I am very excited to introduce to you miss Leigh Angel. She is an absolute asset to Stencil1 and you’ll be hearing more from Leigh as she blogs her heart out here. Check out this interview with Leigh!
Interview by Betsy Todd
Is your name really Leigh Angel?
Yes. I come from a long line of Angels, including my great-great grandfather George Washington Angel and his wife Elizabeth. My parents named me Leigh after their friend who they thought was cool. I never met her, but I’ll take their word for it.
How did you come to work with Stencil1?
My good friend Betsy Todd (you might know her) introduced me to Ed after one of her band’s shows, and I loved his graphic stencil work. He was wearing one of his T-shirts with a stenciled fawn design. This was maybe 2004 or 2005, so way ahead of the twee woodland creature trend. A year or so later, Ed needed help writing the introduction for his first stencil book with Chronicle. I had just finished ghostwriting a book for a crazy person and was looking for a fun project. We bonded over a mutual love of acrylic paint and Keith Haring. I’ve since helped him write three books.
What do you do for Stencil1 and what are some of your favorite assignments?
Working with Ed, I get to do two things I love: writing and crafting. As a writer, I organize his ingenious, creative ideas and help him express in words what he would normally express visually. When we first started working together, we developed an intro and a brief history of stenciling for Stencil 101. Since then, I’ve written tutorials and created samples to illustrate some of the projects. I loved making the needle-felted pillow sample that appears in Stencil 201 and developing tutorials for 201 and the upcoming book. But my favorite was creating and writing my own knitting pattern based on one of Ed’s stencils, which will be in the new book coming out later this year. It will be my first published knitting pattern!
Ed thinks you are a crafting genius, how did all this begin?
Ha. Ed is a mad brilliant guy. I can’t believe I’m so lucky to work with someone as intensely creative and passionate about his art. He’s an inspiration to anyone who wants to make a living doing something they love.
My dad’s mother, Grandma J, taught me to cross-stitch in junior high, but I quickly grew bored and, frankly, annoyed with the flowery, homespun patterns available to me. In high school, I focused on singing. Crafts were too “girly” and not progressive enough for the burgeoning feminist-in-the-bible-belt I was becoming. So I just sang in the choir and plotted my escape. My real passion for crafting came later in life, when I moved to New York in the mid-90s.
I found myself missing that tactile experience of creating with my hands. I was a musical theater actor/waitron and started painting again to relieve stress. No empty wine bottle or flower pot or coffee table was safe from my paintbrush. I started looking online for inspiration and discovered a site called GetCrafty.com, started by Jean Railla. The message board introduced me to like-minded women (and a few men) who were interested in taking crafts beyond the frilly, squeaky acrylic yarn crafts of their grandmothers. Each craft was treated as an art form and came with a rock-and-roll aesthetic. I started working with collage and decoupage, making accessories out of duct tape, and turning my neglected vinyl collection into melted vinyl bowls. From there, I got into crochet and knitting and rediscovered the cross stitch of my youth.
Who taught you the “art” of crafting and who are your biggest inspirations?
Grandma J was devoted crafter of multiple talents. She did lace tatting, quilling, tole painting, cross stitch, candle-wicking, beading … the list goes on. For Easter, she would make these insane egg dioramas by blowing the inside out of the egg, cutting out a window from one side, and filling the egg with tiny fake flowers and grass and a little bunny or chick or angel. Then she’d decorate the outside with ribbon and hang them on her Easter tree.
Cut to NYC, winter, 1999: I was late for work, and I stopped by the tchotchke cart on 86th and Amsterdam Ave. to buy a hair barrette before my shift waiting tables. The proprietor, George Jackson, complimented me on my scarf and asked if I made it, which I hadn’t. He said, “That’s just garter stitch. Very easy. I could teach you.” I laughed, but he insisted. “When the weather’s nicer, you come back and I’ll show you.” So I did. A few months later, I showed up with needles and yarn, and we sat on folding chairs outside the CVS on Amsterdam Ave. and Mr. Jackson taught me to knit.
Knitting was something I never thought I could do, and then something I never thought I could master. With the guidance of my friend Monica Schroeder, who is supremely talented knitter, I have exceeded my own expectations. Every now and then, I pop in on George Jackson and show him my latest creation.
I draw inspiration mostly from pop art, pop culture, and traditional folk art. I love bright colors and repeating pattern motifs. Especially circles. Much of my work contains circles and pairs of things.
I’m especially drawn to artists who use traditional “crafts” to create outrageous and innovative works of art and design, like Sarah Applebaum, Nava Lubelski, and Andrea Dezsö. I also love the stitching antics of BeeFranck and Mr. Xstitch and my pal Florence Wang, who makes cross stitch paintings based on her own photography. Oh! Olek! I can’t believe I forgot her. I went freaking’ went apeshit when I saw one of her yarnbombs in person when my nephew visited last summer. He was all, “Wha?” And I was like, “Stand here. Let me take your picture with this crocheted bike!”
In my own work, I find myself going back to the crafts of my grandmothers, especially crochet and cross stitch, and making them my own. I just recently bought a candlewicking kit on eBay and I can’t wait to play around with it.
Do you prefer crafting over writing?
Not necessarily. I approach them differently and love them equally. Writing is like solving a puzzle. You have a million tiny ideas, thoughts, and sparks, and you know they all fit together somehow. The thrill comes when all those pieces make a picture. Writing is also how I bring home the tofu bacon, so I have to be pragmatic about it. Some days it’s less than magical, but that’s how it is with any job, even a job you love. I get equal pleasure from creating with my hands and some string and needles or paint and paper. Crafting is relaxing and soothing. Knitting, cross-stitch, crochet, and embroidery have a mathematical rhythm, similar to music, that allows me to shift my mindset. I love to put on my iPod or sit in front of the the TV with my needles and just unspool. I think that’s why I’m drawn to repeating patterns; the geometrical balance is calming.
What is your dream job (paying or non-paying)?
My dream job is write and craft full-time, traveling the world for inspiration, which I’m doing on a small scale now. Someday, I hope to be able to ditch the day job, but as the wise Lisa Adams once said, “you have to fund the dream.” I would love to live part of the year in New York and part of the year in Rwanda, crafting it up with the Ubushobozi girls!
First craft project you can remember making?
The first project I remember “learning” was a plastic canvas needlepoint basket. My Girl Scout troop took lessons, like basic sewing, quilting, and needlepoint, at a sewing shop called Stitch in Time. The shop was in an old Victorian gingerbread house painted pink with white trim and had overflowing flower beds in the yard, and I LOVED it. I was not very good at quilting; I remember being very frustrated that my stitches were uneven on the first try. But I excelled at the needlepoint. My basket was red and white with a heart for Valentine’s day (I imagine they all were.). I was so proud of it, and I kept it for years.
Favorite thing you ever made with Stencil1 stencils?
I’m torn between the rocking chair I just tricked out in December and the t-shirts my nephews and I made when Stencil 101 first came out. It was such a blast painting with them and watching them get creative. Laine chose the buck stencil and was very precise with his painting, making sure he stayed in the lines and using the “right” colors. Levi chose the buck too, but made it his own by giving it blue eyes and a red nose. He also put the doe and fawn on the back of his shirt, giving the buck a family. And Luke, our little punk rocker, went totally renegade: sumo wrestler on one side, luchador mask on the other, both in a combo of black, teal, red, and green. The kid’s got an eye for color.
Any craft disasters?
Oh. So many. Especially knitting disasters. There was the cute ’20s cloche hat that ended up looking like an English bobby hat. The mittens that came out two different sizes: one normal hand and one giant meat-hook hand. Of course, the disasters are often the best teachers. My favorite hat, the one I wore all winter, did not come easily. I must have knitted, frogged*, and reknitted that thing seven or eight times with two different yarns and four different needle sizes before I got it right. I was determined that pattern would not defeat me. Now, I have a better understanding of knitting mechanics—and a super cute hat!
*frogged (frog) is a very technical knitting term that means to undo your knitting work or “rip it.” Get it? Rip it. Rip it.
How did you become involved with Ubushobozi Project and how did your trip impact your life?
Well, I cyberstalked you and Dolinda for about a year after you guys went to Rwanda to work with the Ubushobozi Project before I gathered up the courage to jump into the volunteer fray. As a lifelong activist, I know how enthusiastic people can be at the beginning; I wanted to be sure I had the time and energy to devote. I started by selling Ubushobozi-made bags at a craft fair, but I really wanted to go to Rwanda. It never occurred to me that I had any skills to offer the girls. Then you suggested I teach them crocheting or knitting or cross stitch or anything crafty. I was flabbergasted and thrilled! And once I was there, and met the girls and the staff and Jeanne [Ubushobozi’s founder], I was hooked for life.
I knew it would be a life-changing experience, but almost a year later, I still don’t think I fully grasp how much my life has been effected. I think about those girls every day, like they’re my family. I miss them like I miss my nephews and friends who live far away. Their passion and unbridled creativity is inspiring. Before our trip you told me, “they want to learn everything,” and they do. They soak up anything you offer. They have an eagerness to learn and try new things and fail and try again I have never seen before. I felt reinvigorated to learn new techniques, for my own edification and to share with them.
The best gift I got was discovering that Africa is full of individual people with agency, with hopes and dreams and capabilities to do anything they set their minds to. I mean, intellectually I knew that, but we in the West are inundated with images and stories of Africa as a big land mass where everyone is poor, and it’s always hot, and the babies have flies on their eyes, and they’ll die if we don’t save them. What I learned, and am still learning, is that Africa is a continent of countries and cities and people of varied economic status, who don’t need me or anyone to tell them to change this or do that or live this way. They only need what we all need: a little support for the journey. And Ruhengeri, Rwanda is a cool 60 in the evening. You’ll need a sweater.
Is it true that you gave a Golden Girls cross-stitch as a thank you gift?
Indeed, I did! You and Dolinda went above the call of duty friendship and as travel companions, answering questions, calming fears, and replying to endless emails leading up to our trip to Rwanda last summer.
Tell us about the private crafting lessons/workshops you’ve hosted (ie Bitch & Stitch)
In the early to mid-aughts, I hosted Stitch and Bitch nights at my pad to get my crafty peeps in a room and see what everyone was up to. It was a mix of boys and girls, needle arts and paper craft, gluing and painting. I never knew who would show up or what folks would bring. I’d make my famous sangria, put on some music, and we’d get our craft on. It was a blast.
Work and other commitments put SnB to the side, but I still meet up with a few friends who knit occasionally. In preparation for my teaching trip to Rwanda, I held practice knitting and crochet classes to get comfortable teaching. I’ve taught folks to knit in the past, but only one-on-one. Friends dropped in for a beginner class of the techniques I planned to teach the Ubushobozi girls, and we had a mutually beneficial good time.
My goal is to do more crochet and knitting classes in the future as Ubushobozi fundraisers. People can give a suggested donation and come for a series of classes or on a drop-in basis and all the money would go to Ubush. SnB for cause!
Is it true that you’re amazing? Because both Ed and I think so.
Aw shucks. I’m rubber and you’re both glue.
The Stencil1 crew stenciled 99 rooms in a new NYC Boutique hotel and in this video Dolinda Meeker (aka DeLo) and I paint the last of the 99 rooms to show you just how we did it! We custom designed three designs – dancing girls, a blues singer, and a taxi in motion- all over 8 feet tall! Hope you enjoy it!
We had a lot of fun with the Etsy crew at Craft Night! THANK YOU ETSY and thanks to all who came out and made some awesome cards. We had so many creative people there, all with their own styles and techniques so please check out all the great pictures on Etsy’s Flickr and on our Flickr as well! I hope it inspires you. Happy Valentine’s Day!
Last nite my friend Betsy and I went to Barnes & Noble where Amy Sedaris was signing her new Book Simple Times, Crafts for Poor People. Yep, that’s the title! She spoke beforehand, did some craft demo’s, and answered questions from the audience. Her new book is pure mental illness and involves a lot of googley eyes, pompoms, acorns, pantyhose,I think you get the idea. It is full of fantastic photo spreads, “Stretching Before Crafting” being one of my favorites! Well, After waiting on the line for hours and some security guard complaining to me the store was closing, I finally got to Amy. I gave her a Stencil1 gift package – a tote bag with my Stencil 101 Stationery set and Stencil1 Journal. She said “I love stencils!! This one’s actually a keeper!” She was so funny, cute and chatted with every person on that line. Thank you Amy! Hope you all enjoy the pics!
I took a walk this morning to check out the world’s largest street mural in progress here in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The mural is featuring over 60 legendary graffiti artists from the 70′s and 80′s and is organized my Phun Factory. The industrial area should see alot more foot traffic from this and this outdoor gallery willbe a permanent exhibit. I took some pictures of the start of this ever changing space. Enjoy.
Last week I attended a book launch event for Swoon’s new book, Swoon, at the Urban Art Projects space in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Swoon had created an installation with the books themselves, and they will be sold right off the wall. I have admired her work for years, seeing it all over my neighborhood and on blogs, but never got to meet her. I got in line, paid for a book, and plucked one off the wall. She was sitting casually in the space and I asked her to sign my book and gushed some words out. I really adore her stlye and moreso her voice. She brings attention to world situations and worthy causes through her work. Her subjects become immortalized and honored in her work. Jeffrey Deitch wrote the intro to her book and describes her work with such perfection and also tells some humorous stories of working with Swoon, I suggest you pick up the book to find out more.
Well, today I went to a park in Williamsburg on Kent and North 8th that has a structure in it built by Swoon. This structure is similar to sustainable structures she is helping to build in Haiti. The difference is this structure also has her art adorning it. It is placed in the park fairly close to the shoreline and the juxtaposition of this hut-like structure to the architecture of the NYC skyline is brilliant. Enjoy the photos posted and if you are in NY try to see it. For information about the charity and how to donate or help, please visit kinbitshelter.org
Thanks Swoon for all your inspiration!
The other day I headed off to do another room at at the Ace Hotel. My friend Charles assisted me while simultaneously working on my new website’s redesign. I also asked another friend Tami,who does indie PR for me, to meet up. There we all were, full of Stumptown coffee and in Room 1105. I forgot this was one of the smaller rooms but we all found our place, Tami and Chaz in the bunk beds (yes) and me doing my thing. The wall was already painted a chalkboard matte black and so I decided to do a black gloss stencil pattern on top of this. This pattern, Birds on wires, is actually in my new book, Stencil 101 Decor. I cheated a little and had the pattern cut larger so I could work faster but the way I executed this was the same as you would with the standard sized stencil in the book. I started top left, and using the registration marks on the stencil, I created a grid on the wall using blue tape and a pencil. This went fairly fast and I worked around a door on the wall and a tv mounted as well! The reason I made the registration marks on the wall was so I wouldn’t have to paint in order. This is done so you don’t overlap your stencil on top of a wet area you just painted. I painted the stencil with a dense foam roller, my favorite. Then there was a knock at the door. I opened the door to see this super cute gal named Valentine. She works for the Ace, blogging and holds the title “hunter/gatherer” (yes!). She took some pics and later a gentleman by the name of Jeremy visited to take more pics. We got to chatting design, and turns out he is a designer/art director for the hotel and did a vast amount of the signage and custom work I drool over all around the hotel. I’ve mentioned this before but the attention to detail in the hotel design is just so clever. If you are a typography nut, there’s a lot to admire. They blogged about the progress on the Ace Blog. I digress… So I bounced around the wall, bent the stencil around some areas, until I covered the whole thing! The black on black gave this dramatic vintage wallpaper effect and I highly recommend it. The photos show more contrast than in real life, it’s a subtle effect. I am dying to do more of this tone on tone effect with colors and white. We finished the evening by me first asking Tami to hold the bunk bed ladder and walk on my back, then we walked down to Veselka for a nice warm, Polish dinner. Best Borscht in NYC! Quite a New York day!
Two months ago, I did an in-store event for the opening of Michaels in Manhattan. At the end of the night, I of course bought some art supplies and while online, I spotted my swallow stencil on the cover of Somerset Memories magazine. I immediately bought it and saw that it was the beautiful work of Dina Wakley. Dina is an artist-extraordinaire, putting a cool edge on scrapbooking and journalling. Some people hear the word scrapbooking and think it’s not for them, but if you like painting, collage, making cards, and expressing yourself, try to digest the word! I am drawn to Dina’s palette choices and the splattery fun sprayed look to her work. This look can be achieved with my Stencil1 Sprayers. I also like her layering of handwriting over the stencil designs, such a nice personal touch to say what you really want to say. I am always inspired to see how far an artist can take a simple stencil image. Dina teaches her techniques all over the world and online so I urge you to check out her inspiring blog. Thanks Dina, we look forward to seeing all you create!
This new piece appeared last week in Tottenham area of London. I was on a vacation, uh, Holiday, there and had to see for myself! The piece shows two children playing catch with a “no ball games” sign. This is a commentary on signs being posted near the estates in the area banning ball playing. Clever.
When I went to see it at night, the piece was protected by plastic. Check it out.
Banksy new piece in Tottenham
Banksy piece covered in protective plastic
I’ve posted earlier how Erica Domesek of P.S. – I Made This totally hooked it up by asking me to cut some of my stencil designs for the Sharpie DIY Fashion booth inside the tents at Fashion Week. Well, I went to the booth today to help out and stencil some stuff. I met the Sharpie people and a ton of fashionistas plowing into the booth to give it a go! Betsy Johnson provided a t-shirt that people also could stencil on. Check out all the pictures!
T-shirt painted by Jess
I just got home tonite to a terrific email from a customer named Jess, who sent me this really tastefully done shirt she made using our Mexican Wrestling Mask stencil. First, this makes my career so rewarding, the reason I like doing what I do. I like seeing people be so creative with a tool I made, it’s so humbling and rewarding,thank you Jess for sending this! Secondly, i love what she did! I am all about the tone-on-tone colors, subtle and styling. Bravo and thank you again. Stencil1 people, please send me images of what you have made, makes my day! Good nite.
Ahhh..babies..it must be spring! This adorable lil’ girl is Tallulah Fawn..the new bundle of joy from Jennifer Perkins, aka The Naughty Secretary. Here Tallulah models a onesie, stenciled with our Deer stencil. Check out Jen’s blog for step by step instructions..
I am very fortunate to be working with a distributor now, MacPherson’s. They introduced me to Mel Waters, a local graffiti artist (and very cool guy!) they work with. He basically creates amazing artwork using products they distribute like Montana Spray Paint and now Stencil1 stencils. This painting has our Spray Can Stencil and Turntable Stencil. These designs are also in the book! Great work Mel!
A Stencil1 customer who purchased our Birch Tree Stencils emailed me this picture of their work. They did a great job with accurately portraying the perspective of the trees. I also like how they tilted the trees and used both sides of the stencil to make the trees all look different. Great Job!
A little acrylic paint and some super cool Stencil 1 images...
Hi y’all and Happy Holidays! I just got some pictures back from my sister Jen..this was one of them. She stopped me in the middle of putting on my shoes to capture this shot. The shoes are a project from this last summer. A local store had a bunch of these cute slip-ons, though I didn’t care for the printed pattern. So with some quality acrylic paint, I covered up the original print and added my own stenciling. The front on both shoes features the Cassette Tape and some hand drawn diamond pattern. On the back, I stenciled the Mini Deer. Love these shoes! I wear them anytime I’m in all black and gray..they add that “little” splash of color! -Elaine
