I'm so excited! Just one more day until #PrintInktober -- the annual daily challenge to get your stamps out of storage and into play -- begins! As a reminder, the challenge is free and open to everyone. If you want a bit of extra direction and some helpful instruction, join me for the #PrintInktober class. It's priced at $45 -- way below most of my other classes. It's a steal! :) Speaking of theft, I stole some tips from the #PrintInktober online classroom to share with you today. These are a few ways that you can plan ahead for the... Read more →

Hello, friends! Here is a little bit about life around here right now: What are you working on? I am leaning into my sketchbook practice at the moment. It's nothing profound, but it feels good to be doing some directed explorations. What are you loving? I look forward to a new episode of Ted Lasso every Friday. The writing is great. The characters are complicated and interesting. The show is full of pathos. If you haven't watched it yet, give it a go. It lives up to all the hype. How is the baby? He's not much of a baby... 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! All members have access to the monthly livestream. So what goes on during the livestream? I'm so glad that you asked!... Read more →

Great news! My nine new stencil designs... ...are now available to purchase! Here are the links to buy: TCW935: Secret Garden: 6x6 and 12x12 TCW936: Messy Writing: 6x6 and 12x12 TCW937: Rows of Lines: 6x6 and 12x12 TCW938: Mystical Doodles: 6x6 and 12x12 TCW939: Scattered Branches: 6x6 and 12x12 TCW940: X-Trail: 6x6 and 12x12 TCW 941: Rainbow Montage: 6x6 and 12x12 TCW942: Tulip Hexagons: 6x6 and 12x12 TCW943: Garden Tile: 6x6 and 12x12 I had a wonky scrap of leftover tar paper, so I rolled it up to create a little book showcasing all nine stencil designs: Because it's soooooo... Read more →

I had a wonderful group of artists in my live online Screen Printing at Home class. Here are two nice notes I got from students after class: "Thanks for an awesome class Julie! You're an excellent teacher. I came away with a much better understanding of the process and some good ideas for the future." "Thanks for demystifying screen printing -- so much simpler than I thought, and no fancy anything required! I can't wait to start playing!" I thought you might like to see some of the demo pieces I created during class. We printed on paper and fabric.... Read more →

I hope that you will join me, once again, for #PrintInktober — the annual printmaking adventure I started in 2018, based on the popular #Inktober drawing challenge. This daily challenge is FREE and open to everyone anywhere in the world. Here are the basics: Create and post one print each day in October. Use the hashtag #printinktober when you post. Any stamp/block can be used – foam, silicone, rubber, hand carved, lino, whatever you want! Any ink can be used – screenprinting ink, marker ink, stamping ink, printing ink, etc. You can use the official inktober prompts, if you’d like.... Read more →

I recently included a Kandinsky quote and painting in my weekly email newsletter (the newsletter goes out every Friday). It sent me down a bit of a Kandinsky rabbit hole. I stumbled onto a German website that I believe is for elementary school teachers. They had a fascinating lesson suggestion that I had to try for myself. STEP ONE - Laminate a design of colored tissue paper and black construction paper pieces. No need to fill the whole lamination pouch. Think about design. I used black tar paper for some of these, but it was too dimensional, so I ended... 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 →

Last night I hosted September's Book Club, all about Kateri Ewing's book, "Watercolor is for Everyone." You can watch the replay below: The supplies I used: Arches Watercolor Paper QoR Watercolors Mijello Palette Sakura CAC Watercolors Rembrandt Special Effects Watercolors Size 8 Paintbrush Here are some of the pieces that I made while working through the exercises in this book: The next Book Club is on October 13 at 2pm EST. We will be discussing Pocket Art Guides: How to Paint Abstracts. Book Club is FREE and open to all, regardless of whether or not you've read the book. Book... Read more →

As you may know, each month I host a live online hour of art demos and answers to questions for monthly members. The demos are 100% based on the questions that members ask. Sometimes the demos are done without a finished product in mind and sometimes I end up creating finished projects, like these: August's livestream boasted two projects that I wanted to share. Here is the art journal spread that I started during the August member livestream: I love how it turned out -- somewhere between abstract and representational. Plus look at all that yummy texture! Hard to believe... Read more →