Balzer Designs

Don't Miss Friday's FREE Webinar!

My friend Nathalie Kalbach hosts monthly FREE webinars on a variety of art-related topics. I will be part of the panel this Friday, April 30th, at 12PM EST. Here's the official description: Join artists Nat Kalbach, Julie Fei-Fan Balzer, Iris Fritschi-Cussens, and Jimmy Leslie as they discuss the ups and downs, ins and outs, and the good, bad, and ugly of using social media as artists. We'll talk about balancing privacy and sharing, potential benefits and downsides, and how participating can change your practice. Metrics, negative comments, and thoughts on how to get started will also be touched on. Let's... Read more →

Why the Structure of Artwork Matters

This is a photo of the dining room of my house when we bought it: Looks great! Beautiful woodwork and I don't even mind the wallpaper. But six months later, this is what that same room looked like: Not because we wanted to move walls or change the layout. We had to take everything down to the studs because the structure of the house was no good. From plumbing to electrical to insulation to the foundation to the roof...the structure of this house needed to be repaired. It's easy to understand that structure matters in a house, right? No matter... Read more →

Art Parts Explained

"Art Parts" are the mise en place of art making. Having a stash of art parts makes the act of making finished art quick and easy. But art parts aren't simply painted pieces of paper. They're immediately usable "parts" that can be adhered in place. Watch the video for more: If you're interested in my Art Parts class this weekend, you can read all about it and sign up HERE. There are 3 spots left in class. Regardless of whether or not you sign up for class, I hope you'll consider building up your Art Parts stash. Piles of pretty... Read more →

Artsy Easter Egg Inspiration

First, I want to thank all of you who took the time to comment and leave such kind and loving words on my Friday post. I'm delighted to know that you're still out there enjoying the blog. Thank you! Over the years I've made many different kinds of artsy Easter Eggs - some with real eggs and some with plastic eggs. Today I thought I'd share a few, with links to the original posts about them: Easter Eggs: Doodled & Painted Art Journal Easter Eggs Easy Dotted Easter Eggs Pysanky Inspired Easter Egg Place Cards Deli Paper Easter Eggs Paper... Read more →

New Blog Schedule

Hello! I've been blogging Monday-Friday for almost a decade now. As I'm sure you realize, it takes an enormous amount of time and energy to generate all the fresh content for this blog. But I've noticed a lack of comments, actions, and interactions lately. I'm not sure why? Perhaps social media is more of a draw these days? Perhaps I've gone stale? Whatever the reason, I've decided to stop posting on Fridays for a while and see how it goes. I will still be posting tons of great FREE content Monday-Thursday. "Art Journal Every Day" posts, which have traditionally been... Read more →

Design Boot Camp is Back!

I'm so delighted to share that I will be offering Design Boot Camp again this Spring: May 10, 2021 - June 7, 2021. This class is not for the faint of heart. This is a serious five-week art workshop that will challenge, inspire, encourage, and educate you! Do you have trouble articulating what it is that's wrong or "off" with a piece you don't like? Do you struggle with decision making while you're making art? Do you have trouble figuring out if a piece of artwork is done? Are you searching for the words and the language to be able... Read more →

100 Day Project Ideas

The 100 Day Project begins on Sunday (January 31). Are you planning to join in? Have you picked your topic yet? Here are some ideas of subjects that might be fun to tackle for 100 days: Here are some tips from my own experience: Choose a wide enough subject to give yourself creative space. Choose a narrow enough subject to give yourself focus. Choose something you either love or want to improve at. It's best if it can be both! Choose something that will take you less than 30 minutes a day to do, photograph, and post about. You don't... Read more →

From the Archives: I Fail More Often Than I Succeed

I wrote this post back in August of 2011. Almost a decade ago. But it's still as true today as it was then. ----- I was shocked by the number of commenters on this post who expressed surprise at my project being rejected for publication. First of all, thank you! Your kind words always make me feel so much better. And second, I get rejected all the time. I just don't blog about it. Rejection is just a part of the game. It comes with the territory. So let's have a little chat about it. Being Rejected for Publication No... Read more →

Merry Christmas!

Wishing you and your family a healthy and happy day! There will be a weekly newsletter going out later today FYI. Talk to you on Monday! Byeeeee! Read more →

Overwhelmed By Art Supplies?

A client recently told me that she was overwhelmed by her art supplies and feeling paralyzed whenever she entered her creative space. I'll share the advice I gave her with you: And in case you're one of those people who never watches the video, here are the basics: Purge (in stages if necessary) Create "Supply Cards" Explore & Learn Remember, you are the boss of your art supplies and creating should be fun. Get rid of the things that make you feel bad or overwhelmed. Thanks for stopping by! --- P.S. THIS is the book I shared in the video. Read more →