Product Description

MaryJo McGraw She is one of today's most talented and innovative stamp artists. You may have seen here on television, read one of her many popular rubber stamping books, or watched her first DVD, Stamp Art Inspirations with MaryJo McGraw.

Exploring Art Materials MaryJo is back to demonstrate ways to use the fine art supplies you have seen or have stashed away. Finally, a definitive visual reference about art supplies-gel medium, gesso, beeswax and more!

Projects After demonstrating different ways to use fine art materials, MaryJo shows you how to work with them in great projects: Aging Effects, Faux Burl Wood, Textured Tissue Box, Coasters Makeover, Altered Book Cover, Veiled Illusions, and Creative Layers.

Interactive Gallery The gallery is overflowing with more than 50 photographs of sample artwork. When you see something that inspires you jump directly to the technique used to create it.

This is a NTSC format DVD. It has been enabled for regions 1, 2, and 4.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #88567 in DVD
• Released on: 2005-10-07
• Formats: AC-3, Color, Full length, NTSC
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 136 minutes

From the Actor
This is a DVD, not just a video on disc. With over two hours of projects and tips: enough to fill a weekend of play! If you have never taken a class with MaryJo McGraw, here is your front row seat. MaryJo will inspire you to play in your studio with supplies you've wondered how to use. Learn to use gesso, gel medium and even shoe polish to create fun greeting cards, jewelry, and home décor items.Don't forget to watch the bloopers. You'll see some of the reasons we love working with MaryJo McGraw. This DVD also includes previews of other PageSage DVDs.

Customer Reviews

Product Review - Exploring Art Materials DVD
Just when you think PageSage can't possibly out-do themselves, they come out with another awesome DVD that rightfully deserves a place in any reference library.

I thought I knew how to use most of the art supplies I have in my collection. MaryJo McGraw and PageSage showed me that my art supplies are not being used anywhere near to their fullest capacity. This DVD takes all the mystery out of those awesome art supplies you've got squirreled away, just waiting for you to take them out and use them! I didn't realize just how versatile my art supplies are or that I could use them in such a wide range of projects. As I watched this DVD, there must have been at least a hundred times or more when the "light bulb" came on for me and left me saying.."Oh, hey....I didn't know that."...or "NOW I understand!!!".

MaryJo gives accurate and useful information regarding each and every product she uses in the DVD. Then she shows you how to use each product in very easy and simple projects. As a finale, she creates this totally awesome collage on a canvas using ALL the products. Impressive....inspirational....and incredibly cool!!! At first glance, the projects seem as though they might be difficult. But as you watch the DVD you easily see how they are simple, especially when you understand the products you are using. Not only are you left KNOWING you could recreate the projects you see on the DVD, you are also left KNOWING you can use that same information and create your own unique art projects. She uses and explains products most stampers and crafters already have, or products that are on our list of "things to buy soon". She isn't promoting her own products, she teaches us to more fully use what we already have. Its like a breath of fresh air wrapped up in a totally awesome creative adventure.

The following is a list of the products we are educated about and taught to use in this DVD:

1. Gesso
2. Gel Mediums, Omni Gel, Artists Cement, Moulding Paste
3. Glazing Mediums, Modge Podge, Diamond Glaze, Matte Medium
4. Glues: Standar Glues, Rice Paste Glues, PVA/PPA, Specialty Glues
5. Wax & Polishes: Shoe Polish, Wax Medium, Micro Glaze, Beeswax, Parfin
6. Dry Masking: tapes, friskits, masquepen (liquid masking fluid in a pen)
7. Acrylic Paints
8. Pigments: Pearl Ex, Raw Pigments, Metal Pigments (schminke) and SAFETY ISSUES!!!

The following is a list of projects and techniques taught in this DVD:

1. Aging Effects
2. Faux Burl Wood
3. Texturing Effects
4. Textured Tissue Box
5. Coasters Make-Over
6. Altered Book Covers
7. Veiled Illusions
8. Creative Layering

I highly recommend this DVD!!!

As always, the gallery and tips section of the dvd are well developed and totally interactive with the rest of the dvd. At a price of $29.95 U.S. funds....this is a deal that's hard to beat! I consider it to be a valuable addition to my reference materials library!

Finally! What that stuff is and how to use it!
I have several shelves of art supplies in my craft room that I bought for doing altered books and stamping, but I've had trouble working with them and have mostly just stored them because I wasn't sure what they were supposed to be for.
MaryJo McGraw is so easy to listen to and watch! She breaks down all the supplies: glues, paints, acrylic media, finishes, and even waxes!
What a relief! I hadn't wasted my money on these items. MaryJo helped me figure out which thing to use on what surface; how to correct painting mistakes with glazes, how to create faux finishes and even how to attach bulky items without smelly and toxic adhesives!
GET THIS DVD!! If you have stared at all the varieties of acrylic media (gesso, acrylic gel, soft gel, heavy gel, etc) and haven't had a clue what to do, let MaryJo make it all easy!
Just the information is worth it--the projects are an added bonus! Watching her work helps all this information sink in and you'll be itching to get your brushes, knives and media out to play!

Inspiration from an artist
I almost didn't buy this DVD because of several poor ratings. This DVD is very inspiring. Mary Jo is an artist and her approach is for those who aspire way beyond the scrapbooking craze that I find boring and repetitive. It explores materials that I didn't know existed.