The ScanNCut is a mega scrap busting machine! Because of the built-in scanner, I'm able to save and use all of my little scraps of paper, fabric, vinyl, and other materials. One of the techniques that I go back to time after time is "the baseball field method." What's that you ask? Well, I'd be delighted to tell you! The baseball field method is a simple technique that allows you to maximize your time and effort. In essentials, I take different colors/patterns of the same material and place them onto my cutting mat spread apart -- like bases on a... Read more →

I am stripe obsessed at the moment! I just spent the weekend gelatin printing oodles of striped collage paper. I counted and there are more than 100 pieces of striped collage paper in that pile! Each one is unique. Some are interesting and some are boring, but they're all striped. Here's a peek at just a few of the papers: My hands hurt and my back hurts but I'm so happy with my delicious collection of papers! My friend Sheeri asked me a very good question when I posted this photo of some of them drying: (This is a similar... Read more →

Yesterday's Book Club was lots of fun. We discussed Creative Strength Training by Jane Dunnewold. I learned a lot from this book and I still have more work to do. Let's get started: Have you read Creative Strength Training? What did you think? Here's a peek at some of the things I made in response to the exercises from the book: I thought I'd share a bit about the discussion we had at the end of Book Club. I wanted to ask people's opinions about choosing an older (published in 2006) and less available book for Book Club. It is... Read more →

During February, I participated in "Weave Through Winter," a project led by Helen Hiebert. The challenge was to create a paper weaving every single day in February. Here are my previous posts about this challenge: Days 1-6 Days 7-14 Days 15-25 For the final 3 days, I wanted to think about how I might integrate weaving into my regular artistic practice. I figured it would be a good fit with bookbinding, which I do a lot of, so I made a few books with woven elements. Take a peek: This is a woven concertina. It's nice in the photo, but... Read more →

Last week I posted a short video of me creating a printing plate using Scratch Foam on instagram. You can see that video HERE. I got so many comments and questions about it. I was actually surprised by the level of interest. It's an old product that has been around for a very long time. In fact, I did a post about it in 2013. This is one of the samples I shared where I printed directly into my art journal: You can see that post HERE. I also have a lesson in my "Year of Gelatin Printing" class all... Read more →

Here's a look at the large (19x24) demo piece I made during Design Boot Camp this year: And here's a look at its progress over several sessions in class: And the final version displayed along with some of my previous work: As you can see, all of my work kind of "goes together" no matter the format, content, or techniques used. This is what I think many people mean when they refer to "style." A big part of Design Boot Camp is helping each participant drill down to some essentials of what his or her style is. If you're interested... Read more →

Another wonderful Design Boot Camp has wrapped up! During Design Boot Camp I always spend a lot of time in my Studio Notebook -- aka my sketchbook. It's a place to think out loud, experiment, make mistakes, and learn. I rarely share the pages from my studio notebooks for a bunch of different reasons -- the biggest is that they're usually pretty ugly. My sketchbook is full of thoughts and ideas, but not finished work. Nevertheless, I thought I'd share a little behind-the-scenes peek into some of the work I created during this round of Design Boot Camp: As you... Read more →

Back in 2015 I discovered a new-to-me art supply: Sakura Solid Markers. I wrote this post all about them: People often ask me where my inspiration comes from. It's a great question with about a million answers. One of those answers is: new supplies. (Can I get an Amen?) There's nothing quite like a new tool or a new colorant to get the mojo cracking! When I was teaching in Connecticut a student shared a new-to-me supply: Sakura Solid Markers. I put together a quick video to share what I know about them so far: I think they're perfect for... 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 →