Christine Schmidt - Yellow Owls Little Prints: Stamp, Stencil, and Print Projects to Make for Kids

Copyrights and Usage

I created these designs for you to have a blast making your own personal projects. Use of these designs to sell or for other business purposes is prohibited. If you happen to take photos of the personal pieces you make from this book, I would be thrilled to see them! Please refer to the section for contact information.

Copyright 2013 by Christine Schmidt

All rights reserved.

Published in the United States by Potter Craft, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.

www.crownpublishing.com

www.pottercraft.com

POTTER CRAFT and colophon are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Schmidt, Christine, 1979
Yellow Owls Little Prints: Stamp, Stencil, and Print Projects to Make for Kids / Christine Schmidt. First Edition.
pages cm
1. Handicraft. 2. Relief printing. I. Title.
TT857.S29 2013
745.5dc23
2013000774

Trade paperback ISBN 978-0-7704-3363-5

Ebook ISBN 978-0-7704-3364-2

Photography by Laure Joliet

Cover illustration by Christine Schmidt

Cover photograph by Laure Joliet

Stylist: Miranda Jones

v3.1

I am writing this as my baby daughter, Emmy, sleeps in the other room. Above her closed eyes hangs the paper mobile I made her. A wooden rocking horse made by my uncle Terence keeps night watch. She naps swaddled in a quilt sewn by my friend Ninah over crib sheets that I have stamped with a sweet pattern of little leaves. All these things share three important components: they are handmade, practical, and meaningful. While being creative has been an intrinsic part of my life as an artist for many years, Ive discovered that creating something for a child is especially satisfying. Its another way to share a little bit of yourself with the little one.

My goal with this book is to help you create practical hand-printed items to use in your everyday life that are special enough to keep as heirlooms. For my daughter, long after diapers give way to debates about the length of her skirt, I want these projects to still feel like treasures. Gifts made by hand are always unique and personal, and tell a story about both the maker and the recipient. Use this book to create pieces that will deepen the bond between you and the children in your lifefirst to brighten their every day, then to be cherished for many years to come.

I began working on this book when I had just found out I was pregnant. I spent hours looking at store-bought items, sorting through my own creations, and planning projects for this book. Now, during the actual writing of it, I have a baby. In addition to the love and the endless rewards a baby brings into your life, I have also gained great perspective. Im still eager to share all the tricks I learned through my formal art training, and use designs I have been dreaming up at my studio, Yellow Owl Workshop, but now I know how important it is for these projects to easily accommodate a life with children. As I craft projects late at night, between feedings and after my (other) job, the kitchen table becomes my studio, so Ive left out projects that seemed too fussy or that required special equipment. I got rid of projects that didnt give the most spectacular results in a limited amount of time or required exacting skill (or a full nights sleep). I also cooked up new projects, such as the stamped , these are things anyone, regardless of skill level, can make with easy-to-find materials. And Ive included a range of ideas so you can use the same techniques again and again over the years to create items for kids as they grow from baby to school-aged.

Printing encompasses many techniques, such as relief, stenciling, and image transfer, to create multiple copies of one image. I have such a passion for printing that my company, Yellow Owl Workshop, is devoted to it. These techniques can be so versatile and forgiving that youll find even an imperfect, uneven piece can be a work of art. My first book, Print Workshop, is an in-depth guide to printing at home, and gives a thorough look at traditional printmaking, screen printing, and more, with a discussion of art terms and design principles. With Yellow Owls Little Prints , I focus on a narrower range of printing techniques, such as stamping, stenciling, iron-on decals, and decoupage, so even busy caregivers can make and customize my designs easily for professional results!

This book is packed with graphic templates for your personal use. Feel free to have fun and use templates for projects other than those they are specified for. For instance, the . Just enlarge the image to your desired size, print it out, and have at it! I also included all the art you see on the chapter openers and the cover as more templates for you to use.

I wrote most of these projects for an adult to make for children, but you can certainly let little ones in on the fun. Encourage their collaboration and creativity. If you think your kid would like to stamp, have him try it out! Stamping can be great fun at any age, but start first with dye-based ink so permanent ink doesnt make for unintended prints on the couch! I would reserve techniques like iron-on decals for older kids because of the hot iron, but involve younger children in choosing images or drawing something that might make a fantastic iron-on. Use as a helpful guide.

I hope you have as much fun making these projects as I did. Making your own prints at home is not about creating a perfect item. Prints made by hand will always have the little imperfections and character that reflect the hand and heart that made them. Embrace these imperfections and just have fun. Each mistake can be a story or at least a learning opportunity. Big manufacturers churn out charmless perfect printed items en masse that one day will just clutter up a landfill. Even if your projects dont turn out exactly as you expected, you can print awesome handmade things that will be cherished forever.

I am lucky to know a real pro in this arena. My mother, Mary Beth Schmidt, not only taught me and my three sisters about art from the time we were wee lasses, but for nearly thirty years, she has also been teaching kids from kindergarten to eighth grade at the same grade school I attended, St. Peters School in Kansas City, Missouri. She gave me some excellent points I am happy to pass along here. But you know your child best, and your sense of her or his ability and interest will guide you both.