Christine Schmidt of Yellow Owl Workshop by Chantal Lamers

Datebook

Bad Reporter: The truth behind the lies … E10

San Francisco Chronicle and SFGate.com | Wednesday, February 9, 2011 | Section E GWB

HOME & GARDEN

Leaving her mark Designer’s printmaking book makes an impression

Danny Feld / ABC

Matthew Perry (left) plays a self-loathing manager in the unfunny “Mr. Sunshine.”

TELEVISION

A dark day for Mr. Perry By David Wiegand CHRONICLE STAFF WRITER

Oh, where to begin confirming what you probably already guessed if you’ve seen the promos for “Mr. Sunshine,” the ABC sitcom premiering tonight? Do we focus in on how unfunny it is in general?

By Chantal Lamers SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE

When Christine Schmidt was approached to write a printmaking book, she instantly knew it ought to epitomize the gifts and paper goods she makes by hand for her San DIY stamp Francisco line, pad project: Yellow Owl Christine Workshop. Schmidt It was also outlines how essential that to make your she compose own stamp. the kind of E5 resource that she’d want at her own fingertips, taking a cue from her bold, graphic collection. “That meant cramming it full of versatile projects and meaty discussion of materials and techniques,” Schmidt says. “While I gave it my best to make the book visually appealing, I would be disappointed to see it neatly perched on a coffee table. I would rather see it used as a handy guidebook — all crumpled and ink stained.” “Print Workshop” ($19.99, Potter Craft) radically transcends conventional printmaking guides. Schmidt’s witty, conversational approach illuminates one graphic project

Photos by Laura Morton / Special to The Chronicle

after the next, from pinprick stationery to royal wax seals and jar decals. The popularity of printmaking has boomed along with the do-it-yourself movement. Classes that allow the home printer access to otherwise off-limits equipment, and books such as

Schmidt’s, which actually eschew the need for machinery, are boosting art’s accessibility. Schmidt, 31, is driven by functionality, a result of smallscale living. “I pared down my studio and pared down my techniques, but I liked the way Printmaking continues on E5

Artist Christine Schmidt works on Yellow Owl Workshop from her Bernal Heights home basement.

Mr. Sunshine: Sitcom. 9:30 p.m. Wed. on ABC.

Or on how wince-inducing it is to see Allison Janney try to milk laughs as Crystal, a self-involved, pill-popping, racist owner of a San Diego arena? Or how you can’t help wondering which is sadder: Matthew Perry’s selfloathing sad-sack character or his attempt to make him appealing? The show’s title is meant to be ironic, but TV is only sporadically good at irony. Ben Donovan (Perry) is the manager of the sports arena who, at 40, is facing a number of midlife crises. You kind of get the idea, though, that this guy came out of the womb with a midlife crisis and has been in a funk ever since. He has a friends-with-benefits thing going on with fellow employee Alice (Andrea Anders), who is beginning to find the benefits less than beneficial because the friends part is equally unfulfilling. In tonight’s opener, “Sunshine” continues on E4

BOOKS

Writer colors sadness with joy By Julian Guthrie CHRONI CLE STAFF W RI TER

For the grieving, there is SARK. For women who hate their bodies, there is SARK. For creative spirits in need of awakening, there is SARK. For the money stressed, there, too, is SARK. SARK is a woman who

lives in San Francisco. She writes and illustrates colorful books — books that look as if they should be for artistically inclined kids but appeal to emotionally needy adults. The appeal is great: She has written 16 books and sold more than 2 million copies. Her most recent book,

“Glad No Matter What: Transforming Loss and Change Into Gift and Opportunity,” is filled with upbeat aphorisms and crayon-like scribbles. And there are her usual diary-like confessions, this time over the loss of her mother (a former Marine); of her cat, Jupiter (her “fur

SARK’s most recent work is “Glad No Matter What: Transforming Loss and Change Into Gift and Opportunity.” Thomas Levinson / The Chronicle

SARK continues on E2

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San Francisco Chronicle and SFGate.com | Wednesday, February 9, 2011 |

HOME & GARDEN DIY stamp pad

Book leaves an impression

Just in time for Valentine’s Day. Use this stamp to create a variation of crisscross or wavy patterns for all sorts of crafts, from note cards to place mats. You’ll need a length of butcher’s twine and a small rectangular or square wood block, or to cover larger surfaces, an empty tape roll.

Photos by Laura Morton / Special to The Chronicle

Christine Schmidt’s early cityscapes include S.F.’s Golden Gate and a Victorian home. Printmaking from page E1

these limitations pushed me to do more with less,” she says. It’s a philosophy that extends to her locally made, natural rubber stamps, which have collected a cult following. While Yellow Owl Workshop’s cards, stationery, pendants and ceramics are getting snapped up at shops across the country and have caught the eye of buyers for the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, as well as West Elm and Pottery Barn, the stamps have captured the imaginations of the craft inclined. Landscaping “I was interested in making stamps that could be used to create a larger scene. By using a stamp multiple times, you could make a landscape,” Schmidt says. The idea is to give the users latitude to make their own creations.

Printmaking workshops Christine Schmidt will soon use a new Mission District studio space as a retail gallery to print and assemble goods and teach classes. The workshop is expected to open in March. For updates, check Schmidt’s website and blog at yellowowlwork shop.com.

“I have seen pictures of tea towels, party favor bags, clothing, blankets, even wallpaper made with my stamps. I’m excited about a new stamp I made that you can use to play tic-tac-toe or just stamp the grid, the X and the O (or just one of the designs) to make a cool pattern.” The Kansas City native studied at the Corcoran College of Art and Design in Washington, D.C. After graduation, she settled into a New York City apartment with her boyfriend (now husband), Evan Gross. In 2005, the couple scooted to San

Schmidt’s DIY stamp pad (see how-to guide) can be used to create unique gift wrap, cards and tags.

Francisco so Gross could take a job with the city as a deputy city attorney. Schmidt was chipping away at art projects while she gigged as a personal assistant. Working from a nook of her sprawling basement in Bernal Heights, Schmidt designed the first two sets of stamps, a landscape and seascape, in 2008. The stamps were still in their infancy when the editor of the blog DesignSponge featured Schmidt’s design. Suddenly, she was on the radar of design enthusiasts across the county. Eventually, it spurred a solicit from an independent stationery store owner for stamps depicting iconic New York City images. Naturally, that inspired more whimsical cityscapes, including a San Francisco pair of that

SWEAT EQUITY By Bill Burnett and Kevin Burnett

Get 2nd termite inspection Q: I am selling a house and have gotten a termite inspection by a company recommended by the real estate agent. The recommendation was to tent the house and treat it with Premise 75. The cost for the subterranean termite treatment is $1,250 and for the drywood termites is $2,600. The drywood termites are only in a corner by the water heater and under the porch by the water heater. Is the tenting for both types of termites? Why two different prices? In addition, there are various fungus and dry-rot repairs to the tune of $3,000 more. The termite company requires that they do the work or they will not give a completion notice. I could get a handyman to do it for

much less. I want to get another estimate, but the real estate agent says we may be opening another can of worms, as the inspections are recorded. It seems as if the termite company has us over a barrel and can charge whatever it wants since a competitive inspection is unlikely. A: Your real estate agent is dead wrong. The termite company does not have you over a barrel. Get a competitive inspection and another bid. You’ll be out another inspection fee, but that’s all. Standard practice these days is to get a structural and pest control inspection before listing your property so you know the likely cost of repairs. Our favorite way to deal with

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this is to negotiate a credit on the sale and let the buyer deal with the work. You get a closing and they get to control the work. Everyone wins. When Kevin sold his Alameda house, the offer was contingent on a clear pest control report. Kevin was the listing agent. The buyer’s agent had a pest control contractor she liked. The guy pulled up in an extra-long pickup he used to trailer his ski boat. Uh-oh! At the end of the inspection he came up with about $5,000 worth of work, including $2,600 to tent the house and do some dry-rot repair. After doing a little investigation, Kevin found the dry-rot repair was mini-

orange-hued bridge and a Victorian abode. The techniques and styles she’s perfected over time in her studio have all been incorporated into the book. If hand printing sounds foreign or intimidating, Schmidt proves the process is entirely achievable. “Print Workshop” begins with the basics, from tools to printing-design processes, before delving into a collection of original ideas.

1. Apply superglue to the end of twine, place on tape roll and wind it around exterior of tape roll until roll is covered in string. Apply superglue to other end of twine and press with finger to secure. If you’ve opted for a wood block, wrap the twine tightly around the block until surface of block is covered, fasten with knot on back and trim excess string. In either case, be careful not to overlap the twine on the side of the block that will receive ink.

2. Dip foam brush into ink, dab excess on scrap paper and brush across face of stamp.

3. Press firmly onto printing surface and repeat until you have desired pattern. To create patterns on cotton fabric (muslin bags, or use unprimed canvas to make tablecloths, place mats or napkins), use screen-printing textile ink and place a towel below printing surface. Heat-set ink according to manufacturer’s instructions if you plan to wash printed fabric. To print on paper (such as card stock for gift tags or greeting cards or brown kraft packing paper for floral wrap or wrapping paper), use screen-printing ink, acrylic paint or tempera paint as above or a rubber stamp ink pad.

Possibilities Schmidt opens readers’ eyes to the possibilities, like hand-carving a stamp for personal stationery or taking it a step further and crafting stamps to create a deck of playing cards. Or dicing a potato into a leaf-shaped stamp for a festive drop-cloth picnic blanket. Stencils don’t seem so

mundane after the souped-up Aspen Tree Forest Mural, silkscreen canvas tote bags or dinner-setting silhouette place mats, which can all be re-created using templates at the back of the book. “I think many folks are too intimidated to flex their creative muscles and will take any obstacle —

such as hard-to-find materials, expensive equipment or overcomplicated directions — as an easy out,’’ she says. “If a project is approachable and fun, you are more willing to try it and, in doing so, learn skills that will allow you to make new things.”

mal and partially unnecessary, and the fumigation could be subcontracted at a cost of about $800. Kevin did the rot repair himself for a few hundred bucks, had the home re-inspected by the reputable pest control operator he used, who cleared the work. He refused to do the fumigation. Ultimately, the deal closed and the buyers did the fumigation before they moved in. It’s likely that your house needs two types of treatment, hence the separate prices. Premise 75 is a liquid termiticide injected into the ground along the foundation to create a chemical barrier against subterranean termite infestation. The chemical is dangerous and should only be handled by trained, licensed personnel. You can get a full description of the uses

and dangers of this poison at bit.ly/hq4j4o. Tenting or fumigation kills drywood termites and other wood-destroying pests like powderpost beetles. The process consists of placing tarps over the entire house and pumping in poison gas to kill every living thing in the house. The gas permeates everywhere, including pillows, mattresses, food and furniture. For this reason, we strongly recommend if fumigation is required, to have if done after you move out. This website will give you a good idea of what you’re in for: bit.ly/eRVTyf. Be aware that fumigation kills the bugs currently infesting the house, but it does not prevent them from returning. In California, termite inspections call out two areas of repair. Section One repairs deal with

areas where active infestation is apparent. Beetles, termites and dry rot fall into this category. Section Two work deals with conditions likely to lead to damage in the future. An example is dirt graded to within 6 inches of a foundation. Only do the Section One repairs. Don’t use a handyman to do the dry-rot repairs. If all the work is in plain sight, use a licensed, insured and bonded general contractor. These professionals are more likely to be able to work with the termite company and get the ultimate goal — a clearance. Carefully inspect the contract and try to get a fixed bid. Sometimes hidden damage will be uncovered, which costs more.

E-mail comments to home@sfchronicle.com.

E-mail the Burnett brothers at sweatequity@sf chronicle.com.

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