Modish

Collabo: Green Post & Crafterall

We're back with another great, eco-friendly collaboration today! Kendra from Green Post creates beautiful recycled pulp papers and has paired up with Marnie of Crafterall to use the paper scraps left over from her art projects to create brand new, useful papers! It's a match made in eco-friendly art heaven. Read about Crafterall's experience with the collabo here, and then check out Scoutie Girl to read Green Post's side of the story!

Which came first: the idea or the partnership? Who approached whom?

Kendra and I have had a great camaraderie via Etsy for almost a year giving each other advice, feedback and support, but it was the idea that ignited the official collaboration. I was running out of “thank you” notes to send with orders from my shop, and wanted to do something “green” like plantable cards. I asked on Twitter if anyone had heard of or had a recommendation for plantable business cards. As I was typing, I thought of Kendra’s recent work with paper pulp and wondered if she’d be interested in making some for me. We started talking and the planning went quickly and easily. For me, this was instant verification of a diehard idea.

Collabo: Lucie Summers & Eco Eco

We're back with another installment of Collabo with Jan at Scoutie Girl! This week I'm happy to be featuring one of my favorite designers, Lucie Summers from Summersville, who worked in collaboration with Alison from Eco Eco, a great UK based shop featuring organic and sustainable goods. Lucie designed the gorgeous patterns and Eco Eco created high quality gift wrap from them, printed with vegetable based inks on recycled paper. It's eco-friendly and fantastic!

See how the partnership was formed: Lucie's answers are below and find the Eco Eco story over on Scoutie Girl!

Which came first: the idea or the partnership? Who approached whom?
Alison used to comment on my Flickr photostream - she was always leaving encouraging words, and was a really strong supporter of my work. I was really just finding my feet, having gone from a textile/quilt art background to experimenting with paper collage. She approached me about doing a collage design for a Christmas card, which I did and Alison got printed in a short run. It was a total learning curve for the two of us, and quite a good way to dip our toes into working together.

What is the nature of your collaboration? (did one of you purchase the rights to use the other’s artwork, do you both receive revenue from sales, is the artwork on-loan for a limited time or # of pieces….)
At the moment, I get paid in stock and I'm very happy with the arrangement. We're very relaxed about this part of the process. I know that Alison is really wary of making me feel like she's taking advantage of me, but the truth is, having my designs applied to different mediums is fantastic for me, it really helps to extend my product line. Maybe later we'll be more 'official', we'll see how it goes.

How did you coordinate the project work and determine who will do what?
With the 'totem' wrapping paper, Alison financed the project and I provided the original design and helped Alison choose colours. I feel like I got the good end of the deal! It works because I can concentrate on what I do best - design - and Alison does all the running around pricing and researching, and all the stuff that makes me want to tear my hair out. The fun bit was choosing the colours. It's funny - usually I'm a real control freak and with anyone else I'd be stressing that they didn't 'get' me, especially with colour, but with Alison I feel really laid back. It's very strange, especially as we've never met and only spoken on the phone once!

Collabo: Little Flower Designs & The Broken Plate

Back again with our Collabo series, Jan found an unconventional collaboration to explore between Linda at Little Flower Designs and Juliet at The Broken Plate Pendant Co. The way they came together with their project was accidental really! Read on to see how they turned lemons into lemonade- Juliet's answers are below and Jan has Linda's side of the story over at Scoutie Girl now!

Which came first: the idea or the partnership? Who approached whom?
I love using artist’s ceramics in my jewelry. I have done a few collaborations with ceramic artists like Diana Fayt, Jezze and Shawna Pincus, using scraps and pieces that were broken in shipping. These always end up being my favorite pieces. When I first saw Linda’s ceramics I was instantly smitten and approached her at the American Craft Council Show about letting me use her scraps if anything should break. She agreed to keep me in mind. A few months later, while both of us were vending at an outdoor spring show, an unfortunate wind came and knocked some platters off of her table and broke them into a bunch of pieces. Linda came down with a brown bag full of scraps and a sad face. She told me to do what I wish with her scraps and walked away. I felt a bad for her, but was really excited to see what I could come up with.

What is the nature of your collaboration? (did one of you purchase the rights to use the other’s artwork, do you both receive revenue from sales, is the artwork on-loan for a limited time or # of pieces….)
This collaboration was a great way to make lemonade out of lemons. Linda gave me the scraps that would have otherwise gone into the garbage free of charge. In exchange, I sent her a pendant and, as with my other collaborations, I agreed to donate a portion of the sale to the charity of the artist’s choice. In this case, Linda chose the ASPCA because of her love of animals.

Collabo: Alison Corrie & Jen McCleary

Jan and I have another installment of our Collabo series today, this time between two lovely artists and friends: Jen McCleary and Alison Corrie. Jen and Alison collaborated on a couple of collage books that are really cool. They make the actual books by hand and then take turns adding to the pages with collage, paint, drawing, etc. building upon each other's work. And they also sell prints made from scans of their book pages- awesome!

Read on to hear how Alison got involved with and contributed to the project, and then head over to Scoutie Girl to read Jen's perspective!

Which came first: the idea or the partnership? Who approached whom?

If I remember correctly, I think it was the idea that came first. I had been experimenting in book binding and collaging for a while. I imagined a project in which a handmade book would pass between two artists. I liked the idea that the content of the book was the result of four hands, four eyes, and two brains. It was a very casual collaborative culmination. Jen and I were friends and I was already a huge appreciator of her work. We both do a lot of cutting and pasting so I thought the partnership could work together well.

What is the nature of your collaboration? (did one of you purchase the rights to use the other’s artwork, do you both receive revenue from sales, is the artwork on-loan for a limited time or # of pieces….)

We both share the revenue from sale of our postcards and archival prints, which are scanned from the pages of our collaborative books. The commercial side did not come until much later. I would say that I participated in the exchange as an opportunity to make art for art's sake. It wasn't until Jen started scanning and posting the pages on her website that I thought, hey, I like seeing this work out of context from the books and I think other people will too.

How did coordinate the project work and determine who will do what?

The coordination of the project was very simple: we had one handmade book that for an undetermined amount of time, one of us would work in and then mail to the other. Then we started a second book so that each of us could always play and build on something. Usually the books make several rounds between us before we give a collective nod and decide they are finished. Jen naturally took the reins and handles the archival print orders and sales.

 Is the collabo ongoing or was it a one-and-done deal?

The collaboration is ongoing and I hope it remains so. It's like Christmas Day when I receive a book from Jen! With the turn of each page, it's like opening a present in seeing how the pages have grown and evolved since I last added to them.

What made you want to partner your art with someone else’s?

I think it was the curiosity of what would happen!

Do you work with other artists to create collaborative pieces?

I have worked with other artists in the past to create work collaboratively and all of the experiences have been amazing! I feel that some of strongest work I have ever made was in collaborative projects.

 Do you have any suggestions for other artists who are considering a collaborative project?

Communication and compromise are pretty key elements when working collaboratively. My favorite part of working with someone else is having a brainstorming session. Sometimes your own ideas become stronger when you have another person's input.

If you could work with any other artist to create a piece together (famous and/or deceased included), who would it be and what would you make?

Wow, that is a huge question! I really enjoy the collage work of Max Ernst, Jonathan Hernandez, Henrik Olesen, John Stezaker, Eduardo Recife, and Alexis Mackenzie. It would be interesting to participate in book exchange or perhaps create a giant work on paper with any of those artists. I have always been curious about animation so one day I'd like to do a collaboration with an animator and create a short film. Polina Soloveichik is an artist I have worked with in the past and I'd like to do projects in the future with her. Amongst the many beautiful things she does are murals which I have never done before. It could be interesting to step outside of my comfort zone and find myself on a ladder with a paintbrush and see what happens!

Thank you Alison! It's great to hear how these pieces took shape. See more of Alison's work in her etsy shop, and purchase some prints here.

Collabo: Umbrella Prints + Ceeb Wassermann

Today we have another installment of the Collabo series between Scoutie Girl and Modish, yay! This time we took at look at the beautiful collaboration between Australian fabric designers, Umbrella Prints, and Australian jewelry designer, Ceeb Wassermann. Read Ceeb's interview below and then head to Scoutie Girl to see Umbrella Prints' side of the story!

Which came first: the idea or the partnership? Who approached whom?

The partnership came first. Amy Prior of Umbrella Prints approached me. She asked if I would make jewelry pieces from the prints they do for their fabric.

What is the nature of your collaboration? (did one of you purchase the rights to use the other’s artwork, do you both receive revenue from sales, is the artwork on-loan for a limited time or # of pieces….)

Amy orders whatever amount of which ever design and 'buys' them at a wholesale price. I make them and then ship them to her.

How did you coordinate the project work and determine who will do what?

It was a pretty straightforward collaboration. They decided which of their designs to use and I made them into wearables in my style of work.

Is the collabo ongoing or was it a one-and-done deal?

At the moment it is ongoing. We haven't discussed a time factor at all.

What made you want to partner your art with someone else’s? 

I love their prints and could really see them as 'on the body' pieces.

Do you work with other artists to create collaborative pieces?

I have in the past. Collaboration is different every time (with every artist.)

Do you have any suggestions for other artists who are considering a collaborative project?

It's very basic really, once you decide who is doing what, then you must stick with it. If you're worried about copyright or such things, then you have to have a clear contract.

If you could work with any other artist to create a piece together (famous and/or deceased included), who would it be and what would you make?

I would like to make the handles to cupboards & drawers & doors with Philip Stark or to work with the Italian company Alessi.

Thanks for sharing Ceeb! Be sure to take a peek at Ceeb's other gorgeous jewelry designs in her Howlin' Doggie shop and find more stunning fabrics in the Umbrella Prints shop.

Collabo: Shanna Murray & Pistachio Press

Introducing a new collaborative series between Jan at Scoutie Girl and I... Collabo! We'll be featuring interviews with artists who work together on collaborative projects- one artist will be featured here, and the other over at Scoutie Girl with our interviews posted at the same time. Neato huh? Yeah, it's Jan's idea, I can't take any credit for it ;)

First up, we have a collaboration between artist Shanna Murray and stationery designer, Pistachio Press who worked together to create a beautiful limited edition card set. Read Shanna's interview about the project and her thoughts on collaboration below and afterward, head to Scoutie Girl to see what Rachael from Pistachio Press has to say!

Shanna Murray:

Which came first: the idea or the partnership? Who approached whom?

Rachael and I became fast friends after meeting through Second Storie Indie Market. It was clear early on that we had much in common. We decided after countless conversations about design, letterpress, and our mutual wish to spend more of our time making in the company of others that it would be great to do just that. We were motivated to collaborate on a piece we could show under our shared tent at the Renegade Craft Fair. We knew through conversation that what we were looking for in the experience was something equally shared all the way through. Rachael had been wanting to spend more time on design than she had been and I had been wanting to gain more letterpress experience. It was an easy fit for both of us.

What is the nature of your collaboration?

Ours was an equal collaboration in that we came up with the concept together, we sat side by side creating the designs, and shared equally in the printing so all expenses and revenue have been divided equally.

How did you coordinate the project work and determine who would do what?

From the beginning we truly had the same vision for our collaboration. Rachael and I had both been thinking about working on a more abstract project than was the norm for either of us. We sat down at my kitchen table and went about creating the designs for our series of cards. I'd work on one element and then send it over to Rachael's computer and vice versa until we had a complete set of designs. We decided on design elements and colors very easily, due to sharing a similar design sense. The only thing I did differently from Rachael was throw a ball for my dog here and there to keep him occupied while we worked. Actually, I take that back. I think Rachael threw the ball too! The designs were all created in one afternoon. The remainder of the collaboration would go much the same way, sharing the work evenly through the printing and packaging process.