Balzer Designs

Adventures in Arting Podcast: Nathalie's Studio

On today's podcast I'm talking to my friend, Nathalie Kalbach about her new art studio and her obsession with architecture and the history of the places she's lived. If you do not see the podcast player above, please click on this link. You can listen to a podcast anywhere and at any time. It is a recording that is available to you whenever you'd like to listen. If you'd like to download it to your iTunes library, click here. You can also pause and rewind or fast forward as you desire. I like to listen to podcasts while I'm making... Read more →

Starting Something New

Do you ever get a bug in your bonnet? A few days ago I decided that I need to draw a huge face. I don't know where the impulse came from or why it came at that moment, but it was an all consuming feeling and so I slapped up a big piece of tar paper and got to work. I love this giant face. It's sitting on my painting wall staring at me right now. I know that I want to paint it, but I can't quite figure out the colors/the style. I'm going to think about it for... Read more →

Re-visiting a Ghost

Back in 2017, I made this monoprint: And there was enough paint on the plate to pull a ghost: I stumbled upon that ghost last week and decided that it needed a little makeover. I feel conflicted. On the one hand, the further along I get in my art-making, the more interested I am in making things that are quirky or odd -- images that force you to take a second look. On the other hand, I also find myself interested in creating simpler and more graphic images. I love some of the detail photos of this re-imagined piece, but... Read more →

Paris Fashion Week: Chloe Fall 2020 Faces

I spy sketchy faces on these beautiful clothes from fashion brand, Chloe: Now you know what I'm going to say: you don't need to go out and spend a million dollars on fancy clothes when you can make your own fabulous clothes with your artwork on them! Over the years, I've painted, printed, and doodled all over store-bought clothes (and aprons)! I currently have several purses sitting around my studio that I bought with the intention of painting them, but never got around to. Looks like it's time to do it! Thanks for stopping by! Read more →

New Online Class: Basic Pleasing Face

I'm super excited about my new online class -- it's the one you've been asking for! Learn how to draw a face, even if you think you can't draw. Seriously. There are NINE videos in this course that walk you step-by-step through the process of drawing a face. I demonstrate eyes, ears, noses, necks, mouths, face shapes, necks, and more! This is not a class where you learn to draw faces like I do. Instead, you learn the basics of how a face is put together and I encourage you to put your own spin on it! There is no... Read more →

Submit Your Video “Audition” to the Create® Crafts Challenge 2020!

My show, Make It Artsy, appears on Create TV across the US. For 15 years, Create® has been the premier lifestyle channel featuring public television’s most popular how-to series, now focused on food, travel, home & garden, arts & crafts, fitness, and lifestyle. Create is one of the nation’s most-watched multicast channels, airing on 239 public TV stations and reaching 44 million viewers annually. On Monday, Create TV announced the launch of the Create Crafts Challenge 2020 -- a national video contest. This year the Create Challenge will focus upon home crafters and professional artisans interested in winning the Grand... Read more →

Hot Pink Purposeful Print

A new Purposeful Print! And here are some details: As you can see from the first photo, I matted the print. I think the wide white border really allows the print to shine. You know, I wasn't sure about this print until I matted it. Once that wide white border was there, it really captured what I love about art: It's graphic and yet full of details. Matting makes a huge difference, in my opinion. For example, I had these prints pinned up to my painting wall: And they look great, but then I matted them: And they looked even... Read more →

**NEW** Balzer Designs Membership

As you know, I've been hosting a members only livestream once/month on YouTube. This project has morphed and grown over the past eleven months (hard to believe it has been almost a year). In the beginning, I planned for it to be a very simple experience: a short art demo followed by my answering a few questions and just sort of chatting. Over time, it has evolved into an intensive live art workshop! This is the mixed media collage art journal demo -- focusing on design decisions -- I did during February's livestream (just one of several demos during that... Read more →

Sun-Printed Shamrock "Galaxy" Fabric

What can you do with these little shamrocks? Well, let me tell you! As I mentioned yesterday, I made a stencil... ...and I was about to throw away all of the cut-out shamrocks when I had an idea: Why not use them to sun print some fabric?! And so I did! To me, the colors I chose and the way I laid out the shamrocks ended up making this piece of fabric take on a quasi-galaxy-like appearance. It isn't until you take a closer look that you really see the shamrocks: I love how some of them are crisp and... Read more →

St. Patrick's Day Cookies

Some people love to watch dog videos. Personally, I'm always up for a food video -- especially cookie and cake decorating! There were two things that intrigued me in some recent videos and I wanted to give them a try: royal icing transfers and tipless piping. I figured St. Patrick's Day was as good an excuse as any to make some cookies and do some experimenting! (Although, do you really need an excuse to make cookies?!) What are royal icing transfers? Royal Icing is the most commonly used sugar cookie icing. A royal icing "transfer" is basically where you create... Read more →