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What Skills Do I Lack?
Most 21st-century woodworkers are self-taught, solitary creatives. They might have taken a class or two in the early days, but the vast majority of their projects are undertaken without the benefit of a shop mate. For the more reclusively inclined, this kind of isolation is in fact one of the major selling points of the hobby, but it cannot be denied that self-guided education has its drawbacks. I suspect many of my readers have picked up tips or learned entire new crafts through videos, books, or articles. We moderns live with an embarrassment of educational riches at our fingertips. At the same time, if we’re not careful, this à la carte approach can produce imbalance and underdevelopment. It’s easy for...
Both Practical and Personal
A genuine love of wood needs to be both practical and personal. It is necessary for the studio because of the kind of paint used to create the icons. Like so much of what is done here, the paint used is locally produced and looks to fulfill the land rather than extract from it. It is called egg tempera, a combination of pigments made from the rocks and plants around the studio and egg yolk from our little flock of chickens. When properly prepared and applied, it is a durable paint that does not yellow and gives luminosity to the color. However, once cured, it dries to an inflexible state that would quickly crack and flake off a flexible surface,...
Only a Few Hours Left…
At midnight tonight, the $5 coupon for each of our courses is set to expire. If you want to get The Makers’ Marks with the advantage of this deal (i.e. $14), sign up for a month of the Dispatch, grab the coupon code, and purchase your courses before the clock strikes 12:00.
We are grateful for all the feedback we’ve gotten on The Maker’s Marks so far. Looking forward to hearing from more of you as you interact with the craftsmanship of the past examined in this new course.
-Joshua