Balzer Designs

New Online Class: Indoor Sun Printing

I've got a great new 4-part class for sale!

Watch this quick video about the class:

You get:

• Lifetime access to class.  Once you purchase, you never lose access.
• 4 Instructional Videos.
• Written tips & tricks to take away from each video lesson.
• Complete supply list with links to purchase.
• Private classroom where you can ask questions and share your ideas.

Class is just $25.  Get immediate access to the classroom and all lessons as soon as you purchase the class!  Learn more & sign-up HERE.

I hope to see you in the online classroom!

Thanks for stopping by!

August Livestream Recap!

Today I  thought I'd share a quick recap of the August Livestream for YouTube Channel Members.

As always, I started off the hour-long livestream by answering questions from members.  Question included a number about painting on fabric. I shared my favorite fabric painting products and techniques on this scrap of fabric:

After the livestream, I couldn't help myself from finishing up the painting on this piece of fabric, using all of the techniques and supplies I shared in the livestream:

It's so delicious!  I can't wait to stitch it up into something fun!  PS: I used my Fantastical and Stone Increase stencils in the decoration of this fabric.

After answering questions and doing some fabric demos, I shared how non-quilters can take this quilt...

...and use it for inspiration for paper!  I shared how to make these paper trees and paper "flying geese."

It was a super fun hour packed with art lessons!

If you'd like to become a YouTube Channel Member, it's just $4.99/month.  There's no commitment beyond the month, so for about the price of a cup of Starbucks coffee, you can give it a try and see if it's a good fit for you.  Remember, even though it's a livestream, you can watch it any time you want -- pause it, rewind it, fast forward, etc.

Our September livestream is coming up on Saturday, September 28 at 5:30pm EST.  I hope you'll join us!

Thanks for stopping by!

Tile DIY Fail?

Decorative tile is really expensive.  You probably know this.  For a while during our home renovation I thought very seriously about painting my own decorative tiles.  I even went so far as to make some samples to see if it was a good or a bad idea.

The previous homeowners had left a box of plain white square tiles in the basement.  Score!  I did my online research and discovered that enamel paint was going to be the best bet for painting on top of finished tiles and actually having the paint stick and stay.  And so off I went to the hardware store to buy a few different colors of enamel paint.

I wanted a very hand painted, almost mottled look, so I used several colors on the tiles at the same time:

Then I designed and cut a stencil that would create a larger overall pattern across multiple tiles.  (This is where knowing how to design patterns for stamp designs really helped me.)  Once the first layer of paint had dried, I stenciled the tiles:

I decided that they were too bright and so I experimented with some darker colors...

...but it felt too dark and so I tried to stencil with less contrast...

...but it still didn't feel quite right.

And so, I made the decision to scrap this particular DIY project for now.  In the meantime, I have a fabulous collection of drink coasters!  LOL!

It's good to remember that not every DIY project works out and that's okay.

Thanks for stopping by!

4 New Shibori Shirts

My brother, who doesn't generally like anything crafty, saw a faux shibori t-shirt I made for Make It Artsy a few weeks ago and asked for one of his own.  I was delighted to say, "Of course!"  

He gave me two shirts -- a heavy-weight long-sleeve t-shirt with a stain and a plain white t-shirt.  Not one to miss out on the action, my Mom gave me an old t-shirt with an image of a samurai on it.  And I threw in a t-shirt I had already dyed, but not yet "fixed."

I used RIT dye -- one quarter denim blue and three quarters navy blue -- to dye my shirts.  I followed the instructions on the dye bottles for adding water, salt, and dish liquid.  And I did follow-up the dyeing process with RIT fixative and a good long wash in the washing machine.  As a side note, I threw a Color Catcher into the washing machine, just to make sure I didn't end up with a blue washing machine and I was glad I did because it came out practically purple!

I ran an empty load with another Color Catcher afterwards just to make sure the machine was clean, and I was impressed when it came out as white as it went in!

And now, for the shirts!  The long-sleeve shirt with the stain:

The stain was red and I'm pretty sure it has vanished into the shibori!

The t-shirt:

You can see that I folded this one on the diagonal for a slightly different look.

The t-shirt with the samurai on it:

And finally, the shirt that had been dyed and not fixed:

You can see that the first dyeing ran a bit turning the white "background" blue.  Here it is compared to one of the other shirts:

And some detail photos:

I love how all of these shirts turned out.  I'd like to try a bunch of other shibori techniques and patterns next time around!  That's one of the many things to love about shibori -- there are so many possibilities!

Thanks for stopping by!

A PanPastel Portrait Monoprint

I'm seriously addicted to PanPastels on my gelatin plate. I can't stop (and I don't really want to).  Yesterday I broke out my 8x10 plate and decided to try creating a portrait that I could monoprint.  It actually worked out better than I thought it would (if you can't see the video, click on the title of this post).

Here's a pic of the plate and first print next to each other:

I thought it was an amazingly good pull. 

The only thing that didn't really translate were some of the white highlights -- like the catch light in her eyes, the tip of her nose, some of the lip shading, etc.

I did manage to pull two more prints.  You can see all three together here:

There's definitely some fading in the later pulls, but if you look at the last two pulls together, they still have integrity.

I definitely want to do some more experimenting with this technique. I think white highlights may be like working with watercolor -- you have to leave them space from the beginning.  But, we shall see.

I hope you find some time to play with your art supplies this weekend!  Thanks for stopping by!