas on what to paint our new Eco Chunky Coral and Eco Embellishments.
On another Red Label, I've included what seahorses symbolize...fascinating! I love how the Mermaid, painted black with a
Sharpie marker, is holding our Mini Chunky Seahorse that I painted with red and orange acrylic paint...so cute!
Two adorable Eco Embellishment Seahorses that I painted with Ranger Crackle Paints...black and white. Love this finish!
For more inspiration, check out my Ocean ATCs!
I also fell in love with using the Ranger Crackle Paints on our new Elephants too! It mimics the texture of their skin... soo cool! In this little close-up, you can see that I included a Stage Frame so that the cute elephant has a perfect frame.
I fanned a candy holder across the top and added a piece of Eco Embellishment - painted with "good luck."
I love the Ranger Crackle Paint on our new Classic Round Windows too! . I also love our Nature Silhouettes transparency for adding to the windows...it feels like you're looking out a real window.
I'm pleased to share a copy of my inspiration board with you! For a limited time only. While quantities last.
I hope that it will provide you with lots of inspiration for years to come! See what's new to view the complete
Summer 2011 Collection!
Also, check out some of the cool art pieces I made In the Studio!