Julie made me draw my first Sketch and I had a lot of fun with it. I think I will get a bit more into doing so. I never thought I could draw – and I do not think this is going to be my strongest asset, but I had fun – and that is the thing that counts…so here..show and tell- LOL – my first one
Have a wonderful day
Nat
Attention Email Subscribers: I hope the picture problem is now solved- give me feedback in the comment section if not- and let me also know if you can through which service you subscribed. I am trying hard to have you up with pictures again :) We will tackle this – LOL.
Also – Don’t forget today is the last day the n*Studio Relaunch Discount on my Online Workshops can be used.
This canvas was a birthday present for a close friend. It was also published in the Paperhaus Magazine – Summer Issue – where I was, amongst others, featured as a Mixed Media Artist. I love working all in white once in a while and then add some color here and there. I was a bit nervous to give it as a present though – but I think it was well received ;)
I wanted to add only some small color spots and let the texture speak out.
Love the look of this.
It seems like I like doing canvases like this for weddings ;) – See here is one I did for my husband’s and my wedding a year ago. That is as romantic as you get me in my work- LOL.
Here is what I used for this canvas:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Have a beautiful day with lot’s of sunshine!
Nat
I recently have been having problems seeing photos on Blogs, not yours, but others. I switched to Google Chrome and no more problems. Your canvas is stunning and I am sure the Bride and Groom will cherish it forever.
This is so pretty. What a creative idea and thanks for sharing. It would make a really special gift for an anniversary for that special couple.
Nat. I subscribe through straight email and the photos are coming through fine. I use Chrome.
Love the layout. White on white is so eleigant…IMHO.
Hi Nat,
Yes…I can see the photo! I subscribe with email and use Google Chrome as my browser. I’m a huge fan of your work…incredibly inspiring!
Beth :-)
This canvas is beautiful- I am sure your friend will love it. I can see the picture in your image test email but was unable to comment without going to your blog. Looks like you are getting there!
Pas d’images non plus, c’est bien dommage car cette toile est une merveille!
Beautiful. I don’t work in all white but I love the look of it. The splash of color goes a long way when uses sparingly.
Hi!
I just click on the email post and it brings me here!
I am on WordPress and there are no photos there either.
Love the canvas! A beautiful gift! I know what you mean about giving as a gift… you never know if recipient will appreciate a unique piece!
Hugs!
no pics here either thru email posts! they are lovely though here!!!
No pictures here either.
I am unable to see the pictures in your posts. I follow via email.
Stunning!!
Your canvas is stunning and what a beautiful gift to give!
I dont see the pictures in my inbox email (I use Apple email program and my service is through comcast) but everythings fine once I click to your website.
Hi Natalie, photos are not appearing on iPhone email, just so you know. Also the links tend to freeze. I was trying to purchase the workshops
And the page either freezes or WordPress login page appears,
Good luck, I love following your blog and am excited you’ll be in New Jersey soon.
Celeste from NYC
Thank you Celeste! I have not heard yet of that problem with the classes. Could you let me know which one you tried to purchase and when it did freeze? Thank you for your help, Nat
How very pretty!
Still no pictures here using Internet Explorer……and there is no comment section there either…..have to open Favorites and go to the website…..I would have loved to get that piece as a gift!
Pretty present!!!
I use Feedly now and I don’t see the images of your blogposts there either. I do see the inlinks of the supplies used. It’s not a problem for me… I just click ‘website’ and it opens your site and I get to see everything :-).
I love your white piece with the dots of color. It really shows the textures. Beautiful! I signed up for your blog on your website and I’m still not getting the pictures in your blog. I think it’s great you’re coming to America. If you’re ever in Florida I would love to meet you.
This layout was published last month in the Paperhaus Magazine and I had loads of fun doing it. The picture shows me with my new glasses…I guess my eyes are getting older- snigger
I painted the background with Luminarte Silks and also stamped with bubble wrap after applying some of the Luminarte Silk on top- love the effect. I also used my Circuit Stencil and a pencil and just traced through the stencil -I love the effect.
The faux sewing I did with the Sew Easy Tool- which I love a lot- but always forget that I have it. You basically trace the stitching down and then I use a black journaling pen and just trace along- looks pretty real and makes it easy for some small stitching areas ;)
Here is all that I used
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
And your glasses look beautifull. I also have glasses, since my teenage years. Tryed contact lenses, was oké for a while but now i weare my glasses every day. Can’t see without it. That means, when i’m behind my laptop and reading a book and too look in the far. Anyhow, it soots you well. Hope you had fun with Julie. :) Have a great week.
Yes, I’ve been wearing glasses since third grade. I recently got progressive bifocals and it took me two weeks to get used to them. Each time I get a stronger lens it takes a week or so to get used to them. Those frames look good on you and the LO is quite fun. I really like the faux stitching.
Your new glasses are nice and really flatter your face. I have been wearing glasses since I was 7 years old… more years that I chose to share. I really enjoyed your layout too!
Love this!
I recognized your stencil right away and think the traced effect looks just amazing! Goes really well together with the stitched elements.
:)
Those glasses make you very enigmatic… and also elegant!….
When i started at 48 using them, i did not accept the change!…and was always putting them away!…but now i can not do anythi;ng without that “silly piece” on my face!… The layout reflects your feelings! love it!
Forgot to tell you how much I love this layout. The colors reached right out to me….beautiful.
(sigh) yes I have glasses, progressive bifocals (huge pain) and I long for the past days of my perfect 20/20 vision. The only time I dont have to wear them is when on the computer. I too had the dizziness but that goes away.
Those frames look great on you. I love the shape.
Funny story…. The last time I had to “upgrade” my lens I treated myself to new frames – transparent dark turquoise Jimmy Choo’s with rhinestones. They were a little pricey but were just crying to go home with me. As I was debating the cost vs. need, a customer in the optical store broke out her iPhone and calculated what those frames would cost me per day for 1 year and told me “honey, if they make you feel good, go for it…you deserve it”! The cost breakdown and her comment made so much sense to me, I bought them. Moral to this story….I will be wearing turquoise rhinestone Jimmy Choo glasses when I am 90 years old….but I’ll be a hot mamma at 90. ;) ROFLMAO
LOL- what a good idea to see if the price was worth it- and it is so true. If you wear them everyday !!! :)
Great layout. I have glasses but I have to change them. You look beautiful with yours. Thanks for sharing,
Je sais c’est un peu difficile de vivre parfois avec des lunettes! Mais
soyez rassurée celles-ci vous vont vraiment très bien, elles sont tout à fait adaptées à votre visage. Je connais bien le casse tête de ce genre de choix. Amicalement, zouzou
You look fab with your glasses, Nat! I started wearing reading glasses when I turned 40. I now need reading and looking glasses! I’m 65!
Happy walking without getting dizzy, this too shall pass!
N, I know you are a busy lady, but are you going to respond to those who wanted to confirm their classes so they can get them from your new blog? thanks, sue
Dear S, yes I do. In fact I replied to your email right away on July 2nd when I received it and I just forwarded to you again.You have your access. Please check and in the future the best bet would be to just email me directly, because comments are comments, and anything business related might just not get to me. Thank you, and have a wonderful sunday! Nat
This is the first of my canvases I did for an exhibition here in Hamburg in August. Since I am moving to the States soon – I want to say good-bye to Hamburg by using things that are gone by now in Hamburg too or things that are Hamburg for me. Hence the exhibition name I chose- It is a wordplay which cannot be translated really ;)
This beautiful house was in a street that I worked and lived for a long time – it just got torn down- they are doing it as I write…I worked in this street for 13 years and I lived next to this house about 8 years. Every time I passed this house I thought how beautiful it would be to own this place. It had a little portuguese cafe in the front where I spent many fun hours with different friends drinking a yummie Galao and fresh pressed orange juice and eating delicious little pastries like Pastel del Natas.
I loved creating this canvas- it let me indulge in all those memories connected with this place …and unfortunately also crave portuguese pastries- LOL. Off to work on the next canvas :)
hugs
nat
Dear Nat: I love the description of that special place! i can understand your fellings as i have moved several times with the difference that i can return there anytime. It is not easy to leave a house, neighborhood, place, etc., behind…Little by litte comes the adaptation to the new place. For the canvas, it is a beautiful one, and i love it…Hope the best for you and your dh at the new place…
I have been pondering the word that I think best describes the awesomeness of this piece for a day, but nothing that pops into my mind truly states how amazingly talented you are, so all I have to say is thank you for sharing your art both online and in your incredible classes!! You are truly inspirational and I aspire to improve my art because of you!
This is just beautiful…the colors and the building. Did you draw the building or is it a photograph? Simply wonderful. I have taken pics of places that I have moved away from and written the pros and cons of living there in my journal.
This is so pretty and what a wonderful rememberence!
We have moved several times and I made photo albums of my favorite places I loved to visit in each of the places and I enjoy revisiting the places in my albums to this day. I am always in awe of your beautiful projects you share each time.
This is stunning. Did you do a transfer of the picture? If so, it is perfect. If not, you blended it perfectly with the background. I love that.
I wish I could see the exhibition in august. It’s going to be a blast!
What a sad story, but a beautiful ending in the form of your stunning canvas! Very beautiful x
You don’t forget the places you love.. they are in your heart. Same with people. And an early welcome to the U.S.
WOW!! I love it!!
What an exquisite picture, I love it! I can quite understand why you loved living in such a beautiful street. x
What a lovely canvas – it is breathtaking!
What a beautiful canvas. With your story about the cafe and what you shared there with friends it is even better. Maybe you can include your memories, to the side, when you show it? Although, it’s really all it needs to be. I have written about places that I love when I left them, to capture the details. Now, maybe I’d use paint.
Gosh Nat, you must be having a mixture of feelings, excited about the new, but oh so sad to leave your home. I have live in Texas my whole life and have only moved across town, which was nerve racking enough. Like you, I had my Hubbie with me and it was a new and exciting chapter in our lives. There are no regrets, only new memories and wonderful friends along the way. Wishing you and your Hubbie many happy memories in this new chapter of your lives :)
Hugs,
Laura S.
Nat, this may be my favorite piece you have ever posted…I love everything about it.
sincerely, paula xx
At the Baltic Sea event I taught a Scrapbooking – Layout class. I only had 1 1/2 hours for this and that made it a challenge for me- LOL. I usually do not teach workshops that short- especially since mixed media related workshops need way more time and…I do usually not teach Layout classes. But hey…sometimes it is fun to do something different- and I was told the students liked it :) It was also a good way to start the workshop event since most of my students NEVER did anything Mixed-Media related…so I started slow and then had them bath in paint full force by sunday- LOL.
So …here is the layout…I had three samples- so the students could see how choosing different ways of colors effect the layout differently.
We used Ranger Dylusions and Distress Paints in many different ways incorporating different techniques for different effects.
And now…what does Farbtupfer mean? mmmh – interesting enough I cannot find a real word for this in English – It means spots of color or specks of color – which wouldn’t make a good title for a workshop in English- LOL.
I tell you, sometimes the challenge for me is finding a name for workshops that would work in both languages and it is not always possible ;)
have a colorful day :)
Nat
oohh all 3 are beautiful but my favorite is the one with the only other color being red :-). As for english translation for farbentupfer – color splatters…. is what comes to mind.
fun LO for sure. i hear Popeye whenever i see that photo of you.
Great job Nathalie, with those “splashes of colour” …which might make a better name than “spots of colour” or even “colour highlights” ;)
Very brave teaching a mixed media layout class in such a short time!
I created this layout using my new Crackle Stencil for Stencil Girl Products.
I used Acrylic Paint with the Crackle Stencil – it such a quick and fast drying way to apply crackle to paper. Then I colored the background with Distress Inks.
Sometimes a blurry photo of a special event unfolds a variety of wonderful memories . 
I also used some Stampendous Fran*Tage Embossing Powder- I so love it!
I used a zipper and threaded in the Prima Zipper Embellishment and also cut and divided part of the zipper and attached it on the layout.
I distressed the photo even more by using the Prima Distressing Tool.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Have a wonderful day!
huge hugs
Nat
Another winner, Nathalie! Love the wood background & the sanding on the photo. Very cool use of the zipper
great layout, love your background!
Awsome!!! I really like it!!!
Very cool!
What a fun LO and I love the zipper. I appreciate that you put the links to the supplies you used in your post. My wallet does not always appreciate it;-)
Super coool, das Foto ist der Knaller, die Idee mit dem Zipper total cool, vor allem weil du ihn getrennt hast, einfach ein Meisterwerk! Liebe Grüße Birgit
What a beautiful weekend teaching at the Ostsee Scrap Event (Baltic Sea Event). The location was awesome – just a 15 minute walk from the beach, wonderful room with our own private terrace, wonderful students, great organiser and co-teacher and filling yummie food. What more can you ask for?
Here are some pictures of my morning stroll to the beach – it was awesome -almost no one at the beach – sun shining already – calm and relaxing. I walked for two hours and it totally relaxed me – good way to start then off the workshops :)
It was awesome to meet my sweet friend Andrea again and to meet Barbara for the first time. Here is Andrea in action teaching
and here I am with Dani, the organiser and Barbara
We had lot’s of fun all together during a photo shooting session that Andrea had during her workshop – with some nice accessories- LOL
After that we had to eat the biggest, yummiest home-made oven fresh cream puffs with a cherry sauce filling I have ever seen in my entire life…went right on the hips ;)
It might have been the sugar high that made me pulls some pretty hilarious faces while teaching…I have no other excuse actually ;)
We used lot’s of yummie Liquitex Products and thank you Liquitex for sending me some of the Liquitex Professional Spray Paints and Professional Markers – they found some happy winners :)
and here are some canvases from my Season Texture Class
and of the Be Awesome Be a Book Nut class. Of course I forgot to take pictures of my layout class (I will never learn- LOL)
And last but not least a picture of our wonderful group!
Danke Mädels- es hat super großen Spaß mit Euch gemacht!!!!
There is nothing better when a great relaxed creative workshop weekend!
Huge hugs
Nat
I’ve been to this area! My father in law lives near there. I wish we’d visited while you were teaching. Looked like a great weekend.
Great photos!
Es war toll dich mal live kennenzulernen.
Lg Anke aus dem Norden
I’ve never seen those beach chairs in person (just in the movies)…they look so comfy for reading a book by the ocean. Love the funny photos. Looks like it was a great weekend!
I had to chuckle at your comment about forgetting to take photos. It happens to me a lot, I get caught up with the FUN and well that isn’t really so bad, is it? Your weekend looks like loads of creative fun. thanks for sharing.
Peace,
Donna
Looks like a fun time was had by all…great photos & the cream puff….WOW!
It looks like you had a great time :) I love those beach chairs! I saw them last year for the first time when I visited Warnemunde. Are they a common sight on Baltic beaches?
Lorraine, ohhh I love them too :) Yes those beach chairs are very common at the Baltic Sea and also the North Sea here in Germany. I looked into this after your comment and it looks as if actually those beach chairs – which we call beach baskets literally translated, were first made in Warnemünde Germany :) So I assume we can call it a typical German thing- which I wasn’t aware of. Fun :) Thanks for your question- it made me learn something new too :) huge hugs
nat
I often get emails asking me about my favorite tools or supplies and I actually love those emails because they make me think of why I tend to use some things all the time.
Is it laziness? What is it about these items that make me grab for them whenever I create a Mixed Media Project?
One of the answers that came up for almost all of them is “I use them because of their versatility of usage” . That is an easy guess for an answer- LOL- since I named my favorite Online Workshop series Über*Media playing on the fact that you can use some items so MANY different ways.
But let me take you the next couple weeks on a little journey on my favorite Mixed Media essentials and explain why I could bathe in them and show you where I used them.
If you missed the other posts in this series – you can catch up here
I am a big fan of spray paints. If you say spray paint…you get me interested…keep that in mind if you ever want to get my attention during a conversation ;) I have neglected spray paints a bit in my workshops in the last year, simply because I have been teaching sooo much with a certain spray paint, that I had to step away a bit from teaching with it. But in my personal playing I use spray paints in almost EVERY Mixed Media project.
I tried many different spray paints and right now I stick to the ones in my list below…but it might change over time here and there. Some of the spray paints are better for certain uses. But it doesn’t make the spray paint bad if a certain technique can’t be as well archived as with another one. I refer to this as to flour in baking in your kitchen. There are different kind and grades of flours you can buy. You need a different grade flour for pizza dough and bread then for biscuits and cakes- it doesn’t make one flour bad…it just is something to know and keep in mind to get the result you aspire !
Here are my thoughts and uses- a supply list at the bottom
What I love about Spray Paints:
Here are some examples:
Revealing fabric texture with Maya Mists
revealing gesso texture
Layering using Ranger Color Wash
using spray paints with stencils on a canvas board
Using Golden Montana Spray for an outdoor plant pot
Grungy background with Liquitex Professional Spray Paints
Using as an accent on simple scrapbooking pages
using spray paints to change the color and mood of a patterned paper for a scrapbooking layout
using spray paints to alter home decor items -like this mirror
layering it on with Golden Montana for my own pattern paper
using spray paints on fabric
using Dylusions Ink Sprays with Derwent Art Bars
using Liquitex Professional Spray Paint to highlight small areas
using spray paint to change embellishments and alphabets color and appearance
Art Journal Background
Another Homedecor Canvas with Liquitex Professional Spray paints
boy- that was hard to just pick a few…are you still with me?
My favorite Spray Paints at the moment:
As always in this series- the answer to this question is based on my preferences, my style and my experiences.
Dylusions Ink Sprays are my go to sprays when I work inside and can and want to use spray paints that are going to be water reactivated. Meaning once I put something wet on top, the colors will reactivate again. This means if you work with for example gel medium or other wet media on top, it will get activated again and bleed. Some people do not like that…but I say, it is what you need to know about your spray paint and then you can use it for your advantage. I love using Dylusions for ghosting techniques or to blend in other colors and paint media. The vibrancy of those colors is amazing. And you can use them inside, without a mask and you can wash it off if it goes somewhere else when your project ;) I also have to say that clogging wasn’t an issue for me yet with these spray paints probably because they are dyes. If the colors are used on wall art though – say canvases, the colors tend to evaporate quick in sunlight though at least if there are on top of acrylic media, so I stopped using them on canvases that I hang on the wall.
Maya Road Mists – I love that those colors are also very vibrant, some have a nice shimmer, which I used to love a lot but I am now getting away from the too shiny shimmering stuff. Seems my magpie times are a bit over ;) What I love about Maya Mists, which are pigment based is, that you can heat set them, so they won’t get reactivated anymore, meaning they are permanent then and therefore can be used on fabric that might get wet or washed too. Like the Dylusions you can use them inside and they cover for example chipboard in the best possible way. Actually they are my favorite when working with chipboard. The clogging is bearable – it happens- and it is nothing you can prevent forever with any given pigment spray paint. Yes…sometimes you force it by not spraying the “right way”….but often times it is just the way those spray nozzles are made that you cannot prevent the spray paints from clogging. They are wonderful on Gesso-ed surfaces- so that is their plus in comparison to the Dylusions but some techniques like the ghosting have on the other hand a better outcome with the Dylusions. So…see it is all about what you want to archive.
Aidorondack Color Wash – these are also water based textile dyes to use on porous surfaces. Like the Maya Mists you can use them on fabric and they can get heat set so that you make them permanent. They are translucent dyes but they cover pretty well. They are VERY concentrated and can be diluted with water a lot and still keep the color and vibrancy. They hold FOREVER. My bottles are very old- probably 5 -6 years (big bottles ;)) and the colors are still awesome and good to use. When you dry them the colorshift is not that high- they stay very vibrant– which I like too. For me it is important that a spray paint is not turning dull once I heat it. So that is definitely a plus here.
Liquitex Professional Spray Paints are my absolute favorite at the moment -but that is also based on my acrylic paint high right now. These spray paints are acrylic based and highly pigmented. They take a bit practice to use..but oh wait till you get the hang out of them ;) Once they are dried they are permanent…as said they are acrylic paint based. They are super vibrant. They can be mixed with acrylic paints and the color shift is very low. Meaning you see the color wet as you will have the color dried- you get what you see :) Sometimes I am not sure if they are already dried as they shine so much and didn’t change the look much from wet to dry. They dry quick too – which I love, no heating required. They are low odor – which means you can use them in small quantity inside in a very well ventilated area. I recommend on top wearing a mask (I have several windows around and a skylight over my spraying station – so I do not always use a mask if I only use small doses- but do not recommend not using one, don’t sue me…use a mask !). The down side is that the spray nozzles of the Liquitex Professional Spray Paints clog easily due to the acrylic paint drying in the cap. The tip is that you should clear the tube and nozzle after using it by turning it upside down and spraying until it comes out clear. That doesn’t help always- but since the spray caps are industry standardized ones, I just buy them at a graffiti store in bulk (super cheap). I am not sure if in the States there is anything like a graffiti store- LOL- but Liquitex also offers replacement caps.
I also loved to use Golden Montana Spray Paints before Liquitex came out with their Professional Spray Paints. If you want to use the Golden Montana Spray paints you need to know that you can really ONLY use them outside and definitely have to wear a mask on top. I also dislike now that the odor of them hangs in the projects for a long time – which is not the case with using the Liquitex Professional Spray Paints.
For cleaning your fingers I actually recommend using Ranger’s Scrubbie I have never found a better thing to clean my hands after spray painting and believe me I tried A LOT.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
huge hugs
Nat
Hi, Nat: Our art journaling group is getting together this weekend and trying a variety of dye, ink, and spray paints, including homemade. Your article is very helpful–thanks!
Love these examples! Thanks for sharing your “tricks of the trade”!
Thanks for such a great post Natalie, very helpful. <3
Your posts ALWAYS contain the most interesting and informative tips, Nat~ This one will be one of my most faves, as a newbie to mixed media! I have some of these paints, but want to try the Liquitex spray just because YOU recommend it! You rock!
Love love Love this post Nat. I started to use spray paint because of you! I am loving the Dylusions sprays right now. And BTW…I still want that mirror.
Wonderful of you to provide such a detailed summary of spray paints. Always a plus to have an artist share experiences about different products so we don’t waste time and money researching. Love when we help each other. Thanks.
Thank you so much, for this useful description about sprays! I love all your art pieces! As I’m new to embossing that would be something to know more about or maybe it could be a new workshop.
You could clean the nozzles from the liquitex spray paint with nailpolish. Put them in a jar, close the lid and leave them overnight in the nailpolish. That is what grafiti artists do, i saw it on YouTube ;)
yes– but it doesn’t work always- and I even more dislike the odor of nail polish ;) But it is a good tip -thanks Hedwig.
Paints…
other than acrylic paint? more specific? ;)
Sweeeeeeeet! You’ve made my day with this news and I have just registered… really looking forward to these days of fun and education before CHA.
WOOOWw- that is sooo cool!!!! Cannot wait to see you there !!!
Wow – this looks amazing!
Nat, we need a smiling picture of you!
Comments (8)
Jean A Marmo
| #
Looks amazing to me!
Reply
Corrine
| #
Fab sketch good for Julie for making you stretch….sketching intimidates me too….I so get it. xox
Reply
Micki
| #
What do you mean, you can’t draw/sketch? For your first one, it is awesome. I would have never known that it was your first time. I always thought/believed I couldn’t draw/sketch, but since I’m a believer that one can do anything with practice, I’ve started sketching/drawing for about 9 months. I love it. And I love seeing how I’ve progressed :-). The funny thing is that my best sketches happen when I am on a time limit (like at lunch at work) or when I don’t worry about “perfection”, like in front of the TV.
Reply
Cindy Gay
| #
You are very talented!
Reply
Deleted User
| #
Pretty good for a first try. I have done just a few sketches (after seeing the ones that Julie’s posted) and I feel really unskilled in this area. I will keep trying but it does not make me feel too confident when I see the finished result.
Reply
Thea
| #
And you thought you could’nt draw? This looks like fine to me. Keep going on doing it and sharing.
Reply
Deleted User
| #
Long time not sketching! But i think that is not forgotten as ” taquigrafía or riding bycicle!… i will be trying! thanks for refreshing my mind…for instance, as soon as i saw this, i realized it was a deck!…that is the idea of sketching! TFSNat!
Reply
Anne
| #
Your sketch is a great “first attempt”, Nat! It’s playful and whimsical and I’m so glad you shared it. Enjoy playing with your sketches . . . and sketch every day!
Reply