Each Day is a New Adventure – Marsha Valk

  

Hello from the Creative Squad! Today we have a fun art journal page from Marsha Valk.   Marsha uses my Mini Batik Pattern 4 foam stamp, my cute little Star Tag stamp , and my Torn Layers stamp to create a colorful page with this month’s theme: Each Day is a New Adventure – Be adventurous this month and try something new in your art-making! Use a new tool, medium, or technique that you’ve been meaning to try for too long now. Go on a new adventure TODAY!


Liquid watercolour Ecoline has been around forever. It’s a staple you can find in every Dutch school art room, and it’s very likely that the first time I ever used it was in kindergarten. I was very excited to see that Royal Talens was releasing Ecoline brush pens and I bought three or four colours the moment I could get my hands on them. I always intended to buy more, but once I had them, I couldn’t find a good use for them besides brush lettering, and I forgot about them.

Fast forward to last week. Ecoline brush pens were back on my radar, and I treated myself to a big set. With no intended purpose, just for play. Then I read this month’s n*Studio Squad theme… And it was the perfect excuse to break in my new pens!

Start with drawing some doodles with masking fluid. Leave to dry completely.

Apply Ecoline to the paper. Ecoline works just like watercolour, so you apply it straight out of the pen or from the bottle with a brush. Or you can wet the page with a brush first and then apply the Ecoline to let it spread. Wait for the Ecoline to dry.

Colour the Mini Batik Pattern 4 ArtFoamies stamp with an Ecoline brush pen and stamp the pattern on the page.

You can get multiple images from one layer of Ecoline if you lightly spritz some water (from a distance) onto the foam stamp in between stamping.

Rub away the masking fluid once the paper is completely dry.

Take a separate sheet of paper and use a pencil to draw a girl.

Use a China Marker or a crayon to add a couple of white stripes to the hair. The grease in the marker will create a resist when you apply Ecoline over it.

Add some interest to the girl’s outfit by stamping a couple of stars on her sweater with the Star Tag stamp and a permanent stamping ink.

Use masking fluid or post-it tape to mask off any areas you do not want to be stamped.

Then use the Torn Layers stamp to add texture to the sweater.

Finish colouring the girl with Ecoline and Ecoline brush pens. Add details with a black waterproof fineliner. Use a black ballpoint pen instead if you need to draw over the China Marker.

Cut out the girl and adhere her to the background page.

Happy November!


Thank you Marsha – now we’re super excited to try the Ecoline brush pens on my foam stamps too! In addition to her art journal, Marsha used the following supplies (some are affiliate links):




Play along with us too: I love to see how you interpret our monthly themes. Email me how you used my stencils and stamps with the theme and email me an image – I would love to share your projects in my next  “n*Spiration From Around the Globe“.

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November 2017 StencilClub Designer

This exclusive Fragmented Set of three Stencils which I designed inspired by some of my Fragmented paintings I did in the past, is the content of November’s StencilClub. Check what I am telling about them and what exactly inspired me in this video

You can get this set only as a member of StencilClub – and the set comes with access to an exclusive tutorial video and pdf on what I created with those stencils. Here is a little sneak :)

Hope you like them- I am excited about them and can’t wait to see what you do with them. Hope you will share!

Comments (3)

  • Sue Clarke

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    I just love this set of stencils. You’ve undone yourself Nat!

    Reply

  • JoAnn Campisi

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    Because of your beautiful stencils I just signed up for Stencil Girl Club. I am very excited!

    Reply

  • Denise Spillane

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    Hi, I love these. Can’t wait to play. Your video was cool and I loved your older paintings too.

    Reply

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New Downloadable PDF Art Lesson: Texture Adventures #10

My latest Texture Adventures Art Lesson is now available in the NorthLightShop! This one is called Tactile Art Inspired By Street Art and for $3.99 it’s a great value – you get a full step out and a 10min video.

In this lesson I show how to create texture with spray paint for backgrounds and layered work. Inspiration is everywhere – I’m inspired by the spray paint street art that I see in my neighborhood, and I want to share with you how you can use spray paint in your art journals and mixed media projects. It’s a fun and versatile medium that isn’t just for graffiti artists :)

You can purchase the lesson here.


If you are in my area on Sunday, November 19th, I invite you to stop by the Art Mart at 313 Gallery in Downtown, Jersey City.

I will be participating in this pop-up event along with 8 other really awesome local artists. We’ll be selling unique artist-made goods, priced under $100, so it will be a nice opportunity to begin your holiday shopping. I’ll have cards, prints, mugs, and wine charms with my artwork on them :)

I hope you’ll drop by and say Hello!

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Echo Chamber

In this journal spread I wrote “Like in an echo chamber a saddening, frightening and yet empowering #metoo echoed through the universe.”

I drew the left women with ink using a bamboo sketching pen and colored her in with watercolor- the right one is a painted on deli paper which I collaged into the art journal.

I stamped with some of my ArtFoamies stamps and acrylic paint and added some mars with Neopastels and a Charcoal pen.

Here are some of the supplies I used for this spread


Comments (2)

  • Gunvor

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    It’s a lovely spread and an important matter. Thanks for sharing.

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    • nathalie-kalbach

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      thank you Gunvor! Yes- it is a very important matter-!

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Photos of the Workshop at Nathalie’s Studio

Last Saturday I taught my Stroll Through the Hood workshop here at home in an intimate setting and it was so fun to have 7 wonderful ladies join me. I used to teach a lot of home-workshops in Germany and I would like to do some small ones once in a while here too- this was the first time I did it:)

Here is the morning view before they all came- I had set up everything in our dining room/kitchen area

 

and lot’s of supplies were waiting to be used :)

for some fun urban sceneries.

And then there we are already in full force creating. It was so wonderful to have lovely people from Connecticut, Maryland, New Jersey and New York!

Katie creating some wonderful sceneries –

Jill, Theresa and Linda fully immersed :)

And then there were Donuts …of course with a Halloween theme :)

Look at the gorgeous smile Linda gave me after I tortured here to look at me ;)

And here are her gorgeous pieces- look at all those patterns and colors- yummie!

Lea’s beautiful work in progress – i love the colors!

And Maria listening to Anne and creating magic!

And Anne’s beautiful work- I love her Flat Iron building so much!

It was a great day and so I will do a workshop again at my n*Studio :) Probably in February 2018.

If you want to join any of my In-Person Workshops a list of them is posted here. I will be this coming weekend at The Queen’s Ink in Maryland (Saturday is sold out but there are still a couple seats in my Mono Print Painting class open!)

I am also teaching my last workshop for this year in Salem, Oregon at Runaway Art and Craft Studio – December 2 -3 – which includes also the Stroll Through the Hood workshop I taught here at home :) I hope you can join me for any of those -I would love to see you!

Comments (6)

  • Linda Wyatt

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    It was a wonderful and creative workshop, and great to try out new techniques and materials. Also an easy trip across the Hudson so I would love to do it again ???❤️

    Reply

    • nathalie-kalbach

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      It was so good to have you Linda- and oh yea- you are soooo close :) I will keep you posted :)

      Reply

  • Jill

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    It was such a fun workshop, Nathalie! I had such a great time learning some new techniques and getting to know everyone. Such a great experience working in such a small group!

    Reply

    • nathalie-kalbach

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      Thank you so much for coming all the way! It was so much fun to have you! Hope to see you soon again!

      Reply

  • Jean Goza

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    The artwork that was produced in the class is stunning. Looks like everyone had a great time.

    Reply

    • nathalie-kalbach

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      It was so much! Cannot wait to hopefully see you January when I am back in San Jose Jean! :)

      Reply

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Bring It On!

I was playing with some color values and just painting them in my art journal and then I started seeing a city scape and added Atlas in front of the Rockefeller Center in NYC.

I stamped with my Grove Street Positive and Negative ArtFoamies Set and added some marks and definition as well as windows with Derwent Art Bars and Neocolor II (both are water soluble wax sticks) and white China Marker.

I added the journaling with a Fude Pen and a white Signo Pen. I love how this page just developed with no real agenda in mind and how all of a sudden I started seeing things.

Those are the most fun art journal pages to do for me when I am totally just enjoying playing with paints and media.

Here are the supplies I used for this spread:

 


Comments (2)

  • Sue Clarke

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    I love the colors and the feeling of this page!

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Inspiration from Around the Globe

Happy Halloween! This Tuesday we’re taking a break from our Creative Squad (they will be back next week with a new theme to play with!) to bring you fun projects from some of you :) I am always excited to see how you use my products in your own projects and even more excited to share some of the beautiful and creative examples of these with you today. Enjoy this inspiration from around the globe!


First up is a beautifully colored jigsaw puzzle from Judi Kauffman in the US that uses my Crackle stencil for some background texture. What a cool project!

From Jacqueline van Zuiden in the Netherlands, we have a colorful and fun birthday card that uses the stamp and stencil from my Bird Foam Stamp set.

Here is a super cool cityscape from Andrea Braun in Germany that uses my Urban Scribble foam stamp set and my Mish Mesh stamp set (sold out now, but you can get a similar look from my new Central Avenue foam stamps).

Next up is a beautiful art journal page from Allison Leigh in the US that uses my Versailles stencil for some background pattern.

Finally, here is a gorgeous card from Anna Ekman in Sweden that uses my Mark Making stamps as a really cool focal element.

Let me know if you’re using my stamps and stencils in your projects – I would love to showcase your work here!

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You Belong Somewhere Where You Feel Free!

Don’t we all? Loved playing with blue and gold – I am on a weird gold- high – not sure why, as it is not my favorite color, but I guess trends have gotten me too ;)

I stamped with my new Van Vorst Positive and Negative ArtFoamies in blue and gold for the tile background effect. For the city scape I used my new Midtown ArtFoamies set and applied rubbed lightly some Artgraf Chalks on top of the foamstamps. The Artgraf Chalks are water-soluble and make a gorgeous watercolor like effect when stamping. To activate the pigments and have them come off the foam stamp, I slightly sprayed a layer of water on top and then just stamped ahead.

Love how the colors blend. I added some marks with Neopastels and a charcoal pen and wrote the journaling with a blue and white acrylic marker.

Here are some of the supplies that I used for this spread


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