Balzer Designs

Pretty Papers

On Tuesday night, I hosted the monthly livestream for Balzer Designs YouTube Channel Members.  We discussed a wide range of topics from quilt binding to time management. I also did a bunch of art demos and thought I'd share the pretty papers that came out of those demos - showing how different mediums react under the same circumstances.  Check them out:

For all of these art experiments, I used plain old copy paper.  I think we often get caught up in thinking that we should use or buy "art papers" but copy paper works great for lots of stuff (and collages well, too!) and it's something you almost always have on hand! 

This is the piece of deli paper I used to clean my brayer and stamps:

I will definitely be filing these papers away for use in future artwork!  One of my favorite things about collage is mixing and matching papers that don't look like much on their own and yet they come together to be so much more!

If you'd like to join our monthly livestreams, you can sign up here for $4.99/month.  I receive $3.49 of that payment and YouTube takes the rest.  If you enjoy the blog content you read every day and would like to support me, this is a wonderful way to do that AND learn something new along the way!

Thanks for stopping by!

More Composed Prints!

Lately I'm obsessed with monoprinting!  I've been creating lots and lots of Composed Prints.

I created this one right after I made all those paper stencils:

Understandably, it is therefore packed with stenciling!  I'm a more-is-more kind of girl, so I like this kind of vibrating pulsating image packed with color and shape.

For my next attempt, I decided to break my own rules.  Originally, I had decided that these pieces had to be 100% just monoprinting.  But I decided to scribble all over this one:

I haven't decided whether I like the scribbling or not.  Going to have to think about it.

And finally, I decided to try some restraint.  Unusual for me.

I think I love this one the most.  I might try a bit more restraint in the future!

If you'd like to learn about creating these Composed Prints, check out my upcoming in-person class on the subject.

Thanks for stopping by!

Print Day in May is Tomorrow!

Have you heard of Print Day in May? 

For over ten years  Robynn Smith and the MPC Printmakers have devoted the first Saturday in May to fine art printmaking. What began locally in the greater Monterey Bay Area of California in 2007, has become a worldwide event. In 2018, artists from all 50 US states, 46 different countries and all 7 continents participated! 

Participation is easy. Just make a print on May 4, 2019!

I'm excited to participate tomorrow and I hope that you will too!

Some ways to participate:

Get out that gelatin plate!

Have you tried Nature Printing -- i.e. using leaves and flowers and other natural elements to create prints?

Carve a stamp!

Or just print a stamp!

How about some at-home letterpress action?

tutorial is HERE

Or how about screenprinting?

Printmaking encompasses so many fun techniques.  I hope you'll find some time to participate in Print Day in May tomorrow!

Follow what other people are posting at #printdayinmay.

Thanks for stopping by!

I Can't Stop Printing...

You guys!  I am having so much fun creating these composed prints.  I really can't stop.  Here are three new prints to share with you:

It's not a quick process.  Each print takes time.  There is some planning, but also some accepting of what happens -- embrace it and keep rolling.  I think I'm addicted to these prints because they're all about problem solving and, at its heart, that's the reason I make things.  I love solving problems.  To me, the really fun art making *is* problem solving.  For example:

• You make something.
• It's too heavy on the left.
• That's a problem to be solved.

This process of printing involves small problems over and over and I loooove it!

Hope you have a great weekend.  I will be on HSN for the 24-hours between midnight on Sunday and midnight on Monday. 

I'll be demonstrating a sewing machine and serger, the ScanNCut DX, and the PTouch Embellish.  I hope you'll tune in and check it out.  It's sure to be an exhausting but adrenaline filled 24-hours!!

Gelli Printing with Purpose

It's no secret that I love my gelatin plate.  Looooooove it.  My art life really hasn't been the same since it came into my life.  Lately I've been experimenting with how to create fully composed works of art on the plate.  No collage.  Just layers and layers of printing.  The good news is that I feel like I've finally mastered the technique.  Here are two prints that I made and L-O-V-E! 

I call this one "City Moon":

I call this one "Mountains":





I used my Balzer Designs Dash Triangle...

...and Plaid Fringe stencils.

I really love the way these two turned out. The printing process was lots of fun and I plan to keep working on this type of layered monoprint.

Thanks for stopping by!