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Making Custom Lampshades

Local artist Linda Gavin is on site creating custom lampshades. Gavin uses a piercing and painting technique to create lampshades out of both fabric and watercolor paper. The first step is cutting material into an arc to form the cone shape of the lampshade. Next, Gavin transfers a decorative pattern onto the material, and then paints it with watercolors. Using a fine brush, Linda then outlines the pattern so that it will stand out once it's been cut. Next, using a specialty tool called a piercer, Linda punches holes along the lines of the drawing, and then cuts along the lines with an X-Acto knife to create a three-dimensional effect. Finally, the decorated material is secured to a metal frame.

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Making Custom Lampshades

computer-generated transcript - may not be 100% accurate

" Now let's say hi to Linda Gavin who is going to show us a little bit about a really special craft that has to do with. Piercing and painting lampshades. And you've actually got a little business in what town is it -- passport in your arm report. Massachusetts. And these are some of the things that you do let's turn some of these on so that we can really appreciate the work. This is Lily of the valley. And how do you do I mean this is kind of like on purpose right yep so that. I read -- and painted cut and pierced and painted what kind of paper do use we use a watercolor paper. So it's just dirty water -- watercolor paper went and they have a long life this deposition don't have to up to twenty years if there. Taking -- really and this one no painting just the piercing. Just cutting. Very very beautiful and then over here when you got this -- AF fabric shade that we've made it."

" This is a mini -- and they haven't got a beautiful sandwich glass this is sandwich glass but it -- toilet."

" And you've converted it to Ellen Anderson and and put them cloth covered shade that's not painted or pierced and in this -- back here from mrs."

" I hand painted and cut pierced."

" Tell me about the design here where you get the idea."

" The design was on the base. And it's really quite pretty and we felt that that Leslie and I felt that it just copy the pattern onto the shade would be very very dramatic and it turned up --"

" It's a great idea all right so how do you do something like this well."

" We start with -- and are we cut an -- to the size that we need so this shape -- are. Will be the actual shape just will be the actual size shade that we're working on right here at sixteen inch. And what we do from the air is sweet we copy the pattern onto the arc felt this -- did you do this free hand yes it is so there's a fair amount of hearts they're a little bit of work. Could be done on it yet from the air without I would just lining the basic line that we're working with pencil and pencil. And then we go into the painting. And the meeting is standard watercolor paint that I use. It's kind of line everything up. Don't worry about the detail until later. Next just have to go back to life. The reason I'm buying things and to make it show up a little bit more once it's been cut. What I do will fit. A little darker color and in this had tried to match to fill in on green if that if I can."

" So you really are mixing your green and your blue to get just the right color --"

" With a finer brush trying to very very fine brush here and we do is we go in and we outline. That is the critical part of the equation isn't it it is because this does actually show up. Well it gives it three dimensions just that the definition -- looking for. Especially when it's cut because and just a little bit darker. Unit to -- to country because those lines don't show up on that well when it's cut. But that's pretty much. The way it's done. There once it's been painted. And it's all set a minute ago they have little. -- that we work with this we do our outline with that's just like a little a little punch like colonial one punch it. What -- this. And show us the technique involved in this. Who could hear it just challenger go underneath it's we get a little bit of depth on it. And this is kind of critical because you gotta do desperate if we do any cutting. You try to get your holes pretty even. So they show up. Correctly -- finished product. And from there and take an -- a knife some real fine knife. This is the hard part. Because you have to do it. And nothing can do with this wood base and would be used collapses. This will really use your credit on top of glass or cut it on top of just a pane of glass. Can you go through here. But how do you know what to cut well it takes a little bit and knowledge to know how far to go. And how it's gonna look when it's done it pokes through. Facts. Usually I'll wait till I'm done doing the poll flower you in now way output poke it right through and each panel illegal little bit on for the paper. But you try to get three quarters of the -- out so it'll fold in like this here right and one quarter so that it stays hinged to attached. -- can cut it probably true how long would take you to do hold she'd like this. And there's a couple hours involved in just the painting and piercing part of it. And then you have to assemble it and you have to assemble it Lou I don't have a -- that we put it on -- And we have clips that we use. To attach the whole thing together and then and we finish it up with a grow grain edge here instant cash. There's a lot more to it than meets the lot more to it than meets the price tag price tag on something like this would probably 125 dollars excellent thank you it's."

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