Andrea's Review	Rachel's Review	Melanie's Review	Lynn Anne's Review	Eli's Review

Review by Andrea

Watching PageSage educational DVDs is a real treat for the mind. Not only are they stimulating by getting the creative juices flowing, but they remind you of supplies you may have already in your stash that you have not utilized to their potential. Exploring Art Materials with MaryJo McGraw is one such DVD. Not only does she have TONS of information for you as the viewer but she has a terrific way to present it.

The DVD arrived in a plastic clamshell casing with a full-color insert providing lots of information about the DVD on the front and back covers AND inside! As in all other PageSage products, the overview of DVD contents is listed inside the case with a summary on the back cover. The front cover has a great intro: "How to get more from what you already have" to describe the DVD in general terms. The DVD itself is clearly labeled and boasts 136+ minutes of play time. There are chapters to index to on the DVD providing an easy way to go back to a specific section at any time. Brilliant!

The first chapter is a full explanation of Art Materials for the beginner through experienced artist. MaryJo makes any topic fun! She glides from material to material giving little demos using each one and comparing them. For instance, there are a bunch of acrylic paints out there and she explains the difference between them and why you would want the different types. I found this particularly interesting since using paint in paper crafting is very "hot" right now. It's great to understand the difference between them now!

MaryJo also explains what Gesso (pronounced jess-oh not guess-oh) is used for, standard glues, gel and glazing mediums along with waxes, polishes and pigments. It was amazing to me to see that practically every art material she mentioned could be used as a glue also! I loved this part of the DVD and would have felt that I got my money's worth if it stopped there! Of course it didn't though!

The Project section was next to show many of the actual art materials mentioned in the previous section in use. Some of the highlights included Aging Effects with a Masquepen, walnut ink, a material called "clear tar gel", acrylic paint, gesso, beeswax and even shoe polish, yes shoe polish! The Gallery and "Extras" sections showcased the projects and bloopers from taping the DVD. I always love watching the bloopers! It really lets you know that the artist and crew are human too!

I chose to use a couple techniques MaryJo introduced in the Art Materials section using acrylic paint, Pearl Ex and Crystal Lacquer. I have found inexpensive acrylic paints to be very matte when dry. By adding Pearl Ex to them, more shine is evident in the finished product. I used the canvas as a base for trying this mixture and liked the end result. I added the other embellishments to the canvas then used another technique to seal the piece - a mixture of Crystal Lacquer and Pearl Ex. I chose a pearly tone and painted the entire canvas with a finishing coat of the glazing medium and pigment mixture. I really love the final outcome!

Title: Sisters Canvas
Products used: Patterned Paper (BasicGrey, Lucky)
Canvas (Fredrix)
Paint Technique (PageSage DVD, Exploring Art Materials)
Paint (Delta Acrylic)
Pearl Ex (Jacquard, Micro Pearl)
Crystal Lacquer (Sakura)
Canvas Words (Chatterbox)
Button Letters (Junkitz)
Brads (Joann's)
Flowers (Prima)
Ribbon (Close To My Heart)

Here is a close-up of the flowers showing the pearly glisten from the Pearl Ex and Crystal Lacquer combination.

I really enjoyed this DVD! Being guided by MaryJo is the perfect accompaniment for the educational material. She knows a tremendous amount about art materials and it really shows. Her simple, no-nonsense approach is refreshing to appeal to both the novice or experienced crafter. Seeing MaryJo get right into the projects and "play" with the materials is exactly what I needed to see to fully understand their capability. She doesn't talk "down" to the viewer yet uses the appropriate industry terms so that the connection is made through auditory and visual means.

The quality of the production is very good and flows from section to section. The audio and visual tracks are well done so that the viewer can see and hear clearly. The projects that MaryJo presents are at an advanced level in my opinion which may be slightly intimidating to an inexperienced crafter. Her method of presentation does allow the viewer to gain confidence as the projects progress along in the DVD. With your thumb on the pause button, I feel you could follow along and have great success.

I really love the fact that you can have MaryJo in your living room to watch as much as you want for just $29.95, the retail price of the DVD. Where can you take this quality or length of class for that amount of money? You can't! If you ever wanted to know about "how to get more from what you already have", put this DVD on your "want" list right away! You won't be disappointed!

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Review by Rachel

Have you always looked at your friend’s altered art and wished that you could do that? Have you walked down the aisle of the acrylic paint aisle and seen all the mediums, glazes and things and been overwhelmed? Are you like me totally afraid of all those cool and interesting bottles and wish you were able to figure out how to use them?

Well, PageSage has the DVD for you. I received the Exploring Art Materials: How to get more from what you already have with MaryJo McGraw. This DVD retails for $29.95. Honestly, I have always said that I am not an altered art person. I am not artsy. I have no talent in this area. Well, I think that I may be artsy to a point. Let’s not get too carried away with the artsy thing. I think I might just have a pinky finger of artsy in my whole body. I had no idea what products to use or even how to use them to the best of their potential. This DVD has helped me tremendously. Shoot, I actually now own a glazing medium, gesso, and some really good acrylics I found on clearance. Okay, anybody who knows me well will need just a minute to recover. Let me tell you the things I learned from this DVD.

MaryJo McGraw is very laid back, friendly and down to earth. On the back of the cover of the DVD is a list of products you need for each of the projects featured in the DVD. This DVD is over two hours long so I don’t suggest sitting down all at one time to watch it. The DVD starts by walking you through the products and explains exactly how to use each one. MaryJo also explains the benefits of each one and she will tell you which ones are her favorites. She also gives you tips on how to better use the products and even how to mix your acrylic colors.

The different products MaryJo walks you through are:
1. Gesso
2. Gel Mediums, Omni Gel, Artists Cement, Molding Paste
3. Glazing Mediums, Mod Podge, Diamond Glaze, Matte Medium
4. Glues: Standard Glues, Rice Paste Glues, PVA/PPA, Specialty Glue
5. Wax & Polishes: Shoe Polish, Wax Medium, Micro Glaze, Beeswax, Paraffin
6. Dry Masking: tapes, friskets, and Masquepen
7. Acrylic Paints: Lumieres, thick based acrylics, fluid acrylics
8. Pigments: Pearl Ex, Raw Pigments, Metal Pigments & Safety Issues

Each of these segments is about ten to fifteen minutes long. This makes it great for us Moms who never get to watch a whole movie without interruption. You can watch one segment at a time. In fact, I learned so much that I had to watch each segment twice. I am a note taker and I couldn’t write fast enough. Yes, I could have pressed pause but I was into the DVD and didn’t want to stop the train of thought. Also I love the fact that if I am in the middle of a project and I have a question about the product; I can go right to that section of the DVD and get my answer.

I was actually laughing out loud over MaryJo’s fascination with shoe polish. Who knew you could do so much with shoe polish? You will have to get the DVD to find out what I am talking about. I will say that I haven’t yet bought shoe polish but I just might be very soon and it won’t be for polishing shoes.

After going through each product, MaryJo then takes you through seven different projects and shows you step by step how to reproduce them.

Those Projects include:
1. Aging Effects
2. Faux Burl Wood
3. Textured Tissue Box
4. Coaster Makeover
5. Altered Book Cover
6. Veiled Illusions
7. Creative Layers

I used the Coaster Makeover section to do my own coaster makeovers. I found some very inexpensive coasters at the dollar store and I let MaryJo walk me through altering them. I have to tell you I was so nervous but MaryJo’s calmness and down to earth presentation gave me the confidence. I love these coasters and they are mine. I will not be giving them away to anyone. The picture just does not do it justice.

 

Garden Coasters:
Products used:
Coasters: Dollar General
Gesso: White – Acrylic Gesso – Liquitex
Acrylics: White & Light Yellow – Apple Barrel – Plaid and Thio Violet & Burnt Umber – Academy Acrylics
Gel Medium: Glazing Medium – Liquitex and Mod Podge – Matte – Plaid
Pearl Ex Powder: Super Bronze – Jacquard
Paint Pen: Brown – Paint Pen – Shortcuts – Krylon
Stamp: Garden – The RubberNecker
Ink: Black – Staz On – Tsukineko

There is also a gallery included in the DVD with over 50 photographs of sample artwork. Lots of inspiration included in this DVD. A great feature of the gallery is that you can get to the technique projects from the gallery. There are also extras included in the DVD. Throughout MaryJo’s presentation she includes many different tips. In the Extras section, you can access those tips without listening to the whole presentation again. There is also a bloopers segment which is great fun to watch. It also helps you to realize how much work goes into a DVD. There is also a product section which lists each and every product shown in the DVD and also gives you the websites or places where you can find the products.

One of the things I was really impressed with was the fact that when I went to the store to buy the products that I wanted to try out first; they didn’t have the exact products listed. At first, I was discouraged but then I realized as I was reading the back of the bottles that by watching the DVD, I had learned enough to know what products were the ones I wanted and what products were not. There is no way I would have been able to figure that out without having watched this DVD. So yes, if you saw a lady sitting on the floor in an aisle of the JoAnn's Etc. store near you reading labels; it was just me!

I highly recommend this DVD to anyone who has wanted to venture into the altered world but is too scared and overwhelmed to do so without instruction. This DVD is for the beginner who is just venturing into the altered world. An advanced person in the world of altered crafts would probably not be happy with this DVD. I am a novice and I love it. It gave me confidence in using many of the different mediums. It also inspired me to step outside my box. This DVD is a class that you can watch again and again. It is also convenient because you don’t have to get dressed to go out to your scrapbook store to attend. You can watch it in your pajamas and pick and choose which section you want to use. If you are curious about altered canvases, using acrylics on your layouts or cards, or even coasters, this DVD is for you! It eased my fears and inspired me to just jump right on in! I am sure it will do the same for you!

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Review by Melanie

I recently reviewed PageSage's "Exploring Art Materials" DVD. On this informative DVD, stamp artist MaryJo McGraw walks you through altering and creating projects using fine art materials and other supplies you may have in your supplies. This 136 minute color DVD is packed with demonstrations which include aging effects, faux burl wood, texturizing, altering book covers, and creating veiled illustions.

MaryJo first introduces the viewer to artist materials such gesso, acrylic paint, gels and glazes, glues, waxes and polishing. I am quite familiar with artist materials, and I appreciate how she clearly explained the difference between inexpensive craft paint verses fine artist (more expensive) acrylic paint. She also demonstrated how to use artists mediums such as modeling paste (also known as moulding paste) and how to create texture with it. What was quite intriguing was the use of melted beeswax in her projects as well as shoe polish.

Among the projects that are shown from start to finish include a wooden serving tray, faux burl wood technique on a photo frame, a textured tissue box and altered coasters. MaryJo demonstrates effects on book covers, and a "veiled illusion" technique with beeswax. The DVD has a menu which allows you to watch the entire DVD, or go straight to the art materials, projects, gallery or the "extras". The gallery is interactive and allows you to immediately go to the technique demonstration for that particular item.

The quality is good. You could see the projects clearly and if a segment required drying time, they cut the segment or had a project ready that was at the advanced stage. The sound, however, fluctuated from crisp and clear, to "canned", meaning - when they started a new segment, the mic may not be in the same place or at the same setting and MaryJo seemed to be distant from the recording device. Nevertheless, I could still hear her instructions clearly. But overall, it didn't subtract from the information provided.

After viewing the DVD a couple of times, I created a card using textured gel medium. I punched a flower from cardstock, and used the outside of the shape as a template to apply texture paste to cardstock. After this was dry, I used watercolor paint over the cardstock only. I could have used acrylic paint, as in the DVD, but I wanted a very soft "watery" feel for this bon voyage themed card. After the paint was dry, I used Pearl Ex over the flowers to give them some shimmer, and used the flower stencil to lightly create soft images of the flower in the background. I stamped my greeting then matted it on a darker cardstock.

Title: Bon Voyage Card
Supplies
Cardstock: Prism Papers
Textured Decorating Paste - DecoArt
Watercolor paint: Grumbacher
Floral Punch: EK Success
Pearl Ex Powers and Gum Arabic: Jacquard
Adhesive: Adhesive Tech The Borderline Glue Stick

In summary, this was a very informative DVD. I've been consistently impressed with the quality of information that PageSage provides in their arts and craft DVD's and this is no exception. The teaching and demonstrations on this DVD are equivalent to taking several workshops with this experienced craft artist. The information is helpful to people who are not familiar with the full range of artist materials. Because the information on this DVD deals more with collage and altered art, I do not recommend this DVD for general scrapbookers. This DVD retails for $29.95.

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Review by Lynn Anne

As scrapbookers and paper artists who often aren't classroom or studio-trained, we often pick up a jar of gel medium or a container of pigment powder or some other art material when we see it called for in a particular project we want to try, but then don't really know how else to use it. As a result, our closets and scrapping areas are virtual graveyards for one-hit-wonder art supplies. At least, mine are! This is what makes the premise of PageSage's latest MaryJo McGraw instructional DVD, Exploring Art Materials, appealing: learn how to use all of the art materials you've already got in your house. MaryJo takes us on a 136-minute tour of standard and specialty art supplies, then provides video instruction showing a handful of projects that can be made using them.

MaryJo McGraw, an experienced art and stamping teacher, walks viewers through both verbal descriptions and visual demonstrations of a variety of art materials. Discussions of gesso, acrylic paints, gel and glazing mediums, glues, dry masking materials, pigments and 'aging effects' include basic information about each item, as well as tips and techniques for using each. I was particularly intrigued by discussion of Masquepen, which looks a lot like a make-your-own version of the popular Heidi Swapp line of masks for scrapbooking. I picked up a good number of ideas for use on scrapbook pages, not the least interesting of which is the idea to mix pigment powders with glaze to create a colored 'paint.' I loved the results I got when I tried that technique with Ad Tech's Dimensional Glaze and Pearl Ex pigments!

As in other PageSage instructional DVDs, the more general instructional portion is followed by a set of projects highlighting techniques already covered. I had already seen the final projects on the DVD jacket, and this is where I expected to lose interest. The projects appeared to be heavily weathered or 'collagey', and I didn't think I would take much away from them. My mind changed soon enough. One technique I was interested to watch was one for making a faux burl wood pattern. I've seen this technique before, but never thought to try it. When MaryJo initially mentioned using shoe polish for the project, I quickly dismissed it - shoe polish is not something I keep in the house. But when she mentioned using a glaze with pigment powder as a substitute, I decided to try it. I was going to try using it on a photo mat or background cardstock, where I though it would go nicely, but as it turned out, I had a plain wood picture frame that didn't quite look right with a recent photo of my children. Here you can see what I started with, and what resulted:

Faux Burl Wood Frame

Supplies:
Faux Burl Wood Technique from Exploring Art Materials with MaryJo McGraw DVD by PageSage
Pearl Ex pigment powder by Jacquard (Antique Bronze)
PVC Glue by Ad Tech
A Fine Line...Dimensional Glaze by Ad Tech
Wood photo frame

In addition to project instructions and an interactive project gallery, Exploring Art Materials features an 'extras' section including everything a techniques glossary that will bring you directly to discussion of any number of indexed topics with the press of a button, information on supplies used in the DVD, and a few minutes of bloopers that reveal a little bit of Mary Jo's sillier side.

Exploring Art Materials can be a valuable tool for someone like me who ends up collecting various mediums without understanding how to fully take advantage of them. I would also suggest it to anyone with some papercrafting experience who's looking for a guide as s/he begins to branch out into artsier textures and substances, and especially in the area of altered arts. This is a quality production featuring expert instruction, and I don't doubt that it will help alter lead into gold when in the right hands.

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Review by Eli

This 136 minute educational DVD by PageSage offers a practical look at a variety of art materials. Explore the uses of gel mediums, glues, beeswax and more. This audio/visual learning tool will help any scrapbooker. Stamper or altered artist to go to the next level with their artwork and teach them how to incorporate a variety of paints, pastes, glazes, waxes, polishes and more.

Let me give you a run-down of what is included on the DVD. Going to the main menu will show you five options: Play All, Art Materials, Projects, Gallery, Extras. I love the Play All feature so I can move along without having to return to the main menu.

The Art Materials option takes you to the meat of the DVD this menu lists the type of materials that will be covered: Gesso, Acrylic, Gel Mediums, Glazing Mediums, Glues, Wax and Polish, Dry Masking and Pigments. At this point, I was already intrigued to see what MaryJo was going to tell me.

In the Projects section, MaryJo taught how to create various projects that use the materials she presented. After each section, a mini gallery appears highlighting several projects using that technique.

Next, select the Gallery feature. While showing all the projects, MaryJo occasionally comments about something on screen. She’s great at providing practical hints. This section is interactive!! Clicking on an image will take you directly to the video for that material.

The Extras menu is not to be missed. It includes an interactive tips section, a humorous bloopers reel and the Credits, which offers a peek into one of MaryJo’s altered books.

Some of the features that I felt were most helpful included:
1) MaryJo’s discussion of quality vs. quantity. She spoke of the quality of a product relative to its price and laid out the reasons why a product costs more or less, giving the artist tools to decide for herself what will meet her artistic needs.
2) Many helpful hints in the presentation and that showed up on the bottom of the screen.
3) The presentations by MaryJo were so practical and helpful. I felt like I could tackle almost any project on the video. It would just take planning ahead for supplies and some courage from within. She does “de-mystify” the differences among products that can at times seem, to me (and probably others), undifferentiated.

I did have a slight problem with the sound quality in a couple of small sections, but otherwise the DVD offered high-quality graphics and sound. I love the interactive nature of the DVD, the relaxed, fun tone of the piece and most of all, the practical nature of the presentation. I learned a lot!!

Here is a project I completed by being inspired by the video. I am looking forward to creating with molding pastes and to reinvent my use of Mod Podge.

Do What You Love tag
Supplies:
Exploring Art Materials DVD (PageSage)
Black tag (River City Rubber Works)
Artsy Collage images (Hot Off the Press)
Tweezers (Mrs. Grossman’s)
Beeswax (Activa Products)
Mini crock pot
Heart stamp (Prickley Pear Rubber Stamps)
Egg with flowers stamp (Museum of Modern Rubber)
Vellum flower (The Paper House)
Prisma Stardust glitter (Gick Crafts)
Ribbon (Robert Stanley Collection)
Round paper frame (Chatterbox)
Lace (found)
Heat gun (Darice)

Post Production: I had so much fun creating the tag art. I thought it would be a bit of a stretch for me, out of my comfort zone, but actually, I felt totally freed up to do whatever made me happy—to add elements just with the beeswax and to keep adding them until I liked it. It truly was a piece of art that was just because it delighted me in some way. Hmmmm. I imagine if I did this more often, it would change the way I created my pages as well…food for a crafter’s thoughts. (I also LOVE the smell of melted beeswax in my craft room.)

Conclusion: As previous PageSage productions I have reviewed, this is a quality production with practical lessons for any crafter. I do think that scrapbookers that like lots of texture on their pages, ephemera, art stamping and moving outside the box will get the most from this production. But the basic crafter can use a good portion of the information while they are exploring their own art materials, especially glues and paints. One final note, besides learning a lot, I just plain liked watching the art being created. It was quite therapeutic—which is a whole lot cheaper than the real thing. Recommended.

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