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! Today I'm sharing pages from my sketchbook (i.e. my travel journal) from the... Read more →

Can I get a woo hoo? They're finally available for purchase - yay! Every week for the next few months I'll be highlighting various stencils and sharing why I designed them and ways to use them. I'd love to put together some videos that answer your stenciling questions and show techniques that you'd like to learn. If you've got specific questions please leave them in the comments section of this post! Until then, here's a list of all of the stencils with links to purchase! Star Circles Bit Flower Frame Bit Layered Flower Bit Eye Bits Painted Cat Bit Scribbled... Read more →

I have been wanting to try out some gouache. If you're unfamiliar with gouache, here's the definition from wikipedia: Gouache paint is similar to watercolor but modified to make it opaque. A binding agent, usually gum arabic, is present, just as in watercolor. Gouache differs from watercolor in that the particles are larger, the ratio of pigment to water is much higher, and an additional, inert, white pigment such as chalk may also be present. This makes gouache heavier and more opaque, with greater reflective qualities. Gouache generally dries to a different value than it appears when wet (lighter tones... Read more →

I taught my 3-hour "Stamp Carving 101" class for the Brown Club of New York a few weeks ago. It was a nice mixture of Brown alumni and die-hard art ladies. As always, stamp carving is much easier than people expect. The stamps people carved were absolutely fantastic: inventive and interesting! Take a peek: After class a bunch of us went to lunch together, which was lovely! If you'd like to learn more about stamp carving, try my online class, "Stamp Carving 101." Today only (Feb 24, 2015 from 12:01am - 11:59pm EST) get 15% off "Stamp Carving 101" with... 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 we have... 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! As I mentioned last week, art journaling can be defined in so many... Read more →

Today is Chinese New Year! Yay! I made some decorations to celebrate. (Also because my brother is hosting a Chinese New Year's Party and he asked me to make some decorations. He noted that for my hard work, I'd be paid in homemade dumplings. I thought it was a fair trade.) I made this dragon banner: Dragons are a traditional way of celebrating Chinese New Year. Dragons are a symbol of China and are thought to bring good luck. If you've ever been to Chinatown during Chinese New Year, you've probably seen the traditional Dragon Dance. If you've never seen... Read more →

I am loving working on #28Patterns -- my month-long project where I'm creating a pattern each and every day of February. I want to share what I've done. There are so many ways to make patterns -- drawing, painting (acrylic, oil, watercolor, gouache, etc.), collage, etc. The only definition of a pattern is: A pattern, apart from the term's use to mean "Template," is a discernible regularity in the world or in a manmade design. As such, the elements of a pattern repeat in a predictable manner. Easy enough, right? I've had a lot of fun exploring many different styles... Read more →

Recently, I've been attending some Open Sketch sessions at the Art Students League. Open Sketch is an hour-and-a-half in a room with a nude model. They have two short-pose rooms and one long-pose room. In the long-pose room there's a model holding a single pose for the entire time. In the short pose rooms it's a series of one-minute poses, followed by some five-minute poses, a few tens, and then a twenty-minute pose. I go to one of the short-pose rooms because I'm trying to work on getting faster and more accurate. Towards that end, I've been drawing with markers... Read more →

In January I taught my two-day workshop, Magazine Magic! We had a ton of fun ripping apart magazines and turning them into all sorts of things! The bad news is that once you know all the amazing things you can do with magazines, you can never ever throw another magazine away! Eeek! (This is my excuse for being a hoarder. Hee Hee!) If you'd like to take an in-person class with me, there are still some seats in these upcoming classes: March 14 & 15, 2015 (at Papercraft Clubhouse in Westbrook, CT): Art Journal Playground & Painted Paper Collage April... Read more →