Today is the last day of the 4-part series on some of my favorite art supplies, divided by discipline: Art Supplies for Painters Art Supplies for Printmakers Art Supplies for Art Journalers Art Supplies for Collage Artists So let's wrap this series up with art supplies for collage artists! There are two main things to talk about with collage: paper and glue. So let's start with paper. The main papers I use are: Deli Paper & Wet Strength Tissue Paper - Both of these papers are thin, translucent when glued, and take a beating. Deli paper is cheap and not... Read more →

As you know, we're in the midst of a 4-part series on some of my favorite art supplies, divided by discipline: Art Supplies for Painters Art Supplies for Printmakers Art Supplies for Art Journalers Art Supplies for Collage Artists Today we've made it to #3: art journaling supplies! I've put together a video with all the details about why I like and use these particular supplies: And here's the list of goodies from the video: Listo China Markers Neocolor I Crayons Neocolor Sharpener Posca Pens SoFlat Acrylic Paint Ranger Heat It Craft Tool Grey Matters Palette Paper Scotch Blue Painter's... Read more →

Hey friends! Today I thought we'd chat a bit about scrap packs and how they can be a help in your art practice. I make scrap packs about 4 times a year -- usually when my collage paper has gotten out of control. But, more than just a way to declutter, scrap packs can significantly boost your creativity. What Are Scrap Packs? Scrap packs are bundles of various collage papers. These papers can be of different types, including book pages, tissue paper, deli paper, and more. The beauty of scrap packs lies in their diversity; they bring together a mix... Read more →

This is an 18x24 monotype collage I titled "Boy Colors." It's part of my ongoing series of work exploring my experience of motherhood. Like many mothers, I am mired in the complicated push and pull between what I feel I ought to do as a mother vs. what I am doing. Glennon Doyle has a great bit about motherhood and martyrdom in her book, Untamed: “Mothers have martyred themselves in their children’s names since the beginning of time. We have lived as if she who disappears the most, loves the most. We have been conditioned to prove our love by... Read more →

I'm very excited about my new live online class, Botanical Monotype Collage, which begins on Friday. It's packed with content and covers sooooooo many art-making techniques. You are probably familiar with the idea of making pretty papers on the gelatin plate and then using them for collage. That is NOT what we are doing. Class one is all about creating the stuff you will use in your artwork -- a mixture of "base layers" and collage papers (and I will be sharing how to tell the difference between the two). You will also learn: The basics of gelatin printing. How... Read more →

One of the brain puzzles I really enjoy is figuring out how to "fix" my artwork and make it better. Recently, I went on a rampage through some piles of old art and worked on making them better. Here's the first one: I flipped it 180º and slightly reframed the matting to include more of the blue circle area. This had the added benefits of (a) getting rid of the bright green in the upper left corner of the original, and (b) revealing the small orange and salmon rectangles seen along the right edge in the "after." Matting often involves... Read more →

Welcome to another Studio Snippet! Today, I'd like to talk to you about something that's central to my art practice and a principle I encourage in all my classes – the importance of practice. And why mistakes are vital to becoming a better artist. The instructions for the exercise I'm doing in the video can be found in the Maker & Super Learner Classrooms. For me, I can't stress enough how crucial it is to practice. You should use your best materials, embrace your precious items, and be prepared to make lots of mistakes. The more mistakes you make, the... Read more →

This week I'm teaching a five-day in-person workshop: Mixed Media Collage Intensive. The workshop is for intermediate to advanced students and the focus of the workshop is on creating a body of work -- a series of 6-10 pieces that you’re proud of and reflect who you are as an artist. Some of the topics we are covering this week are: personal voice when to know if it's done working in a series value contrast composition focal point how to use a sketchbook (studio notebook) for a mixed media collage practice how to analyze and assess your own work how... Read more →

I'm working on some new artwork in the studio this week. It's very much WIP - work in progress. Watch the video for more: As you can see from the video, I'm currently working through the final stages of a couple of mixed media pieces -- doing my best to figure out how to push them to the finished stage. I'm using my knowledge of the Elements and Principles of Art to guide my choices. You can learn more about how to use the Elements and Principles of Art in your artistic practice in Design Boot Camp. Registration is now... Read more →

You may have noticed that I changed the name of this Tuesday series from "Studio Visits" to "Studio Snippets." When I came up with the idea for this video series -- a short peek into what's happening here in my studio -- I didn't really know what it was going to be. Now that we are 21 weeks/21 videos (about 5 months) into it, I have a better sense of what the series is all about. So "Studio Snippets" -- tiny little bits from the studio -- feels like a more accurate title for the series. If you want more... Read more →