These four mixed media collages began as demo pieces for my Art Parts class. I finished them up over the weekend and I'm quite pleased with the group! I'm often called prolific and one of the main reasons for that is because I work smarter, not harder. Here are four tips for you to do the same: KNOW THYSELF. You can't shortcut this one. Make lots and lots of work and think about what you like and what you don't. Look at the work of people you admire and think about what you like and what you don't. The better... Read more →

Learning to offer helpful feedback when viewing art is a skill worth acquiring. It's actually useful both to you and the recipient of the feedback. I often ask for feedback. I enjoy hearing other people's opinions, even when the differ from my own. That's right. It's okay to have negative feedback. But, think about why you're offering feedback. Most of the time, it's because you want to help the person asking for feedback. Is it helpful to say, "I don't like this?" Probably not. Is it helpful to say, "This is ugly?" Probably not. Those kind of statements are deflating... Read more →

Hello, friends! Here is a little bit about life around here right now: What are you working on? My sleep habits. source After my son goes to bed, I stay up for hours trying to catch up on things. So, at the moment I'm trying to get ahead of the curve, so to speak. I'm working really hard to be way ahead on all of my work so that I can be a bit more flexible when unexpected things come up in daily life. That way I don't have to stay up so late. Early to bed and early to... Read more →

Design Boot Camp wrapped up last week. It was a great group and, as always, I learned as much from them as they learned from me, I'm sure. I wanted to share one of the demo paintings I did in class. This is a large (19x24) mixed media collage titled, "Cooperation": It came together over two painting sessions in class and I looooove it. If I compare it to the demo paintings I did during last year's Boot Camp, I feel like this piece demonstrates the improvement I've made over the past year. A reminder to myself (and anyone who... Read more →

It's almost the Fourth of July! It's a holiday that basically demands red, white, and blue decorations for a backyard barbecue. As a crafty gal, I love to decorate for the holidays. However, I'm in a season of life in which my DIY decorations need to be quick and easy or they won't get done. I'm sure that as my son gets older, I'll be able to return to more elaborate DIYs, but I'm keeping it simple for this year's 4th of July festivities. As I'm sure you realize, simple can be outstandingly gorgeous. I cut my shapes out of... Read more →

On Friday, I constructed this mixed media collage as a demo for my live online Art Parts class: The more that I stared at it over the weekend, the more that I felt like I wanted to make some changes. So, I did. And here are the two side-by-side: It's possible that you like one more than the other. (Think about why that is and you'll learn something about your personal style!) For me, the one on the right is more subtle, has more clarity, and feels more fully resolved than the one on the left. Three lessons to take... Read more →

I am so grateful to all of the folks who have become Monthly Members. Thank you! I appreciate your patronage and I hope that you enjoy all the benefits of membership. :) There are three levels of membership to choose from and you can switch between levels as you wish. Member Maker Member - all the benefits of the Member level + more! Super Learner Member - all the benefits of the Member level + Maker level + more! Here's a quick round-up of member perks this month: Available Now: The Member Real Time Video, is the full two-hour process... Read more →

For Father's Day, my son and I embarked on a collaboration. He made the paper and I made the card: He draws on newsprint, so in order to preserve the papers, I laminated the card front using a matte lamination pouch. You can see the difference between laminated and un-laminated areas in this detail photo: I also added some dimension with a laminated heart that is folded to pop up a little, machine stitching, and the word, "Daddy," lifted up using foam adhesive. Don't worry. Steve doesn't read my blog, so the surprise won't be ruined. :) This is a... Read more →

On today's podcast Mom and I are chatting about sketchbooks! We share lots of tips for starting your own sketchbook process along with some of the reasons (artistic by mostly personal) that you might be interested in adding a sketchbook to your repertoire. You can either listen to the podcast recording, as normal, or you can watch the video: There are two major categories of sketchbooks in my experience — Workbooks which are used as a place to explore ideas for later works of art. They tend to be filled with scribbles, notes, color swatches, drawings, and aren’t usually meant... Read more →

Join Mom and me today at 2pm EST for a live podcast all about sketchbooks. Set a reminder and/or watch HERE. I'm doing a live online presentation tomorrow at 11:30am PST (2:30pm EST) for Sewing Machines Plus's Virtual Hoop Fest. I'll be demonstrating how ScanNCut and your Brother embroidery machine can work together, as in these examples: I made these samples over the weekend. This is the link to watch. I hope to see you there. I was recently the guest on Wendy Solginak's podcast, "Show Up or Shut Up." I hope you'll give the episode a listen! And finally,... Read more →