Hey friends! I'm changing up the format of these monthly "around here" posts. I hope you enjoy it! What's happening at home? You know what they say, self care every day keeps the doctor away! Funnily enough, the blackhead masks were my little guy's idea. He picked up the tube and asked what it was and then wanted to try it. After he and I had applied our masks, he naturally wanted to share with Daddy too. So now we all have great looking noses! What's on your desk right now? I don't keep a neat desk, that's for sure.... Read more →

I've been taking some time to focus on making new and interesting artwork. I have at least a dozen new pieces of big artwork that I haven't shared yet. And a lot of that new artwork has stemmed from working into old artwork that no longer serves me. In 2016, I taught several classes in Australia. One of them was called, "Go Big or Go Home." I sold one of my demo paintings and the other one I ripped off the frame and rolled up in my suitcase. It remained rolled up for the last six years. But earlier this... Read more →

One of my Design Boot Camp students recently asked me how I know so much about such a wide variety of artists? Well, it's no secret that I have a passion for art and art history. I love visiting museums and galleries, reading books, taking classes, and learning about art movements and famous artists - both historically important and contemporary. I thought I'd begin a new occasional series for the blog where I share some of the things that I've learned with you about artists whom I admire. Today, I thought we could take look at the work of contemporary... Read more →

You guys! This weekend I printed this awesome piece of fabric and it's all thanks to my visit to the nail salon! Last week I was sitting in the nail salon when I suddenly realized that the foam things they put between your toes were super cool shapes! In this video tutorial I show you how I turned my pedicure into a fantastic foam stamp as well as how to use the stamp to print on fabric. I even take you through how to use an ironing board to set up a print studio for printing on a long piece... Read more →

Yesterday we had a super fun chat about Sherrill Kahn's 2013 book, "Mixed-Media Master Class." If you didn't catch the livestream, you can watch the replay below: I spent the better part of last week making technique samples on fabric and paper, following the instructions in the book. You can see a few of them (and if you watched the video, you know that there are sooooo many more): Finally, a few things that I noted in our Book Club chat that I think are key takeaways: This is the kind of book I love. No real projects to do,... Read more →

Yesterday I shared the dyed Easter eggs I made this year. After dyeing a dozen (or more) eggs, there's always extra dye left over. So, what to do with it? How about making beautiful translucent collage papers? Dip Dyeing is fun and easy. (There is a very formal Japanese dip dyeing process called Orizomegami. This is a very simplified version of that process.) Watch the video for the step-by-step instructions: Take a look at some of the papers I shared in the video: I used Japanese rice paper, but you could use any thin and absorbent paper. I hope you'll... 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 →

On Friday, when I dropped my artwork off at the Cambridge Art Association for the "Love that Dirty Water" exhibit, I popped into the Kathryn Schultz Gallery to see the 2022 Members Prize Show. I took just a few photos, but I have to say it was soooooo nice to see art in real life. I miss it a lot. Take a peek: This abstract was my favorite from the whole exhibit. I looked up the artist and didn't love the rest of her art, which was interesting. I can see where this piece came from, but I didn't see... Read more →

Hello, friends! Here is a little bit about life around here right now: What are you working on? Design Boot Camp Level 2 started this week and, as a result, I am in my sketchbook every single day. The thing about teaching that always amazes me is how much I learn when I teach. The artwork in my sketchbook is by Richard Diebenkorn. I dream of seeing work from his Berkeley Series in person some day. In the meantime, I have the coffee table book to pore over. What are you loving? We have been hyper COVID careful, but we... Read more →