Balzer Designs

Gelatin Printing for Non-Artists

Last week I had the great pleasure of teaching a group of teachers how to gelatin print via Zoom. It was a group bonding experience set up for them by their principal. Unlike when I teach in-person, I can't share photos of what they made because we weren't in the same room. However, I can share what I made as demos during class. To make class manageable for people who don't normally make art, we limited supplies to just 5 basic colors of paint, a 5x7 gelatin plate, paper, scissors, and a brayer. You can watch this video flip through... Read more →

Two Gelatin Printed Zines

On Friday, Jackie Jimerson and I did an instagram live together where we each made a simple zine using stencils and gelatin printing. They ended up being very different, which is one of my favorite things about art making: We can all use the same supplies and techniques and end up with wildly different results! Here is mine: Here is Jackie's: As you can see from the photo, Jackie is offering her zine as a free download! You can go HERE to get it. She even has included instructions on how to fold it. You can see that it becomes... Read more →

100 Days of Gelatin Printing: Days 87-95

Only 5 days left in this 100 day odyssey. Crazy. This is the first 100 Day Project I've done that hasn't felt onerous at some point. I can't decide if it's the topic or the fact that I've been home for 99% of the days of the challenge? I'm not sure. In any case, here are my most recent layered monoprints for my 100 Day Project (These images are embedded from instagram. If you can't see them, click HERE.): FYI: Due to Pass The Brush I'll be delaying posting day 96 on instagram until Saturday, which means you'll get a... Read more →

New Live Online Classes Listed

Hello! I listed some new live online classes, as described below. If you're wondering what a live online class with me is like, here is a nice e-mail I got recently: The Zoom format truly is as close to a live in-person class as you can get without being in person. I suspect that even post-pandemic, I will continue to teach this way. It allows me to stay home with my family and it allows people from all over the globe to take live classes from the comfort of their home (with all of their supplies right at hand). Here... Read more →

Stamped Card

I looooove patterning. I took that same stamp set I carved a few weeks ago... ...and I created a quick pattern on paper using just three of the blocks: Then I used a section of that paper to make this cute little card: I feel like I could use this stamp set every day and still come up with new arrangements. To jog your memory, here are some previous patterns -- on fabric and paper: To learn more about designing stamps that create crazy cool patterns and how to print on fabric, check out my live online class about it... Read more →

AJED: Two New Pages in My Gelli Journal

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 →

100 Days of Gelatin Printing: Days 73-79

I am still using my backyard for print fodder. I'm really enjoying the softer lines of leaves and weeds. Here are my most recent layered monoprints for my 100 Day Project (These images are embedded from instagram. If you can't see them, click HERE.): All monoprints are for sale. Contact me if you're interested. Also, don't miss my live online gelatin printing class on Sunday! Thanks for stopping by! Read more →

100 Days of Gelatin Printing: Days 66-72

I have fallen down a rabbit hole of nature printing and I loooooove it! Here are my most recent layered monoprints for my 100 Day Project (These images are embedded from instagram. If you can't see them, click HERE.): These nature prints are some of my all time favorites. I'm really loving printing with leaves and sticks and flowers and everything that I can pull up out of my backyard. I'm already looking around my neighborhood for different shapes and textures than the ones I can pull out of my own lawn! My live online Gelatin Printing for Beginners class... Read more →

Same Blocks. Different Prints.

Over the weekend I took that stamp set I carved last week... ...and I used it to print a black piece of fabric and some paper. You may recall that this was the initial print I shared last week: Here is my first alternative print -- on black fabric: And my second and third -- on paper: I turned the paper prints into cards: As you can see, it's easy to use the blocks for either fabric or paper. You can learn more about my upcoming live online block printing class HERE. Thanks for stopping by! Read more →

Block Printing on Fabric Class on Zoom

As I mentioned earlier this week, I'm teaching a live online week-long class on Zoom. In class you will learn how to design and carve a coordinating stamp set, like this one: ...and then print it on fabric: You can absolutely use these techniques to print on paper as well. This is a week-long LIVE online class conducted through Zoom over three days: Monday, July 27, 11am - 1pm -- Designing your multi-part image and carving your blocks. Wednesday, July 29, 11am - 1pm -- Continuing to carve, troubleshooting your blocks and test printing. Friday, July 31, 11am -1pm --... Read more →