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 →

Welcome to our very first crowdsourced podcast! A while ago I asked for people to send in a short recording about their experiences with learning during the pandemic. I truly believe that life-long learning is the key to staying vibrant. Those who never make themselves uncomfortable by being beginners cease to grow. We may be stuck at home, but whether it's art or a language or microeconomics, there's an endless supply of stuff to learn! We got eight thoughtful and interesting responses from Barbara Fox, Elizabeth Montano, Holly Thomsen Doherty, JoAnn Campisi, Joceyln Robinson, Lucia-Ann, Peggy Joyce, and Sue Carroll.... Read more →

Hello, friends! Here's a little bit about life around here right now: What are you working on? I am working on a "proper" sketchbook. I know. I know. I hate terms like "proper" too. Any sketchbook is a good sketchbook. But, I'm very interested in doing a whole lot of reference work at the moment (color charts, product explorations, design ideas). And so I'm working on a sketchbook that is truly just for me (that's why there's no photo here). Definitely not finished art. Something like a personal bible of ideas and techniques. I'm really hoping that it will become... Read more →

I often start the day with the thought, "what if?" Recently, I couldn't stop thinking about the idea of marbling over marbling. So I pulled out my Marabu Easy Marble paints and gave it a try and recorded the process for you: It was a lot of fun and I think the resulting papers are more interesting than the original papers. Both are pretty, but I'm always after something more than "just pretty." Take a peek at some of the details of those layers: Super fun and great results! I hope you'll give this technique a try! --- P.S. Thanks... Read more →

I carved a new block over the weekend. I’m one of the millions of Americans who voted early. I voted for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris for many reasons, but here are four really important ones: Science is real. Climate change is real. Black Lives Matter. “How a society treats its most vulnerable is always the measure of its humanity.” Pre-existing conditions shouldn’t be a barrier to health insurance. Stand up for what you believe in. Your vote is powerful. It matters. Read more →

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 →

Mom and I had a wonderful long chat with Sarah Matthews. I've seen Sarah's colorful layered prints many times, but I didn't know about her extensive work as a bookbinder. On the podcast we talk about creating during quarantine, YouTube, artist books, and lots more. Sarah has four girls and still manages to carve, print, or bind every single day. Give it a listen: If you do not see the podcast player above, please click on this link. On the off chance that you've never listened to a podcast or don't get why anybody would want to, here are some... Read more →

As I mentioned on Friday, I took two classes with Deborah Boschert over the weekend. I had a lot of fun. They were exactly the self-care I needed. This is the palette of fabrics that I chose for myself: Interestingly, I posted a picture of this palette to my instagram stories and asked people if they thought it was a cohesive palette. About half the people (including Deborah) said, "No." I find that fascinating. To me, it looks super cohesive and fun to work with. But we are all different artists and I'm sure it looks like a hot mess... Read more →

As you most likely know, I am a huge advocate of making art every day. It doesn't have to be a big time commitment, but it makes a big difference. Here's a quick video about that philosophy: And here is the video I referenced in my "creativity chat" -- enjoy: Finally, here is a peek at the apron I'm wearing in the video. I made it using a combination of heat transfer vinyl, gelatin printed fabric (with fusible), and a commercial print I stitched on to create a pocket. Thanks for stopping by! Read more →

During the October Member Livestream, I did a short stamp carving demonstration to show how to carve small thin lines. I grabbed a piece of "garbage rubber" -- aka the stuff you cut away while making another stamp -- and carved three thin lines. This is a screenshot from the livestream: After I carved it, I casually said, "I'll have to see what I can do to transform that into something usable." Well, I sat down for ten minutes this weekend and I turned it into this: If I turn the stamp 90º I think you can more clearly see... Read more →