Inspiration lends a hand in hand-printing projects

Artists who love what they do are infectious: They motivate the rest of us to give creativity a shot.

Just talk with Christine Schmidt, who fairly gushes about her printmaking efforts, both in a phone interview and in the pages of "Print Workshop: Hand-printing Techniques & Truly Original Projects" (Potter Craft, 2010).

"I have the enviable luxury of printing all day long," writes the San Francisco-based artist in her book's introduction. "Second to the thrill of creating work, I like sharing my tricks and discoveries."

Schmidt, who says she prints "for love and for a living," shares many of her trade secrets in "Print Workshop." The ideas run the gamut from the simple and familiar — pinprick stationery — to the more complicated and newfangled, such as her forest wall mural. In between, there are image transfer how-to's, sun printing, stenciling, and the basics of stamp making and stationery stamping.

"There are so many books that are really pretty, but I wanted this to be a hardworking thing," says Schmidt, 32.

She included projects that can be done in a jiffy — block printing with cut potatoes, anyone? — to those that take a bit more time and attention — the image transfers and wall mural come to mind.

Through it all, there's the love of the creative process.

Schmidt's online store, Yellow Owl Workshop, is a funny hodgepodge of her handmade fancies, a limited collection of stationery, jewelry and ceramics. Her studio has a similar vibe and is filled with more than eclectic artwork: Schmidt's husband and friends help out in there. By day, husband Evan Gross, 33, is a deputy city attorney working in affordable housing. Evenings and weekends he may be assembling the stamp sets, which is tedious work, or handling the business' finances.

"If by spending a little bit of my free time making stamps or doing boring stuff — checking on orders — if that allows her to continue to do (the creative part), then it's totally worth it," says Gross.

Schmidt advises novices not to get too picky with the hand-printing process. Imperfections add personality. A smear or drip bears witness to a piece's originality.

"I think once people lose the idea that everything has to be perfect looking, it's so much less stressful and more fun," Schmidt says. "The more you do it, the better you get. It's pretty remarkable what you can do."

The book includes a source list for hard-to-find paper and printing supplies, and templates for copying Schmidt's ideas.