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. 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, use the hashtag #artjournaleveryday so that we can all take a peek. Even if you're not on social media, you can see everything (from twitter, pinterest, instagram, and facebook) that uses that hashtag here. I've got the last few pages of this current art journal to share... Read more →

Yesterday, I shared a page of sketches and photos of the objects that inspired those sketches. I asked you to weigh in on differences you noticed between the photos and sketches? What do you think is useful about the sketches? What are your thoughts on taking photos vs. sketching? Here are some excerpts from the fascinating comments on yesterday's post: On sketching as an artistic process: Rhonda H. said: This process was so useful. Training your eye to pare down a shape, a line, an essence. Not erasing! Discovering new shapes and patterns to use in your work. The items... Read more →

As you know, I'm Bullet Journal obsessed! I carry mine with me everywhere. Lately, I've begun to allow myself to use it as a sketchbook. In January, I found myself at the Museum of Fine Arts (MFA Boston) with about an hour to kill. I had my BuJo with me, so I decided to just start sketching things that interested me. This was a very different experience from wandering a museum while photographing things. I definitely had to use my brain more and truly observe what I was seeing -- even edit what I was seeing. Also, choosing things to... Read more →

I have just a few photos from the opening of the new exhibit, "Klimt & Schiele: Drawn" at the MFA Boston (Museum of Fine Arts). From the MFA's website: Nearly 30 years apart in age, Klimt and Schiele shared a mutual respect and admiration for each other’s talent. Yet, their work is decidedly different in appearance and effect: Klimt’s drawings are often delicate, while Schiele’s are frequently bold. Klimt often used these sheets as preparatory designs for paintings, while Schiele considered his drawings to be independent pictures and routinely sold them. Check it out: I enjoyed the exhibit, but I... Read more →

As I mentioned last week, we went to see two Medieval Villages while we were in Spain. Today I am sharing the second: Peratallada (the link at left leads to a really nice article describing the village and its history). You may have noticed that I took a lot of photos of doors. They are one of the things that I'm always drawn to photograph. I feel like doors are full of stories. There's something about them that's full of character and it always feels to me like something or someone could emerge from the door at any moment! I... 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. 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, use the hashtag #artjournaleveryday so that we can all take a peek. Even if you're not on social media, you can see everything (from twitter, pinterest, instagram, and facebook) that uses that hashtag here. I've got some daily art journal pages for you today: three pages without... Read more →

Today I'm sharing some more profiles of artists who participated in #CarveDecember! First up: Andrea Clement. Q: How many times have you participated in #CarveDecember? A: This was my first time. Q: Why did you decide to participate this year? A: I had taken part in the Jackson’s xmas lino competition and was lucky enough to win this year so I was already in “carving mode” and with the gift vouchers I won I bought some Pfeil cutters that I’ve wanted for a long time. #CarveDecember was the perfect opportunity to give them a proper road test! Q: How would... Read more →

I’m super duper excited to share that I’ll be on HSN (Home Shopping Network) **tonight** (Wednesday, March 7, 2018) during the 11pm EST hour. Watch online or on your TV. I’ll be demonstrating the PTouch Embellish. What is the PTouch Embellish? It’s a battery-operated, hand-held tape & ribbon printer. This little wonder prints custom text, patterns, and icons onto tape and ribbon. I’ve used it to make lots of different things! A sweet baby banner: A surprise ball filled with toys and messages: A mobile (you can see it in motion here) composed of quotes about travel: A photo frame:... Read more →

We went to see two medieval villages while we were in Spain. The first was Pals, which I'm sharing photos of today. We don't have any architecture this old in the U.S. It just blew my mind that we were touching walls and stairs and stones from the 15th century. Does anyone else think that's like the coolest thing ever?! I love the layers of color and texture and unexpected art moments! I was thinking about how to verbalize the things I liked so much about this ancient village. Believe it or not, I think they're the same things that... Read more →

You guys! I've got an awesome giveaway for you this week! It's the ScanNCut Rolling Tote (currently $99 on Amazon)! This video all about it is an oldie, but a goodie: This Fall, I took my ScanNCut for a spin outside! The weather was fabulous! Because the ScanNCut is a stand-alone machine, requiring no internet and no computer, with a long extension cord, I had no problem setting up an outdoor workstation! I just rolled my tote (at left in the photo) up to the table. It was packed with my mats and all my accessories, along with the machine... Read more →