I'm super duper excited about my online class, "Getting Started with Gesso!" Class starts tomorrow (March 1) and is just $15. Here's a quick video all about it: My goal for this class is for you to: Understand the technicalities of why (and when) to use gesso. Explore each of the five major types of gesso. Learn how to make your own colored gesso. Play with lots of cool techniques using gesso. Realize how perfect gesso is for so many different kinds of mixed media projects. "Getting Started with Gesso" is hosted on a private password protected blog. The class... Read more →

Back in July 2012 Wilna Furstenberg (one of my scrappy crushes) asked me to contribute two scrapbook pages to her online art class, offered through Two Peas in a Bucket. She didn't end up using my pages, but that means that I get to share them with you today! Wilna asked me to do a layout using wax. It's not one of my favorite substances, but here's what I came up with: STEP ONE: Scribble all over your background with crayons and use a mini iron to partially melt them into the paper along with some beeswax. STEP TWO: Transfer... Read more →

I'm a total instagram addict. I post a lot of food photos and selfies (self-portraits taken in the mirror), but also a lot of good clean artsy fun. Some of this stuff makes it here to the blog, but a lot of it doesn't. So, I thought I thought I'd share some recent artful instagrams from the last few weeks. Enjoy! You can pretty much see my creative cycling in this photos. From my art journal to Project Life to stamp carving and back into Project Life and so on. The last three images are from my "Getting Started with... Read more →

Today I'm sharing two canvases! I made both of them while I was at Ronda's. They're both on wooden canvases, a new favorite of mine. Ronda's father-in-law makes them for her, but you can buy them online as well. I like the wood canvases because you can easily collage on them (there's no give, as with a traditional stretched canvas). I also found the edges easier to finish than a traditional canvas. I used the Neocolor II watersoluble crayons to create the face. They've always been a favorite of mine, but lately I've discovered just how much you can do... Read more →

I can't resist sharing just a few more photos from my visit to Mount Auburn Cemetery in November. Gravestones fascinate me. The text conjures fantastical stories in my mind -- happy, tragic, and mysterious. (I happen to have attended The Phillips School for grades 1-6. I've been to Mt. Auburn hundreds of times, but I never saw this gravestone before!) I think all five of these gravestones are great inspiration for some art making. Do any of them ignite your imagination? Thanks for stopping by! Read more →

If you're new to Art Journal Every Day, there is a short introduction here. All of the previous posts can be found archived here. There is a flickr group for sharing right here. Remember, it's just ten minutes of nourishing your creative self every day! No need to finish anything or even like it. If you've done some art journaling this week and you've blogged about it, or put it on flickr, please leave a link in the linky list at the end of this post. Thanks! My sweet friend Nat gave me the best birthday gift: a Sensu Brush!... Read more →

As I mentioned yesterday, last week I took a five-night workshop from Greg Follender at The Art Students League. The workshop was all about learning to draw the figure in a very short amount of time. We did a lot of 30-second, 1-minute, and 3-minute drawings, along with some longer (5-15 minute drawings). There were two models: an extremely thin woman and a super beefy man. This is Thursday & Friday. Thursday My 30-second drawings are definitely feeling less stiff and capturing more of the gesture of the figure. That's a 30-second drawing next to a 3-minute drawing. You can... Read more →

Last week I took a five-night workshop from Greg Follender at The Art Students League. The workshop was all about learning to draw the figure in a very short amount of time. We did a lot of 30-second, 1-minute, and 3-minute drawings, along with some longer (5-15 minute drawings). There were two models: an extremely thin woman and a super beefy man. It was very interesting to have to draw two very different body types and notice which one I felt more at ease with. (I think you'll be able to guess from the drawings.) I've decided to share a... Read more →

I'm delighted to bring you another episode of the Adventures in Arting Podcast! If you do not see the podcast player above, please click on this link. You can listen to a podcast anywhere and at any time. It is a recording that is available to you whenever you'd like to listen. If you'd like to download it to your iTunes library, click here. You can also pause and rewind or fast forward as you desire. I like to listen to podcasts while I'm making art. It's a little like hanging out with friends while you art. Today's guests are... Read more →

Hey all you New Englanders (especially you Massachusetts and Rhode Island folks), I'm going to be teaching a one-day class at Right at Home Scrapbooking in North Attleboro, MA. In this class I will show you how to make your own gorgeous "papers with personality" using stamps and stencils. The emphasis is on working in layers, color mixing, exploring mists, playing with stencils, experimenting with patterns, and creating pleasing compositions. I will also share how to make your own totally fabulous handmade tape. We will use that tape to bind a hand-bound-no-sew-pocket-filled journal! That's right! You can make this gorgeous... Read more →