I hate picking favorites from the guests I have had through the years on Craft Lab, but I must say that Alisa Burke was one of those guests that blew me away. Some guests I have more in common with stylistically than others and Alisa was one of those people who’s style I was immediately drawn to. What’s not to love about upholstering a chair with canvas using graffiti techniques? Before I met Alisa I thought canvas was something you painted a picture of a fruit bowl on, stretched over some boards and hung on a wall to be admired. I walked away from the episode inspired and excited about her technique and full of ideas about how I could incorporate canvas into my own designs.
Fast forward a bit and a package arrives at my door from Alisa. The package was a handmade purse with a ton of colors, graffiti stylings, stenciled geisha girls – everything I could ever want in a purse and I had to fight my friends off to keep them from stealing it from me. The purse got me even more excited thinking that these techniques could be incorporated into jewelry which is always the way to my heart. Then a copy of Alisa Burke’s book Canvas Remix came across my desk and I about squealed with excitement. Not just one copy, two copies, one to give away to a lucky winner right here on the blog so you should be squealing with excitement too.
Canvas Remix: Techniques for Creating Mixed Media Accessories is available from North Light Books. The eye catching book has over 20 projects using Alisa’s signature graffiti style on everything from jewelry and purses to art dolls and ornaments. I’m of course partial to the projects like the Scrapped and Wrapped Bracelet and the Graffiti Drops Earrings, but after seeing Alisa reupholster a chair up close and personal the projects in the Home Remix chapter also caught my attention.
After my 3 day crafting spree with Traci Bautista last year where we made collage style paper, jewelry and art I feel like I have a good foundation under my belt for several of the collage techniques Alisa discusses in Canvas Remix. With this experience and a copy of Canvas Remix all that was holding me back was getting my hot little hands on some canvas that could run through my computer printer and Claudine Hellmuth and her Sticky- Back Canvas solved that problem quick enough! Art dolls here I come. Now I just have to decide if I want to try Anna’s Heart-Art Doll or the Messy Monsters.
Canvas Remix tells you everything you need to know to get the hipster urban chic look of graffiti without touching a can of spray paint or leaving your craft studio. Almost 40 pages of techniques covering everything from making your own stencils to transferring images will have you remixing canvas into your own designs in a jiffy. So add this book to your wish list fer sure, but be sure to leave us a comment right here for your chance to win a copy of Canvas Remix: Techniques for Creating Mixed Media Accessories by Alisa Burke. Tell me something about graffiti to win the book. Have you tried your hand at these techniques before? What did you make? Is there a graffiti artist in your town who paints smiling candy corn everywhere like we have in Austin? Did you once read something hilarious on the wall of a truck stop bathroom? I’m looking for graffiti stories of any kind and next Monday we will announce the lucky winner.
this book looks AMAZING! I loving printing on canvas and using it as a background for my art quilts and other creations. Would LOVE to get my hot little hands on a copy of this book!
thanks for a great review!
My sister & I painted a spraypaint graffiti mural on the back of our family's fireworks stand one year (on top of huge pieces of paper, but still). I have always been fascinated with graffiti, although living in a city neighborhood in Portland, tagging is common, and quite a bit of a nuisance to local businesses and sometimes homes!
Unfortunately the guilt of putting graffiti on someone else’s property would kill me. But I have painted a lot on canvas and it is so much fun. I actually just pulled a few yards out of the dryer today to do some more painting. I think I will love this book, can’t wait to see it.
Jennifer
there is an artist in chicago who paints rain clouds everywhere. every time i see one it makes me smile.
My husband is a high school teacher and guidance counsellor in a small town. One of his students fancied himself an urban artist, though, unfortunately, most of his effort went to random tagging. He now lives in the big city, and whenever we go to the city and see one of his “oh-so-secret” signature tags, it reminds us how important it is to work hard at making meaningful connections with all the
The only time I painted graffiti was in high school when they allowed us to paint murals on the walls. I did a couple of them and while they have long since been painted over (It's been >30 years), I still smile thinking about them!
My nephew is a tagger. I don’t approve (insert prune face here). I love the look of graffiti – I wish there was more ways for kids to do it legally. Unfortunately, part of that subculture is the fact that it’s illegal and the thrill of getting away with something.
I’d love to have this book. I’d probably get my kids or my nephew involved and end up with some fantastic pieces!
Best grafitti I’ve ever seen was in a toilet of a nightclub which said, in the most beautiful coloured font, “You can’t polish a turd”; made me chuckle and is now my favourite saying!!!
Would love to get my mits on that book – looks fab!
I love to take pictures of the graffiti here in Sacramento and incorporate the images into the quilt I make! Thanks for entering me into your contest!
I am so excited for the chance to win this book. I have looking at it since it came out and I just haven’t had the money to buy ir. Thanks for the opportunity.
Down the road from me there is a beautiful graffiti mural of an eagle. Unfortunately over the past 10+ years that I’ve lived here, random taggers have been covering it up :o(
I love artistic graffiti, but don’t have much time for taggers.
This book looks like a heap of fun though, and all I can say is, “pick me! pick me!” ROFL
We have a few graffiti murals here – my favorite is one that is on the side of a Beauty Salon (it’s kind of an eclectic look with planets, styling heads, etc.)!
I haven’t ever tagged anything myself, however there is a great episode of Decorating Cents where they redo a loft space for a guy is really into modern contemporary with a zany twist. They call it an urban loft makeover. Check out: ttp://www.hgtv.com/decorating-cents/urban-loft-makeover/index.html
It is great. They have all of the friends and people from the show write and draw with pens,
I have seen a fantastic mural recently done by graffiti artists on a modern Wizard of Oz Theme. I was on a train or I would have taken a photo.
I think this book is fab and would love to get my naughty little mitts on it.
Thanks for the opportunity.
Drat, well, it’s hard to find good grafitti in my area, because spraypaint (and now glass etching cream) is illegal in Chicago. Evidently you can tag windows with the etching cream.
There’s a lot of tagging with the sharpie/USPS labels method, or the stencil on the sidewalk method – I think that the most random mailing label tag I saw was a bottle of taco sauce drawn in red/green/black
Spray paint and glass etching cream is illegal in chicago!?!? That’s crazy. Here you have to be 18 to buy spray paint.
Thanks for all the comments. I’m curious are these pictures on buildings you guys are talking about graffiti or murals that were comissioned.
Jen,
Thanks for the awesome review!!!!!!!!
Some of the best graffiti I’ve ever seen was on the wall of Ruby’s BBQ.
I don’t think I can embed the photo, but I did take a picture of it. It really struck me.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/misti_k/2740679663/in/set-72157604948037414/
I live in a small town so no graffiti. But I used to live near a city that had lots of it. I marvel at the talent of some of the artists. I can’t believe what they do with spray cans. I actually have the book and have been reading it whenever I get a chance. Great book. Would be great to win another copy to give to a friend who would also enjoy it immensely.
Pick me, Pick me. I am in Alisa’s on line class and am loving it. I get up at 3 in the morning to do my “messy painting” which I love. I love looking at old doors, houses and older buildings that have been creatively defaced. My favorite is underneath bridges. Enjoy and thanks for a chance to win her book. Peggy
Love the look of this work. And would really love to have a copy of this book. Graffitti story:
Back in the 70’s when I was in Art School in Fort Wayne Indiana (I know, I know…where is that??) A young guy appeared on the grounds of the school and started hanging around us. He had been through many shock treatments and hospitalizations…he honestly thought he was the reincarnation of
I got this book as a Christmas present, which I asked for.. and it is A-W-E-S-O-M-E!
Check out my blog post this Friday, it’s about painting..it kind of reminds me of Alisa’s book!
we were at a friends house for dinner…and i looked over the fence and said “wow, they let you tattoo your houses here?” (there was graffiti on the back of an abandoned home)..i caught everyone off guard and they all laughed….
I would love to win this book! Thanks for the opportunity!
This book sounds awesome! i recently took a weekend class from Traci B. and realized that I am a terrible doodler and graffiti artist! I teach third grade, which is all about learning cursive. The kids were amped at first, but now…not so much. As a motivator, I let them practice “urban” lettering, too. We keep it on the quiet side, and I take lots of pictures. I told the kiddies I would be