Author: nathalie-kalbach | Page 253

Workshops at J.P. Morgan in Luxembourg

Last weekend I had the pleasure to teach 3 workshops at J.P. Morgan in Luxembourg. I was invited by the Social Committee and it was so much fun. It was an amazing crowd of people- very international and with lot’s of languages involved. I was sticking to my two- English and German…my attempt to learn Luxembourgish was poor ;)

We had a really great room…the canteen- which was PERFECT for a workshop – lot’s of light, lot’s of tables, lot’s space, lot’s of yummie snacks ;)

The first class was my Yawp PanPastel Class on Saturday afternoon and we dabbled into a lot of techniques and the students loved playing with the different yummie colors and techniques.

Heating guns were used in wild west style to get the techniques rolling ;)

Sunday morning I taught the Über*Media Acrylic Paint Class first. We covered lots of techniques and made a big pile of background pages for art journals. Not many pictures here- obviously I forgot to take pictures

Next up was the Season /Texture Canvas Class. It was awesome. Most of the students never worked with Acrylic Paints..some even stated to never have held a paint brush in their hand (hard to believe- I know) and they had so much creative fun!

Everyone was very open to try out things, but the best was…they had no finished picture in their head when they started, which made them more open to try new things – I loved that.

So we had a little Monet inspiration going on here

and some Pearl Jam inspired texture galore here

and some rainbow light fun here

and awesome texture flower bouquet inspiration here

some real awesome flower application/transformation here

beautiful text textured flowers here

and a whimsical flower spin here

Here is a group shot with the happy ladies- some had to leave earlier- so there is a lot missing on the photo

Thank you so much everyone who took the classes- it was a wonderful weekend with you and you inspired me a lot too :)

Thank you also to the J.P. Morgan Social Committee for inviting me and to Lydia for inviting me to her home and taking more than good care of me ! You are fab!

I will show you some of my sightseeing pictures in Luxembourg next…what a beautiful little country!

BTW – if you are interested in having me come and teach at your event, store or for a certain private or company group – please feel free to contact me !

You can also check out my In -Person Workshops here and see if I am close soon to where you live or check out my Online Workshops here to take classes whenever you want.

Have a gorgeous day

hugs

Nat

Workshops in Sweden – Stockholm August 31-September 1, 2013 (nathaliesstudio.com)

Nat

Comments (6)

Kathy Gledsdale

March 20, 2013 at 12:52 pm | #

Amazing work!

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Jean Marmo

March 20, 2013 at 12:31 pm | #

What a lucky group they are to have you teach!

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cal8007

March 19, 2013 at 5:33 pm | #

So much fun, and so many techniques!! I wish you could come to Texas!

Hugs,

Carmen L

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Kathy Gledsdale

March 19, 2013 at 4:52 pm | #

What wonderful results! Are you coming to the UK at all? The South East of England would be just amazing!!!!!!!

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Sue Clarke

March 19, 2013 at 4:27 pm | #

How funny that at most crops that I go to someone usually uses a heat gun or an ATG to “be a cowgirl”. Great techniques and colors. That space looks wonderful…big and bright.

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basementgal

March 19, 2013 at 3:56 pm | #

Wonderful pictures Nathalie. I had a brilliant time and absolutely loved it. Thank you for all of your inspiration.

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n*Studio Organization Part I

artist studio Letterpress Letterpress printing organisation

As hinted before I am going to write a bit about my progress in re-organizing my studio.

It is kind of weird: I studied law and I always worked very structured and clean at the law office. I was known for going through unorganized areas of offices and telling bosses, colleagues and trainees that there should be never never ever a pile of files with unclear content or without to-do-steps. Very german-like telling them they could die in a car accident and I would not know what the heck is going on (believe it or not they still liked me- LOL – or at least that is what I think- hehehehe)

Anyway- my studio…total different thing. My studio is a MESS. Not in dirty mess…in “I can’t find the right place mess!”. My friend Julie tried to reorganize me eh the studio a bit going in her organization way when she visited me a while ago- but the thing was…it didn’t really work for me. It worked better and it was a good start but it wasn’t MY perfect organization. Time to tackle this again…because let’s face it…it is my work space an average about 10 hours a day- so…

Let me tell you how I found the perfect storage first…

When I went to the flea-market a couple of weeks, I found these letterpress blocks which I in itself eyed closely and bought ~~a couple~~ lots of. They were beautifully placed in this array of drawers. I somehow had this urge to ask the nice seller “so…those drawers, what are you doing with those?” To which he replied, that they actually belonged to a cabinet, he didn’t bring to the flea-market but plans to sell too once he sold all the letterpress blocks.

I asked what he wanted for it…and he named a prize that was really low. In fact the price made me think that the cabinet probably looked pretty bad. Despite the fact the price was low, I decided against further inquires, because even the low price was still something I had to chew on about. Imagine me for a whole week thinking to myself how stupid I am, what an opportunity I missed out on and dreaming and researching about letterpress cabinets. My husband the usual very mindful person actually gave me the push “You should buy it- let’s go to the flea market next saturday and see if he is there and try to get it”. And so it was.

I was a lucky ducky…that is all I can say- the cabinet belonged to an old tool school teacher who loved this cabinet from the 20s/30s and took good care of it. He taught kids how to print letterpress posters and when he retired had to move to an elderly home he had to sell everything. Knowing this background story makes this even more treasurable (is that a word?) for me and I wish he could know that his beloved cabinet got a home where someone equally loves and treasures this cabinet. I also was super lucky that the cabinet fit perfectly into the ONLY possible spot in my room- between a pole and a wall and with still being able to open the drawers which are quite deep without ruining a doorway (also known as “entering the American Zone” or my husband’s studio)

Let’s finally get to the organization part…I probably lost half of you already…but ok…you know I can’t contain my excitement for this. I wish those cabinets would be still built – yes! Because they are AWEsome- this cabinet is mall and look at all those drawers and they are thin and deep. Perfect for storing stamps:

Perfect with all those tiny containers which were for the metal book setting letters. I filled several drawers with found objects and embellishments. Being able to finally see them…it is like an inspiration drawer…open…spark…take…create!

Tapes …they lived in a box- some of them untangling, making it hard to control them (I might have control issues- LOL)

Oh wait…there was chipboard and canvas elements…

Letterpress, stamp- and lino-carving tools

I do not use a lot of ribbon, but what I knew I would use some time was dangling from a hanger…hated it (I know it is a strong word- but yes…true)

some of my Prima-Educator stuff…not perfect- but better when I had it before in boxes – I am still thinking about this.

the die cut tools – perfect… I was surprised to find some of them- ahem ;)

And as to not leave you with the false thought of a perfectly looking and wonderfully organized super duper power artist studio…here is the rest of my studio. Pretty much looks worse when before- hahahaha – because I started to pull stuff there out of the drawers and had to put it somewhere in between. It is now about organizing the paints and tools I use all the time. I will keep you updated in another post…hopefully soon ;)

BTW – I left the labels of the letterpress on the cabinet because I somehow think it adds to the charm of it…but maybe it might be better to label it with what is in there- LOL.

What do you think I should do – leave the labeling as is?

Have a gorgeous day

Nat

Comments (63)

Susan

July 13, 2016 at 2:51 pm | #

That is a fabulous find. (The letterpress cabinet) I would very artistically label the drawers with the contents. But keep the original labels.

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Viki B

October 20, 2015 at 5:56 pm | #

Your studio is awesome! I love that cabinet!!! I wish I could find one for a reasonable price but around here. They are so expensive. I have been looking for one for years.

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Sally C.

January 18, 2015 at 7:07 am | #

Leave the labels or take them away? I would definitely leave them in place — they are nostalgic and probably tell their own story. But, knowing me — always wanting everything identified — I would make my own small, but accurate, labels with my good old Dymo, and place them down the LHS of the cabinet.drawers. I LOVE the cabinet and would be so thrilled to find something similar. Well done.
Gruss! Sally in France

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Nancy

June 10, 2014 at 1:27 pm | #

Great cabinet. I do not know if it has a copy write or not but you should have them made and sell them. Everyone wants one, including me.

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Denise

September 21, 2013 at 4:23 pm | #

Oh what a great find! That was such a blessing. A friend has some metal cabinets wit draws like those. Jealous! I love your said io, so bright and cheerful. My favorite thing though is your blog photo – you full of joy and laughter in front of a painting. Never saw a more perfect representation!

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Colleen Dequaine

July 14, 2013 at 5:37 pm | #

Beyond awesome!! And, leave labeling as is. What a find, I am jealous!

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Shannon

July 7, 2013 at 8:22 pm | #

suggestion for paint storage. I thought this was pretty spiffy. http://tracywburgos.typepad.com/.a/6a00d8341cd89c53ef0192aaef3c39970d-500wi

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Lisa

March 26, 2013 at 7:37 am | #

what a score, that cabinet was made for you !

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Cindi

March 19, 2013 at 4:47 pm | #

I’m raising my hand! I would love a cabinet like that! What an amazing find, the contents and the cabinet! WooHoo! You are a lucky ducky! And it fits so perfectly! I would also be torn as whether to keep the old labels??? I like the suggestion to keep them and use them as ephemera, or do a page about the chest and include them there. On the other hand, soon you probably won’t need labels, at least for the most used drawers, so you could leave the old labels …. Tough decision! Let us know what you decide, and keep sending organization pics. I can use all the help I can get!

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nydiart

March 19, 2013 at 2:33 pm | #

Keep the labels! There is history there! maybe make a chart on the side with what is in your drawers.. A mini drawing of the cabinet with the drawers written on and labeled! That is a great find! Congratulations! i love your studio! Mine is a HOT mess! Sooo…I am looking forward to your future entries!

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Pam Fairchild

March 19, 2013 at 2:19 pm | #

This is wonderful. U have cabinet envy. You were lucky that he still had it. Obviously it belonged with you and your appreciation for it would make the gentleman very happy. I’m sentimental so I’d keep the old tags.

Reply
- Pam Fairchild
  
  March 19, 2013 at 2:21 pm | #
  
  I meant I have cabinet envy. LOL
  
  Reply
basementgal

March 19, 2013 at 11:05 am | #

I am so envious you can not imagine. It’s like a whole studio worth of stuff in one place (well not really a whole studio). It’s cleaned up really well. I’m now on the look out for one of my own but I doubt I’ll ever find one at the right price.

Reply

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Whatevers #9 or Having a Ball

assemblage storytelling vintage photos Whatevers

Are you ready for the 9th Whatevers? If you missed what the Whatevers is all about…check it out here.

Click here to see what Cat made out of this photo and which story she tells

Click here to see what Vicki made out of this photo and which story she tells

Here is my take on it

Having a Ball

Nobody ever knew what Margriete was doing behind her closed studio door. All she would ever reveal was that she was having a ball.

Her Name: Margariete – sister of Marco

I wanted to play with something totally different – and I had sooo much fun – I can’t even tell you :) Putting this old Sachertorte box to a whole new thing together was just cool. I am not so much about assemblage usually and I am having a hard time working in with boxes…but this was different. There is so much I used- but probably is only making sense to me …and Margariete ;) Paperclay, wire, tissue paper, scraps of technique papers, spray paints, found objects, …

the canvas on the wall is a miniature of my “Free Your Creativity Canvas” and I made the lightbulbs on the left with resin and Amazing Mold Putty. I posted a tutorial on how to work with it a couple days ago.

Here is the original of the canvas which I taught many times in Australia, the U.S., Canada and many other countries- still one of my faves :)

I love playing with our whatevers- it is such a great way to just let the phantasy carry your creativity :)

And here is the photo of this month’s Whatever for you:

Here is how it works if you want to play along:

Vicki, Cat and I have made a one-year commitment to each other and picked twelve photos with Whatevers whom we will give a story.
Every month – if possible always on the 15th – each of us will do a post with an individual story that goes along for us with the same photo.
If you want you can play along and we will have the photo for you – just right click on it to safe it to download and show us your version of The Whatevers.
There is no rules to the story itself- it can be funny, sad, uplifting, breathtaking- WHATEVER
There is no rules on the length or the form of the story– it can be a short sentence, an essay, a poem or a soap opera – WHATEVER
There is no rules on the artform you choose – it can be a scrapbook layout, an altered art project, an artjournal page – WHATEVER
Here is a rule though: if you take the photo you have to link back to us andshow us your story.
These pictures are from our personal stash and are for personal use for you only! If you want to use them for a publication whether a book or magazine in print or digital form please ask for permission!
If you want to participate post in the comment section .
You can also join our The Whatevers -Facebook Page

You can grab the blinkie here if you want to add it to your sidebar

Nat

The Whatevers #8 or …Take That (nathaliesstudio.com)
Make your own Molds (nathaliesstudio.com)

Nat

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Making Your Own Molds Tutorial

Mold Mold Making Tools and Equipment

Ever since coming back from Winter CHA 2013 I am obsessed with my new found product – which is actually not brand new – Amazing Mold Putty by Alumilite.

I used one of my first resin figurines made with a mold on this layout you saw a couple weeks ago

And here is now a video showing you how I made this mold- it is quite long with 20 minutes…but it is a several step process – I hope you enjoy it :)

[vimeo 61658300 w=400 h=300]

If you need the direct link because your browser or mobile device are acting weird, here you go :) https://vimeo.com/61658300

There are lot’s of amazing ideas and tutorials that go way beyond my basic video on the Amazing Mold Putty Blog– check it out.

What comes first to your mind to make a mold with when seeing this video?

Have an awesome day!

Nat

Looking for more free tutorials by me? You can find more here!

Nat

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I will tackle that…eventually or…n*Studio Reorganziation

Flea market Letterpress Letterpress Cabinet

This letterpress cabinet makes me extremely happy. I found it…or let’s say it’s content at a flea market. I will show you more pictures soon…as it is right now a big task to clean this up and it also goes along with reorganizing my studio…I think my friend Julie might be very happy about this ;)

So there… I put it out into the World Wide Web…now I really need to get going…It seems like such an enormous task right now- LOL.

Tell me about your studio/place where you get creative.

Huge hugs

Nat

Über*Media is my series of online workshops that is dedicated to different kinds of media that cross a variety of materials. I also teach project based online workshops which you can find here.

Nat

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Stockholm Scrap and Pearl Event – April 6-7, 2013

Convention Mixed Media Scrapbooking Stockholm workshop

So happy to announce that I will teach at the Stockholm Scrap and Pearl Event in Sweden.

It is a Scrapbooking and Jewelry Making Convention, wheret 1,000 crafters can be seated each day!

The place is nothing less than the Annex at the Globen Arena. So excited. I will teach 3 Prima workshops

April Saturday 6: Portrait of a Lady

Always wanted to learn how to draw a portrait? Join Nathalie Kalbach in this fun DIN A4/Lettersized Canvas Workshop and learn how to draw a portrait in a short period of time. You create a Portrait in your favorite colors and make it a one of a kind home decor item either for yourself or as a beautiful gift. Furthermore you will learn heaps of Mixed Media techniques with gesso like: how to create a background, add texture, stamp, paint and use it for altering. Learn how to use fun fine art paint media like the Derwent Artbars, how to layer and tie elements together and explore how to change up embellishments and make them fit your unique piece of art. And the best? All the techniques can be used easily in future Mixed Media and in Scrapbooking Projects.

April Saturday 6 and Sunday 7 (this class on Sunday is fully booked) : Be Awesome Be a Book Nut

Dr. Seuss knew it: there is something magic about books. Each book is a beauty in and of itself – a story that leads you into a new world of fantasy. Books also have a feeling of importance to them, such as with a fabric coated hard cover or just the paper itself.

But sometimes a book loses its fascination and ends up at a flea market or at the back of your bookshelf never be opened again. Why not breathe life back into those books again and fill them with your own stories? You can alter them in a way that these treasures bring unique joy back.

Nathalie Kalbach will show you how to create either a funky or a simple style altered book. You will learn beautiful folding techniques, such as ways to create pockets for treasures or hidden messages that go along with your story. You will learn how to use adhesive in unexpected ways and learn fun embossing techniques. Accompanied by beautiful Prima paper, flowers and stamps, this book will be a personal keepsake or a special present to a loved one. What’s more, it can function not only as a mini album but also as a home decor item.

You can sign up here. I would love to see you :)

Have a wonderful day

Hugs

nat

P.S. If you’d like to take one of my workshops but cannot attend in person – why not check out my Online Workshops here !

Nat

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I wish I was at Capri right now…or…Prima March BAP

Mixed Media Prima Stencil

I am so done with winter – really…I want sunnnnnnnnnnnn…. ;) No wonder I was longing to do a very summery layout for this month’s Build a Page at Prima.

I only used a couple of the honeycombs in the Prima Stencil and used a mixed of Ranger Distress Pains and Dylusion Ink Sprays. Here is the sketch this layout is based on:

I love the Branch and made it a bit more my own by adding gesso and paint :)

Prima Supplies:

Sunrise-Sunset Collection „Del Sol“ #960001

Sunrise-Sunset Collection „Sun Burn“ #960025

Engraver Collection Clear Stamp #563042

Lifte time Collection Branch #565572

Art Stencil 12×12 #922368

Resist Alphabets Stripe #564094

Labelle Flowers Surfside #565831

Junk Yard Findings #891664

Chalk Fluid Pads Fall Leaf #891262

Other Supplies:

Ranger Dylusions Ink Sprays, Ranger Distress Paints, Ranger Archival Ink, Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L 3DFoampads, MyStik Permanent, Liquitex Gel Medium and Gesso

Hope you have a sunny day :)

hugs

Nat

Not Your Ordinary Dolls…or Dresden Doll (nathaliesstudio.com)
Roadtrip or…Prima Prima (nathaliesstudio.com)

Nat

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Where young people go to retire or…Sternschanzia

Hamburg Portlandia Sternschanze

A couple months ago Dina and I had a fun conversation and she introduced me to Portlandia. She mentioned she had put a bird on something and just called it art. She explained to me that this is from Portlandia. Portlandia is a satirical sketch TV Series in the US playing in Portland, Oregon. It shows in a of course over-pointed way the life in some pockets that each city has – up and coming neighborhoods. places that no-one before wanted to live, and then kind of get artsy and fun….then popular.

Portlandia can be everywhere – it is actually right here, where I live in the Sternschanze in Hamburg- LOL. That is probably why I laugh so much about this series – It is hilarious. I love my neighborhood-I do …but I also love to make fun of myself and us the people who live here. It is colorful, different, provoking and inspiring…sometimes stupid, sometimes nerve wracking…sometimes just plain funny

When I watch this video about the “Dream of the 1890s” and I think of all my friends and people around here that have beards right now, wear suspenders, ride weird bicycles and …

[vimeo 36293215 w=400 h=300]

Or when I walk somewhere to run errands in the morning and see some people “working” on their laptops out-side in front of a cafe, and when I go home later in the evening- they would be still there. EVERY day! We have more cafes when you can imagine. I guess this is “where young people go to retire”.

Or in Portlandia you see this video about the “2 Girls 2 Shirts” Store- and when my husband and I saw it we yelled out loud “1 Girl 1 Sweater” because that is pretty much the store right across of your house.

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_Utb7Vxmp0]

Point of this? No point…just showing you a little peek into my neighborhood and if you sometimes think I am weird – LOL- I am just the product of my environment – ;)

Have a gorgeous day

hugs

Nat

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Yellowstone inspired Texture Canvas

canvas Yellowstone National Park

I created this canvas inspired by Yellowstone. Yellowstone is probably my favorite National Park. The nature, the colors, the wildlife, the texture – EVERYTHING. I want to go back there! I often create the backgrounds inspired by the photos that I want to use or the emotions I think of. It might sometimes not be so obvious but here I think it is like almost a slap-in-the-face-obvious- LOL. The texture of the ground here and there, the geyser colors, the forests, the burned wood stems.

I used a lot of Kroma Crackle – my favorite for making super huge crackles – to achieve a lot of the texture. It took me a while to create this canvas as the crackle alone took about 3 days to fully reveal. But oh it was so worth it texture wise for me :) Especially for pieces I can and want to take a long time with, I love to use Kroma Crackle now.

I also used Liquitex Acrylic Paints and Professional Spraypaints as well as Acrylic Inks. I also used some Stampendous Fragments and Princeton Catalyst Blades and Wedges to create some texture on the edges. Lot’s of different stuff and many many layers. This is a 12×16 inch canvas.

The leaves are from Julie’s Crafter’s Workshop Template- love that stencil a lot. It was fun…I am not exactly where I wanted to be though…I want MORE texture … I keep working on it and definitely share with you ;)

What is the most fascinating national park for you in the world?

Huge hugs

nat

P.S. – don’t miss out on my new Über*Media Online Project Class “Discover”– Space is limited

[vimeo 60751181 w=400 h=300]

Nat

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