Surface Design Fun!

Today the C&T Publishing blog is featuring an easy pattern I designed. It's a simple, graphic tablerunner to showcase fabric that's been painted or stamped (or painted and stamped) or otherwise surface designed. Check it out here!

There are tons of ideas in my Surface Design Essentials book to add surface design to your fabric. It's a super handy book with a lay-flat spiral binding and wipe-off pages for those unexpected Jackson Pollock moments.

On the Radio

Creative Talk Radio - Live today!!

I'm so excited to be a guest on Pat Sloan's radio show at 4 EDT this afternoon. You can listen in live here: http://toginet.com/shows/creativetalkradio or you can catch it in the archived version later at the same address - click on the 05/10/10 show in the Recent Shows sidebar or download on iTunes.

We'll be giving away a copy of my new book, Jane Davila's Surface Design Essentials, on Pat's blog. Go to her blog to enter until this Friday for a chance to win.

Workshop opportunity in New Jersey

There are a few spaces left in the Sketches from Nature workshop I'm teaching at the Garden State Quilters' Guild next Tuesday, April 13 in Chatham NJ. If you're interested please contact Becky at the guild to sign up. You don't need to be a member to take the class.

We'll be free-motion quilting with black thread and then adding acrylic ink to create the look of pen-and-ink drawings with watercolor effects. A really creative and easy process that looks more difficult than it is, this technique is from my new book, Jane Davila's Surface Design Essentials. The supply list is minimal and I provide all of the inks for use in class. I hope you can join me!

A surface design tote for the American Cancer Society

Tote Tuesday is a fundraiser held to benefit the American Cancer Society dreamed up by the incomparable and indefatiguable Virginia Spiegel. I'm so pleased to be able to help out again, this time by donating a tote for the auction. I've included a copy of my new book, Surface Design Essentials, 5 bottles of Liquitex soft-body acrylic paints, 3 bottles of Liquitex acrylic ink, 3 different Liquitex acrylic mediums - fabric, matte gel and, my favorite, iridescent - 6 Derwent Inktense water-soluble ink pencils and a small piece of art made with these yummy colors. With this tote full of goodies, you can dive right in and start creating!

For all the details about this auction that will be held next Tuesday, February 23, head over to Virginia's blog. There are lots of fun totes up for bidding and it's for such a good cause!

Playing with Paint

Some artist trading cards made by playing with paint and matte medium and stamps and fabric on watercolor paper using techniques found in my new book Surface Design Essentials.

Art Quilt Studio Workshops

Four new workshops offered this Winter in Fairfield County, Connecticut. Treat yourself to a relaxing, educational and artistic day. Class sizes are limited, so don't delay!

Playing with Paint
Learn a wide assortment of ways to apply acrylic paint to create unique and original fabric and effects. A great introduction to Jane's new book, coming in January, 2010.

Thursday January 28 or Wednesday March 17
10 am - 4 pm $75.00

Surface Design Sampler
Come to play with a large variety of materials and supplies - paintstiks, neocolor pastels, assorted inks, mediums, paints, stamp pads, glitter, foil, smooch, angelina fibers and films, and more.

Thursday February 4 or Saturday March 20
10 am - 4 pm $95.00
most supplies included in the class fee

Introduction to Image Transfers
Learn direct and indirect transfer methods to add images to your projects. TAP, acrylic paint and medium transfers, and direct printing on a variety of fabrics and surfaces will be covered.

Saturday January 23, Wednesday February 10 or Thursday March 11
10 am - 2 pm $75.00
most supplies included in the class fee

Sketches from Nature
Create a free-motion thread sketch and then apply acrylic ink to complete a small quilt with a hand-drawn and hand-painted watercolor effect.
Wednesday January 20 or Saturday February 13
10 am - 4pm $75.00

Workshops are held in Fairfield County, Connecticut with a limited class size for individual attention. For more information email me at info @ janedavila (dot) com

A Surface Design give-away

Head on over to the C&T Publishing blog and leave a comment on this post. They will be picking one lucky winner on the 29th for a copy of my brand-spanking-new book, Surface Design Essentials, and a kit of surface design goodies.

Good luck!

Surface Design Essentials

I'm so excited to show you a sneak peak of my newest book. Surface Design Essentials will hit the stores in January 2010!



A smaller format book with a covered spiral binding, Surface Design Essentials explores the use of acrylic paints, mediums, acrylic inks and water soluble pencils on fabric and some unusual, mixed-media surfaces. In addition to the 15 techniques covered, there are 7 projects to help you get started playing and creating. I think it will be a handy reference tool for any artist working with paints, inks and mediums.

Some of my very favorite artists generously contributed work for the gallery section of the book. You're going to love to see what they've created!

Judy Coates Perez
Virginia Spiegel
Terry Grant
Jane LaFazio
Natalya Aikens
Elin Waterston
and Lynn Koolish

The book will be available in bookstores and quilt stores worldwide in mid-January. If you'd like to order an autographed copy, please contact me.

Paired with the release of this book will be C&T and Liquitex's new Surface Design Center to quilt shops near you. The Surface Design Center features:

24 Liquitex Soft Body Acrylic colors
4 Liquitex Professional Acrylic Ink colors
Liquitex Fabric Medium
Liquitex Matte Gel Medium
& Winsor & Newton Brushes

I had the great pleasure to be in on the development of this center and it was so much fun to test out the products and give input as to what art quilters and mixed-media artists would find most valuable and useful in it. We debuted the center at Quilt Festival in Houston last month and invited everyone walking by to sit and paint and play with the mediums. We had such a fantastic response!

I'm delighted that it will be much easier for art quilters to find these products in their local quilt stores. I'm equally delighted that this means that more and more people will be experimenting with making art quilts and trying things they haven't yet tried. The Force is strong in those of us who play with paint and we welcome more people to join us!!