In a little less than a week, #PrintInktober will begin and I hope that you will join me, once again, for the annual printmaking adventure I started 5 years ago, in 2018, based on the popular #Inktober drawing challenge. This daily challenge is FREE and open to everyone anywhere in the world. Here are the basics: Create and post one print each day in October. Use the hashtag #printinktober when you post. Any stamp/block can be used – foam, silicone, rubber, hand carved, lino, whatever you want! Any ink can be used – screenprinting ink, marker ink, stamping ink, printing... Read more →

The Artful Holiday class is going strong with lots of fabulous projects, techniques, and ideas for you! On Monday, I shared how to print and construct this paper vase: Kim said, "Such an adorable project, at first I didn’t think I’d love it….BUT I DO!!!! The cork one was quite stunning!" On Tuesday, Sarah Matthews shared how to make your own stamp, print your custom patterned paper, and then turn it into this fabulous ornament: Vicki said, "I loved this class and made one with 3/4 in squares! Addicted ❤️" On Wednesday, I shared TWO mash-up projects. Every Wednesday, I... Read more →

The Artful Holiday class is off to a fabulous start! On Monday, I shared how to make these super fun fabric earrings: Sharyn said, "Easy to follow and thorough instructions. I BELIEVE I can do this. I like that I can use my own stuff or paint a new design. Beautiful result! Great start to this series. Thanks." And I was thrilled when Laura posted her version of the earrings in the Balzer Designs Students Facebook Group: And Marybeth posted hers on instagram: As a teacher, there's nothing better than seeing the work you inspire! On Tuesday, Carolyn Dube taught... Read more →

I have been experimenting with a printing technique known as "pochoir." In essentials, it's layered stenciling. In fact, pochoir is the French word for stencil. But pochoir as a technique usually involves multiple layers of stenciling. I have read that artists have used somewhere between 40 and 100 stencils to create a single image. Before digital printing, it was a method for creating a "print" of a work of art. Here are two pochoir prints by Matisse... ...two from Picasso... ...and two from Paul Klee... I did a little bit of research into the process and found some interesting videos.... 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 →

Are you a messy stamper with ink all over your fingers? I am! Today, I'm going to show you how to create a removable magnetic handle for your ink pads so that your fingers stay out of the ink! This is a tip I learned on YouTube from Kathya Kalinine. I had to try it immediately since I'm a super messy inker. Here's the video: All you need is a super strong magnetic coat hook and a sheet or strip of adhesive-backed magnets. A few tips to keep in mind: Rare earth magnets are super duper strong. I personally keep... Read more →

There are many different ways to work in a series. Sometimes it's a single idea. Sometimes it's a technique repeated. Sometimes it's the same supplies or colors used over and over in different ways. Sometimes it's a combination of things. YOU get to create the "rules" around the series you're creating. Last week, I decided to create a series of square collages using the same six papers. My only rules were (1) square, (2) collage, and (3) the same 6 papers. Here are the six gelatin printed papers I started with: Knowing that I like a lot of contrast, I... Read more →

Here is the first of what I assume will be many, many, many mixed media collages made from my gelatin printed striped papers. I put together a short process video: Monthly members have access the the real-time (about 30 minutes) version of this video. As you can see in the video, I used Matte Medium to adhere the papers together and I didn't use a substrate of any kind. This has positives and negatives. On the positive side, you can make your collage any size. It's also really nice and lightweight because it's just copy paper. On the negative side,... Read more →

I am stripe obsessed at the moment! I just spent the weekend gelatin printing oodles of striped collage paper. I counted and there are more than 100 pieces of striped collage paper in that pile! Each one is unique. Some are interesting and some are boring, but they're all striped. Here's a peek at just a few of the papers: My hands hurt and my back hurts but I'm so happy with my delicious collection of papers! My friend Sheeri asked me a very good question when I posted this photo of some of them drying: (This is a similar... Read more →

Last week I posted a short video of me creating a printing plate using Scratch Foam on instagram. You can see that video HERE. I got so many comments and questions about it. I was actually surprised by the level of interest. It's an old product that has been around for a very long time. In fact, I did a post about it in 2013. This is one of the samples I shared where I printed directly into my art journal: You can see that post HERE. I also have a lesson in my "Year of Gelatin Printing" class all... Read more →