I stumbled across a pair of excellent videos from artist, Alice Mumford... ...and I had to share them with you. In the videos she asks the question: Are you a dabber or a slabber? I won't be as eloquent as she is in the videos, but the quick and dirty version is: A dabber builds up a painting over time in small bits and pieces with consistent attention. A slabber creates artwork with large shapes, often in a short and intense period of time. And, of course, many of us are both dabbers and slabbers. Alice shares a host of... Read more →

This is a video I recorded back in November 2021, but never edited and shared. However I had a pocket of free time this weekend and so I finally crossed it off of my to-do list! I wanted to take the time to not only show you what I bought, but also to share WHY I bought it. A big part of my teaching philosophy is that understanding "why" empowers you to create the art that you've always wanted to. Instead of copying or relying on others, you gain the knowledge that allows you to pursue your artwork without the... Read more →

'Tis the season for decorated Easter eggs! Yay! ScanNCut Club Members have access to the video tutorial showing step-by-step how to make these eggs. Take a closer look: I love how they turned out! Over the years I've made many different kinds of artsy Easter Eggs - some with real eggs and some with plastic eggs. If you're looking for other Easter egg decorating ideas, check out these posts from the archives: Easter Eggs: Doodled & Painted Art Journal Easter Eggs Easy Dotted Easter Eggs Pysanky Inspired Easter Egg Place Cards Deli Paper Easter Eggs Paper Window Eggs for Easter... Read more →

I recently saw Carla Sonheim drawing her Zoom meetings. What a stroke of genius! I don't know about you, but I definitely think better and listen better when I'm drawing. I was enchanted by Carla's idea of creating a drawing (and a record) instead of the random doodling I often do. I had a Zoom meeting yesterday and so I gave it a go. As you can probably tell, these are not actual likenesses of anyone who was at the meeting. But, they were super fun to draw and a great way for me to practice my observation skills while... Read more →

My toddler joins me in the studio most days. We spend time in the studio doing lots of non-art related things: hiding, moving trash cans, building a fort, and so on. We also do a lot of drawing, cutting (he loves scissors), sewing (the sewing machine is endlessly fascinating), moving fabric all around on the design wall, and gelatin printing. But his number one favorite activity is using the spray bottle. I've experimented with a variety of spray activities, but the one we keep coming back to is spraying bleeding tissue paper. Don't worry. I'm one step away from him... Read more →

Believe it or not, it turns out that I make more things than I can share here on the blog! It's crazy, but true. I make A LOT of stuff. And I've got the messy desk to prove it! So here are a few things I've made recently and haven't had time to share with you! I made this mug for my Mom! I used some food-safe markers I had sitting around from a project I did back in 2015. They're food-safe, dishwasher-safe, and microwave-safe. I don't think they're made anymore, but the Pebeo ones have been around for years... Read more →

Sometimes it's the simple things in life that make a big difference. My washi tape storage method is one of those simple happy things. Watch this short video all about it: Like I said in the video, this is a system I've been using for years and it works really well. I hope you'll give it a try! If you're looking for some washi tape inspiration, check out these blog posts from the archives: Make Your Own Washi Tape - first shared in 2010 and re-blogged in 2015. And now again in 2022. (Probably time to write an updated tutorial,... Read more →

Is it too late to share some Christmas-ish photos?! I hope not, because I'm going to do it anyway. Is this like wearing white after Labor Day? No longer taboo? First up, this is the gingerbread house that my Mom, my son, and I made: Making projects with him I am always yelling at myself in my head: DON'T TRY TO CONTROL THE PROCESS. LET IT BE WHAT IT IS. Most of the time, I manage to roll with whatever he wants to do. And in the end, it's always lots of fun and nothing that I expected. And now... Read more →

Did anyone else set art goals for 2022? I did. And I followed the SMARTER method. Have you heard of it? Follow the SMARTER method and you will achieve your goals because they will be well thought out, appropriate for your life, as well as actionable. If one of your goals is to up your art game, I hope you'll check out Design Boot Camp. There are just a few spots left and I'd love for you to join us on the journey! Click HERE for more information. You can watch this short video where I explain how the SMARTER... Read more →

Hello everybody! I'm taking this week off. But I wanted to leave you with something to think about this week! Here are five posts from the archives that I think are worth re-visiting for a variety of reasons. Twenty Questions: September 2009 Go ahead and check out what I was thinking and what I was making eleven years ago. Reading the text, I'm still the same person with the same likes and dislikes, but looking at the photos...time and thoughtful practice make a big difference! (And it's worth clicking through to read the post I wrote about teaching the next... Read more →