Balzer Designs

Screen Printing Class Demo Pieces

I had a wonderful group of artists in my live online Screen Printing at Home class. Here are two nice notes I got from students after class: "Thanks for an awesome class Julie! You're an excellent teacher. I came away with a much better understanding of the process and some good ideas for the future." "Thanks for demystifying screen printing -- so much simpler than I thought, and no fancy anything required! I can't wait to start playing!" I thought you might like to see some of the demo pieces I created during class. We printed on paper and fabric.... Read more →

#PrintInktober 2021 is Coming! (And there's a Class)

I hope that you will join me, once again, for #PrintInktober — the annual printmaking adventure I started in 2018, based on the popular #Inktober drawing challenge. This daily challenge is FREE and open to everyone anywhere in the world. Here are the basics: Create and post one print each day in October. Use the hashtag #printinktober when you post. Any stamp/block can be used – foam, silicone, rubber, hand carved, lino, whatever you want! Any ink can be used – screenprinting ink, marker ink, stamping ink, printing ink, etc. You can use the official inktober prompts, if you’d like.... Read more →

Kandinsky Inspired Art --- Learning Tool

I recently included a Kandinsky quote and painting in my weekly email newsletter (the newsletter goes out every Friday). It sent me down a bit of a Kandinsky rabbit hole. I stumbled onto a German website that I believe is for elementary school teachers. They had a fascinating lesson suggestion that I had to try for myself. STEP ONE - Laminate a design of colored tissue paper and black construction paper pieces. No need to fill the whole lamination pouch. Think about design. I used black tar paper for some of these, but it was too dimensional, so I ended... Read more →

Journal Cover Re-Do

If you're new to Art Journal Every Day, the concept is simple: It's a commitment to take ten minutes each day to do something in your art journal. No need to finish anything or even like it. It's about making the time to nourish your creativity every day! If you have the time to flip through your phone, you have the time to Art Journal Every Day. If you'd like to share what you make, use the hashtag #artjournaleveryday so that we can all take a peek. You can find new Art Journal Every Day posts here on the blog... Read more →

Book Club: Watercolor is for Everyone

Last night I hosted September's Book Club, all about Kateri Ewing's book, "Watercolor is for Everyone." You can watch the replay below: The supplies I used: Arches Watercolor Paper QoR Watercolors Mijello Palette Sakura CAC Watercolors Rembrandt Special Effects Watercolors Size 8 Paintbrush Here are some of the pieces that I made while working through the exercises in this book: The next Book Club is on October 13 at 2pm EST. We will be discussing Pocket Art Guides: How to Paint Abstracts. Book Club is FREE and open to all, regardless of whether or not you've read the book. Book... Read more →

From the August Member Livestream

As you may know, each month I host a live online hour of art demos and answers to questions for monthly members. The demos are 100% based on the questions that members ask. Sometimes the demos are done without a finished product in mind and sometimes I end up creating finished projects, like these: August's livestream boasted two projects that I wanted to share. Here is the art journal spread that I started during the August member livestream: I love how it turned out -- somewhere between abstract and representational. Plus look at all that yummy texture! Hard to believe... Read more →

Scrawlr Box: August 2021 Unboxing Video

As you know, I purchased a one-year subscription to Scrawlr Box -- an art supply subscription box out of the UK. Each month I open the box and share my first impressions with you. These are my personal opinions about what works for me and what doesn't. I hope you find the video useful and entertaining! Here's a list of the box contents with links to purchase: Daler Rowney Mixed Media Art Boards Derwent Colour Line Maker Zig Vellum Twin Marker (link takes you to an orange marker, I couldn't find black) Molotow One-4-All Acrylic Twin Markers UNI Signo Broad... Read more →

Painted Wood Block Wall Art

Did you know that "Painted Wood Block Wall Art" is a thing? I stumbled across this etsy listing... link ...and it sent me down a rabbit hole. Here are a few other listings I found when searching "painted wood block wall art": link link link link If you're thinking what I'm thinking, then here are the supplies you need to make your own: Wood Canvases -- You can get a pack of eight 10x10 wood canvases for about $25 on Amazon. Your favorite paint or collage materials. If you're going to sell them: varnish. Personally, I have been known to... Read more →

Screen Printed Flat Bottom Bag

I took some of my screen printed fabric and made a flat bottom zipper bag with it: The screen printed fabric I used for the pouch has a real grungy feeling to it (as opposed to the screen printed fabric I used as the background in these photos). I think that the grungy feeling makes it feel perfect for storing art supplies. It has funky flair but I'm not at all worried about accidentally ruining it with a splash of paint or an uncapped marker. Originally, I was going to use the fabric you see in the background to make... Read more →

Art Journal Every Day: 2020 June & July & a Bit of August

If you're new to Art Journal Every Day, the concept is simple: It's a commitment to take ten minutes each day to do something in your art journal. No need to finish anything or even like it. It's about making the time to nourish your creativity every day! If you have the time to flip through your phone, you have the time to Art Journal Every Day. If you'd like to share what you make, use the hashtag #artjournaleveryday so that we can all take a peek. You can find new Art Journal Every Day posts here on the blog... Read more →