Balzer Designs

Around Here: March 2021

Hello, friends! Here is a little bit about life around here right now: What are you working on? I have been trying to do a bit of outdoor sketching once a week. Just a quick scribble or two while on a brief neighborhood walk. Nothing finished or epic, but some gathering of new ideas/imagery. I'm using a black pen and a grey marker in a simple little book I stitched together. What are you loving? The relationship between him & his Grandma: Both sets of my grandparents lived far away and so my whole life I only saw my grandparents... Read more →

Around Here: February 2021

Hello, friends! Here is a little bit about life around here right now: What are you working on? I am working on a tutorial for the paper birds I shared last week (using either a cut file or a PDF for hand cutting). It takes about four times as long to make the tutorial as it does to make the project. So hopefully I will have that finished by next week. What are you loving? Steve shoveled out a tiny snow maze for the baby in our driveway. He loved it and so did I! Of course, it's nothing compared... Read more →

Around Here: January 2021

Hello, friends! Today is my birthday... Opening birthday presents circa 1984. My brother is in the red overalls. ...so it seemed like the perfect time to share a little bit about life around here right now: What are you working on? Me. I feel like 2020 was a year to survive. I'm hoping 2021 can be a year to thrive. Or at least focus on taking care of my own needs. I shared this poem to instagram and facebook last week and it really resonates with me in my current season of life: I also ordered new business cards and... Read more →

Around Here: December 2020

Hello, friends! Here's a little bit about life around here right now: What are you working on? Every single day I record and edit videos for my "Year of Gelatin Printing" online course. It's an absolutely epic course. Each month is packed with tons of videos and tons of content. (19 videos in February alone.) A highlight: I've finally mastered intentional printing with watercolor on the gelatin plate. Instead of blobby marks, I can actually get lines and dashes and even spray-inked stenciled designs to print. I'm so excited about it! (And I'm so excited to share it with my... Read more →

Around Here: October 2020

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 →

Around Here: September 2020

Hello, friends! Here's a little bit about life around here right now: What are you working on? I feel very unmotivated to do Halloween decorating. But, I do love Halloween. So, I'm trying to motivate myself to get it going. I pinned a few images of things I like and want to make, like these: The question is, will I actually do it? Have you/are you decorating for Halloween? What are you loving? The TV Show, Star Trek: Lower Decks. It's a cartoon version of Star Trek, which focuses on the lives of the "lower deck" crewman -- the lowest... Read more →

Around Here: August 2020

Hello, friends! Here's a little bit about life around here right now: What are you working on? Classes. So many classes. I'm doing some private classes over Zoom. I have an upcoming gelatin printing class for teachers at a private school and I'm running a team building exercise for administrators at a university. (Email me if you're interested in a private class or training for you and your friends or your office!) I've also got lots of live online classes coming up -- some ScanNCut and some others, including a 5-week Design Boot Camp. There's a free webinar where you... Read more →

Around Here: July 2020

Hello, friends! Here's a little bit about life around here right now: What are you working on? Drawing hundreds of little lines in my art journal. Also, online classes. So many online classes. This week I'm teaching Block Printing on Fabric... ...but I've also got lots of other live online classes coming up: ScanNCut DX: Super Basic Beginner CanvasWorkspace on your iPad ScanNCut DX: Working with HTV (Heat Transfer Vinyl) Pamphlet Stitch Art Journal ScanNCut DX: Rhinestones, Baby! Gelatin Printing from Your Backyard Plus I'm working on some work-at-your-own-pace online classes which include: An epic stencil design class for ScanNCut... Read more →

Around Here: June 2020

Hello, friends! Here's a little bit about life around here right now: What are you working on? I am deep deep deep into projects for Make It Artsy. As you can imagine, because of the pandemic, very few guests are coming to the shoot at the end of July, so I have a bit more work to do than usual. I am planning projects involving stenciling, bookbinding, jewelry making, sewing, painting, and more! This is a fun segment from last season of the show, where I demonstrate my faux shibori technique: What are you loving? The deli paper I use... Read more →

Around Here: May 2020

Hello, friends! I have to confess that I've been trapped somewhere between burnout and depression lately. But I'm rallying. So let's focus on the positive! source Here's a little bit about life around here right now: What are you wearing? FYI: DO NOT CLICK ON THE LINK IN THE WORD T-SHIRTS. I DID NOT PUT IT IN THIS BLOG POST AND I CAN'T SEEM TO GET RID OF IT. Pajama bottom like they're pants, ice-dyed t-shirts, and lots of handmade masks: What have you bought? So. Many. Baby. Things. Our most recent purchase: a bag full of silicone balls and... Read more →