WB

Danny Feld / ABC

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

By David WiegandCHRONICLE STAFF WRITER

Oh, where to beginconfirming what youprobably already guessedif you’ve seen the promosfor “Mr. Sunshine,” theABC sitcom premieringtonight?

Do we focus in on howunfunny it is in general?

Or on how wince-in-ducing it is to see AllisonJanney try to milk laughsas Crystal, a self-involved,pill-popping, racist ownerof a San Diego arena? Orhow you can’t help won-dering which is sadder:Matthew Perry’s self-loathing sad-sack charac-ter or his attempt to makehim appealing?

The show’s title ismeant to be ironic, but TVis only sporadically goodat irony. Ben Donovan(Perry) is the manager ofthe sports arena who, at40, is facing a number ofmidlife crises. You kind ofget the idea, though, thatthis guy came out of thewomb with a midlifecrisis and has been in afunk ever since. He has afriends-with-benefitsthing going on with fel-low employee Alice (An-drea Anders), who isbeginning to find thebenefits less than benefi-cial because the friendspart is equally unfulfill-ing.

In tonight’s opener,

A darkday forMr. Perry

TELEVISION

“Sunshine” continues on E4

KMr. Sunshine: Sit-com. 9:30 p.m. Wed.on ABC.

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

Bad Reporter:The truthbehind thelies … E10

Essentials | Puzzle Answers E2 | Social City E2 | TV Listings E3 | Comics & Puzzles E8-E9 | Jon Carroll and Leah Garchik E10

By Chantal LamersSPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE

When Christine Schmidt wasapproached to write a printmak-ing book, she instantly knew itought to epitomize the gifts andpaper goods she makes by hand

for her SanFrancisco line,Yellow OwlWorkshop.

It was alsoessential thatshe composethe kind ofresource thatshe’d want at

her own fingertips, taking a cuefrom her bold, graphic collec-tion.

“That meant cramming itfull of versatile projects andmeaty discussion of materialsand techniques,” Schmidt says.“While I gave it my best tomake the book visually appeal-ing, I would be disappointed tosee it neatly perched on a coffeetable. I would rather see it usedas a handy guidebook — allcrumpled and ink stained.”

“Print Workshop” ($19.99,Potter Craft) radically tran-scends conventional printmak-ing guides. Schmidt’s witty,conversational approach illu-minates one graphic project

after the next, from pinprickstationery to royal wax sealsand jar decals.

The popularity of printmak-ing has boomed along with thedo-it-yourself movement. Clas-ses that allow the home printeraccess to otherwise off-limitsequipment, and books such as

Schmidt’s, which actuallyeschew the need for machinery,are boosting art’s accessibility.

Schmidt, 31, is driven byfunctionality, a result of small-scale living. “I pared down mystudio and pared down mytechniques, but I liked the way

ArtistChristineSchmidt workson Yellow OwlWorkshopfrom herBernal Heightshomebasement.

Printmaking continues on E5

HOME & GARDEN

Leaving her mark

Photos by Laura Morton / Special to The Chronicle

Designer’sprintmakingbook makesan impression

DIY stamppad project:ChristineSchmidtoutlines howto make yourown stamp.E5

By Julian GuthrieCHRONICLE STAFF WRITER

For the grieving, there isSARK. For women who hatetheir bodies, there is SARK.For creative spirits in need ofawakening, there is SARK.For the money stressed,there, too, is SARK.

SARK is a woman who

lives in San Francisco. Shewrites and illustrates col-orful books — books thatlook as if they should be forartistically inclined kids butappeal to emotionally needyadults. The appeal is great:She has written 16 booksand sold more than 2 millioncopies.

Her most recent book,

“Glad No Matter What:Transforming Loss andChange Into Gift and Oppor-tunity,” is filled with upbeataphorisms and crayon-likescribbles. And there are herusual diary-like confessions,this time over the loss of hermother (a former Marine); ofher cat, Jupiter (her “fur

ThomasLevinson /The Chronicle

SARK’smost recentwork is“Glad NoMatterWhat:Transform-ing Lossand ChangeInto Giftand Oppor-tunity.”

Writer colors sadness with joyBOOKS

SARK continues on E2

GWB San Francisco Chronicle and SFGate.com | Wednesday, February 9, 2011 | E5

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HOME & GARDEN

these limitations pushedme to do more with less,”she says.

It’s a philosophy thatextends to her locallymade, natural rubberstamps, which have col-lected a cult following.While Yellow Owl Work-shop’s cards, stationery,pendants and ceramicsare getting snapped up atshops across the countryand have caught the eye ofbuyers for the San Fran-cisco Museum of ModernArt and the Los AngelesCounty Museum of Art, aswell as West Elm andPottery Barn, the stampshave captured the imag-inations of the craft in-clined.

Landscaping“I was interested in

making stamps that couldbe used to create a largerscene. By using a stampmultiple times, you couldmake a landscape,”Schmidt says. The idea is togive the users latitude tomake their own creations.

“I have seen pictures oftea towels, party favorbags, clothing, blankets,even wallpaper made withmy stamps. I’m excitedabout a new stamp I madethat you can use to playtic-tac-toe or just stampthe grid, the X and the O(or just one of the designs)to make a cool pattern.”

The Kansas City nativestudied at the CorcoranCollege of Art and Designin Washington, D.C. Aftergraduation, she settledinto a New York Cityapartment with her boy-friend (now husband),Evan Gross. In 2005, thecouple scooted to San

Francisco so Gross couldtake a job with the city as adeputy city attorney.Schmidt was chippingaway at art projects whileshe gigged as a personalassistant.

Working from a nook ofher sprawling basementin Bernal Heights,Schmidt designed the firsttwo sets of stamps, a land-scape and seascape, in2008. The stamps werestill in their infancy whenthe editor of the blog De-signSponge featuredSchmidt’s design. Sud-denly, she was on theradar of design enthusi-asts across the county.

Eventually, it spurred asolicit from an indepen-dent stationery store own-er for stamps depictingiconic New York City imag-es. Naturally, that inspiredmore whimsical city-scapes, including a SanFrancisco pair of that

orange-hued bridge and aVictorian abode. The tech-niques and styles she’sperfected over time in herstudio have all been incor-porated into the book.

If hand printing soundsforeign or intimidating,Schmidt proves the pro-cess is entirely achievable.“Print Workshop” beginswith the basics, from toolsto printing-design pro-cesses, before delving intoa collection of originalideas.

PossibilitiesSchmidt opens readers’

eyes to the possibilities,like hand-carving a stampfor personal stationery ortaking it a step furtherand crafting stamps tocreate a deck of playingcards. Or dicing a potatointo a leaf-shaped stampfor a festive drop-clothpicnic blanket.

Stencils don’t seem so

mundane after thesouped-up Aspen TreeForest Mural, silkscreencanvas tote bags or din-ner-setting silhouetteplace mats, which can allbe re-created using tem-plates at the back of thebook.

“I think many folks aretoo intimidated to flextheir creative muscles andwill take any obstacle —

such as hard-to-find ma-terials, expensive equip-ment or overcomplicateddirections — as an easyout,’’ she says. “If a projectis approachable and fun,you are more willing to tryit and, in doing so, learnskills that will allow youto make new things.”

E-mail comments tohome@sfchronicle.com.

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

PrintmakingworkshopsChristine Schmidt willsoon use a new MissionDistrict studio space as aretail gallery to print andassemble goods and teachclasses. The workshop isexpected to open inMarch. For updates, checkSchmidt’s website andblog at yellowowlworkshop.com.

DIY stamp padJust in time for Valentine’s Day. Use this stamp to

create a variation of crisscross or wavy patterns for allsorts of crafts, from note cards to place mats. You’llneed a length of butcher’s twine and a small rectangularor square wood block, or to cover larger surfaces, anempty tape roll.

1. Apply superglue to theend of twine, place ontape roll and wind itaround exterior of tape rolluntil roll is covered instring. Apply superglue toother end of twine andpress with finger to secure.If you’ve opted for a woodblock, wrap the twinetightly around the blockuntil surface of block iscovered, fasten with knoton back and trim excessstring. In either case, becareful not to overlap thetwine on the side of theblock that will receive ink.

2. Dip foam brush into ink,dab excess on scrap paperand brush across face ofstamp.

3. Press firmly onto print-ing surface and repeatuntil you have desiredpattern. To create patternson cotton fabric (muslinbags, or use unprimedcanvas to make table-cloths, place mats or nap-kins), use screen-printingtextile ink and place atowel below printing sur-face. Heat-set ink accord-ing to manufacturer’sinstructions if you plan towash printed fabric. Toprint on paper (such ascard stock for gift tags orgreeting cards or brownkraft packing paper forfloral wrap or wrappingpaper), use screen-print-ing ink, acrylic paint ortempera paint as above ora rubber stamp ink pad.

Photos by Laura Morton / Special to The Chronicle

Christine Schmidt’s early cityscapes include S.F.’sGolden Gate and a Victorian home.

Book leavesan impression

Printmaking from page E1

Q: I am selling a houseand have gotten a ter-mite inspection by acompany recommend-ed by the real estateagent. The recommen-dation was to tent thehouse and treat it withPremise 75. The cost forthe subterranean ter-mite treatment is $1,250and for the drywoodtermites is $2,600. Thedrywood termites areonly in a corner by thewater heater and underthe porch by the waterheater. Is the tentingfor both types of ter-mites? Why two differ-ent prices?

In addition, there arevarious fungus anddry-rot repairs to thetune of $3,000 more.The termite companyrequires that they dothe work or they willnot give a completionnotice. I could get ahandyman to do it for

much less. I want to getanother estimate, butthe real estate agentsays we may be openinganother can of worms,as the inspections arerecorded.

It seems as if thetermite company has usover a barrel and cancharge whatever itwants since a compet-itive inspection is un-likely.

A: Your real estate agentis dead wrong. The ter-mite company does nothave you over a barrel.Get a competitive in-spection and another bid.You’ll be out anotherinspection fee, but that’sall.

Standard practice thesedays is to get a structuraland pest control inspec-tion before listing yourproperty so you know thelikely cost of repairs. Ourfavorite way to deal with

this is to negotiate a crediton the sale and let thebuyer deal with the work.You get a closing and theyget to control the work.Everyone wins.

When Kevin sold hisAlameda house, the offerwas contingent on a clearpest control report. Kevinwas the listing agent. Thebuyer’s agent had a pestcontrol contractor sheliked. The guy pulled upin an extra-long pickup heused to trailer his ski boat.Uh-oh!

At the end of the in-spection he came up withabout $5,000 worth ofwork, including $2,600 totent the house and dosome dry-rot repair. Afterdoing a little investiga-tion, Kevin found thedry-rot repair was mini-

mal and partially unnec-essary, and the fumiga-tion could be subcontract-ed at a cost of about $800.Kevin did the rot repairhimself for a few hundredbucks, had the homere-inspected by the repu-table pest control operatorhe used, who cleared thework. He refused to do thefumigation. Ultimately,the deal closed and thebuyers did the fumigationbefore they moved in.

It’s likely that yourhouse needs two types oftreatment, hence theseparate prices.

Premise 75 is a liquidtermiticide injected intothe ground along thefoundation to create achemical barrier againstsubterranean termiteinfestation. The chemicalis dangerous and shouldonly be handled bytrained, licensed person-nel. You can get a fulldescription of the uses

and dangers of this poisonat bit.ly/hq4j4o.

Tenting or fumigationkills drywood termitesand other wood-destroy-ing pests like powderpostbeetles. The process con-sists of placing tarps overthe entire house andpumping in poison gas tokill every living thing inthe house. The gas perme-ates everywhere, includ-ing pillows, mattresses,food and furniture. Forthis reason, we stronglyrecommend if fumigationis required, to have if doneafter you move out. Thiswebsite will give you agood idea of what you’rein for: bit.ly/eRVTyf.

Be aware that fumiga-tion kills the bugs cur-rently infesting the house,but it does not preventthem from returning.

In California, termiteinspections call out twoareas of repair. SectionOne repairs deal with

areas where active in-festation is apparent.Beetles, termites and dryrot fall into this category.Section Two work dealswith conditions likely tolead to damage in thefuture. An example is dirtgraded to within 6 inchesof a foundation. Only dothe Section One repairs.

Don’t use a handymanto do the dry-rot repairs.If all the work is in plainsight, use a licensed, in-sured and bonded generalcontractor. These profes-sionals are more likely tobe able to work with thetermite company and getthe ultimate goal — aclearance. Carefully in-spect the contract and tryto get a fixed bid. Some-times hidden damage willbe uncovered, which costsmore.

E-mail the Burnett brothersat sweatequity@sfchronicle.com.

SWEAT EQUITY By Bill Burnett and Kevin Burnett

Get 2nd termite inspection