I recently finished a series of three 5x7 mixed media collages. (You can grab one in my shop, if you're interested.) You can watch this overview video to see them come together: As I mention in the video, I started them for January's Book Club. This is what they looked like at the time of the Book Club recording: And here they are now: A few tips to take with you: Don't be afraid to cover things up. The layers and the texture are still there -- just in a more subtle way. Learn what things make your artwork "feel... 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 →

During this month's Member Livestream, I taught a section on mixing neutral paint colors to coordinate with your palette. I swished the colors all around on a page in my sketchbook (to show how they looked together) and ended up with this mess: Well, I took a few minutes this week to clean up the mess and turn it into a composition. And I looooove how it turned out: Simple patterns will always be on my love list. If you'd like to learn more about composition, check out the upcoming season of Design Boot Camp. Thanks for stopping by! Read more →

I do a lot of teaching. And I love it! But I know it can get confusing as to what your options are. You can always visit the Event Calendar to get an easy visual of what events are on the horizon. This is a screenshot of what the Event Calendar looks like. You can even directly add events to your own calendar from it! How cool is that?! Here's the scoop for October: PRINT•INKTOBER LIVE You don't have to be a stamp carver to love this class. I'm sharing lots of techniques and ideas that work for rubber, foam,... Read more →

I am so grateful to all of the folks who have become Monthly Members. Thank you! I appreciate your patronage and I hope that you enjoy all the benefits of membership. :) There are three levels of membership to choose from and you can switch between levels as you wish. Member Maker Member - all the benefits of the Member level + more! Super Learner Member - all the benefits of the Member level + Maker level + more! All members have access to the monthly livestream. So what goes on during the livestream? I'm so glad that you asked!... Read more →

As you may know, each month I host a live online hour of art demos and answers to questions for monthly members. The demos are 100% based on the questions that members ask. Sometimes the demos are done without a finished product in mind and sometimes I end up creating finished projects, like these: August's livestream boasted two projects that I wanted to share. Here is the art journal spread that I started during the August member livestream: I love how it turned out -- somewhere between abstract and representational. Plus look at all that yummy texture! Hard to believe... Read more →

I am so grateful to all of the folks who have become Monthly Members. Thank you! I appreciate your patronage and I hope that you enjoy all the benefits of membership. :) There are three levels of membership to choose from and you can switch between levels as you wish. Member Maker Member - all the benefits of the Member level + more! Super Learner Member - all the benefits of the Member level + Maker level + more! Here's a quick round-up of member perks this month: Available Now: The Member Real Time Video, is the full two-hour process... Read more →

I finished up the piece I started during April's Member Livestream by adding a bit of hand stitching. I guess the stitching on my small quilt pieces is "catching." ;) In all seriousness, I think it makes sense that all the different projects I work on influence each other. Why wouldn't they?! You can see that I added both french knots and simple running stitches. I used one of my favorite stencils, Cut Outs... ...and you can see that it looks like a lovely botanical here: I also used my "Croquet" Art Foamie... ...for some subtle visual texture. In fact,... Read more →

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 →

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 →