TIm Holtz at Absolutely Everything

Here's a quick report on the Tim Holtz weekend so far...
After a drive that took twice as long as normal thanks to Friday afternoon traffic, I arrived at Absolutely Everything in Topsfield, MA for the first event of the weekend.  I met Marilyn Mae (my blog friend from Maine) and her friend Paula with just enough time to grab a quick dinner before the demonstration session (well... we did manage to shop a bit too!).

Tim did two sessions and we were in the second group so when we arrived he was just straighterning out his supplies.  The shop classroom wall is full of all sorts of interesting art.

Tim told us all about the Distress Markers - did you know that the top of the canister is designed with straight sides so you can put flat on the table and it won't roll away?  You can actually store the markers standing up or on their sides.  Tim said that he prefers sideways even though the scientists at Ranger told him it doesn't matter - the ink is suspended just like it is in an ink pad.

The markers are not refillable but you can buy them individually when you have used up a favorite color.  Time also told us about "Ink Refresher" which is a Ranger product that you can use to make a water based ink pad or a marker juicy again.  It is clear and looks like water but is actually made of resins so it won't dilute the color at all.

Tim showed us some basic coloring with the markers.  The image on the left was stamped with Archival black ink and then colored with markers.  He applied color with the marker and then used one of the new water brushes to blend and shade the color.  The image on the far right was done by applying markers directly to the stamp.  Once you have added all of the color you want, you "huff" on the stamp and the moisture from your breath makes the inks ready to stamp.  You can do several stamps from the same inking - the center set of butterflies is the second generation stamped image.  He stamped a third time and said, "I could do a fourth but that would just be showing off!"

There is a great video on the Ranger site HERE that covers a lot of information about the markers and how to use them - by the master himself!  The last tip I have to share is to try some of the new Specialty Stamping Paper - the difference in the stamped image is amazing!

The second thing Tim demonstrated was the Stamp2Cut system for the eclips machine.  You can stamp an image with one of his rubber stamps and then use a clear template to add two registration marks on the paper.  You load the paper into the machine on a sticky mat and then use a laser eye to detect the two marks to prepare for cutting.  All of the "brains" of the eclips are in the controller, so you can actually bring just the controller if you are going to a crop (Tim brought his controller and used the machine at the shop).

If you look carefully at this photo, you can see the tiny dots in the top left and lower right corners - these are the registration marks.  In addition to cutting out the image in full, you can cut a shadow, a blackout or pieces.  For the butterflies you can even cut just the wings to get the effect you see on the top butterfly.

It is tempting to consider adding the eclips to my stable of machines, but I need to find out more about it and try it out some other time.  The machine has a cartridge system  (they plug in to the controller)  but you can also use it with a computer to cut fonts and shapes that you design yourself.  There is a version of Sure Cuts a Lot (SCAL) called eCAL that is exclusive to the eclips and greatly extends the creative possibilities of the machine.

Marilyn Mae  snapped this quick photo of me with Tim.  She also brought me the most amazing book that she made for me - it is so lovely and full of details that I will need to do a separate blog post another day to share it. 

If you go to Tim's blog HERE, you can see the class room space we will work in - it's huge (it has to be for 90 students!).  You can also see the projects we will be making.  If you look carefully, you might spot me in the photo of the demo session!


I hope you are having a great weekend - I feel so lucky to be able to spend my weekend doing all of these classes!

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