Book Review: Lotta Prints

Lotta Prints: How to Print with Anything, from Potatoes to Linoleum by Lotta Jansdotter


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I keep going back and forth between giving this book 3 or 4 stars. The style of the prints, the photos, the set up of the book - inspiring. Just lovely. The actual instructions to techniques used - lacking. Most of it is basic printing information that is found online or in other books - with better instructions. So it didn't give me any new ideas as far as techniques but as far as inspiration - yes it did! Really easy designs that would leave anything you print on looking lovely. One such inspiration I can't wait to try is the wall hangings. They were ceiling to floor simple cloth wall hangings with a simple print on them. Very pretty - giving a room a splash of color with a minimalistic approach. I don't know if it is a book I need to own but I do think it would provide me inspiration print design if I had it on my shelf but probably wouldn't inspire me one which technique to use. Another plus to this book - many of the print designs could go for either male or female. They are very unisex friendly. Often prints books I have seen are very hearts, flowers and sunshine type designs but this book often has geometric designs put together in a very pleasing way that would work for any gender.

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Freebie Collage Clip Art

I found several good pieces
here for collages....Free B&W Clip

Free Collage/Ephemera/Scrapbook Resources & Supplies

Just thought since I had a few freebie links that I would share those plus a few others I had bookmarked.

Lisa Vollrath is doing a Valentine's countdown freebies again so please go check them out!

Another Artist Vintage Valentine Countdown

Vintage Photo Archive

Scrapability's Vintage Images

Aisling's Clipart

Incredible Clipart & Images

Above the Mark - Vintage Images

Old Book Illustrations

NYPL Digital Gallery

Silent Ladies & Gents

Miss Mary's Free Clipart

Art E-Zine Vintage Images

Check out www.google.com/patents for schematics and various line drawings of all kinds of inventions with some dating back to the early 19th century.

Free Image Downloads

Comics and Pulp fiction - you are downloading the whole issue so they are bigger files. I have downloaded them saved the cover or images I liked and just deleted the rest.

Dover Publications offers free samples they send a link every week by email.

Talbot County Free Library Ephemera Collection

Not really ephemera but they have some good templates for ATC's, art dolls and so much more.

Absolute No's

I think this is a really good list of things not to do when doing freelance work. So I am putting it here so I remember it!

Sale! Sale!

I am a posting fool today....

I just got an email from Addicted to Rubber Stamps...

They are having a REALLY good sale so go check it out if you create - art, cards or scrapbooks it is a great sale! Plus 1/2 price shipping!

Book Review....

I got a gift certificate for my birthday to Amazon and ended up buying a few art books. One was Claudien Hellmuth's Collage Discovery. Really most of the time I am not impressed by how-to-books in the collage or altered art sphere because they all seem to be a show case for art instead of really a how-to book. I like artist show case books too because not only are they usually incredible just to browse through with a cup of tea but they also are usually very inspiring. So when I see a book that says it is a technique book - I usually I am a little sceptical. But Collage Discovery is really a how-to book! This is hands down the one of best book I have seen on this subject. I probably own about 4/5 collage artist type books. Collage Discovery has good techniques, good instructions, good photographs to go along with the instruction and is just in general offers clear, helpful, practical advice for collage artists.

If you don't believe yourself to be an artist or creative, but would like to create I really urge you to pick up this book as I feel you would find practical, easy, straight-forward ideas to spark ideas in creating.

Things I have always wanted to learn how to do or had problems with when following other instructions, she explains in just a way that I got and now am able to do because of her clear instructions and techniques. Things I have dreamed about or seen in my head can now reach the canvas and paper because I have valuable insight on how to make it happen. This book has helped me as an artist and it has been exciting to see the transformation to my art as well as my process in creating.