NEWS & EVENTS

April 2005

We’ve been busy here at SKS Designs!

March found the Stamilio family headed to the White House, where Susan was honored to be selected as the artist representing the state of Virginia at the annual White House Easter Egg Display.

To see a display of all 51 of the eggs in the 2005 White House Easter Collection, visit the Easter Egg Roll website and click on the “2005 State Easter Eggs” icon.

The new “Cardinals and Dogwood”  pattern packet features a replica of the design used on the lid of the presentation box that held the Virginia egg.

The new illuminated alphabet is finally finished and available as “The Complete Gilded Alphabet” pattern packet. There are photographic step-by-step color worksheets, detailed color figure illustrations, and hold-your-hand painting instructions to take you through the entire gilding process from start to finish.

Two new products unfamiliar to some decorative artists are used in this project. The gilding surface is created with Instacoll, an acrylic product which is easy to work with, dries in minutes and creates a brilliantly shiny and raised surface on which to lay your 23K loose leaf gold. This product drastically reduces the time and mess involved in the traditionally laborious process of creating a raised gesso surface.

Another new discovery is “Elephant Hide”, a 100% rag card stock that resembles the mottled look of parchment while providing enough weight to stand up to the layers of gilding and watercolor washes you will be applying without a single buckle or bend. We have been able to laser print the pattern right onto the elephant hide surface, eliminating the need for surface preparation as well as tracing and transferring the pattern line drawing!

All of these new products, along with several other gilding and painting supplies, may be found by visiting the accessories section of our web site.

New seminar dates have been added to the 2005-2006 calendars.

Several new patterns are in development and will be released in the Fall of 2005, including a new Santa and a new angel pattern. If you would like to be notified electronically of future pattern releases, please sign our guestbook and be sure to include your email address. We look forward to hearing from you!