Guess what? When you post your artwork made with my stamps and stencils it really makes my day! It’s like an artistic collaboration that I never dreamed of, but that was totally meant to be. And I want to send out some love to all you fans out there who make awesome stuff with my stuff. BIG virtual hug to YOU!
And if you are making art with my stamps and stencils, please be sure to tag me when you post it – I would love to see!!!
Everything must go!!! LOL I’m having my annual Holiday Sale and it’s a real event this year: 30% off everything in the shop. What does everything mean? EVERYTHING! Foam stamps, rubber stamps, artwork, prints, mugs, books, ink pads, and even online workshops!!!
Just use the coupon code holiday30 when you check out to save, while supplies last. You can’t combine the offer with other coupons, gift certificates are not included, and the sale ends at 11:59pm ET on December 4, 2022.
Pretty sweet deal though, right? I bet you had your eye on something for your own creative adventures but maybe also gifts for others too. Check out everything in the Online Shop here.
Need some ides? I’ve got Rubber Stamp sets like fan-fav Embroidery that includes a nice mix of stitch-inspired stamps. And of course my Stroll Through the Hood stamp sets – based on buildings and just fun little streetscape elements that I love.
Artwork is included in the sale – both giclee prints like my This Too Shall Pass and original paintings like Tacheles. Artwork is a pretty special gift imo.
So you get the idea – everything is included in this sale except gift certificates. Come, see, shop, and enjoy some special items that have been lovingly designed and created by an artist. Thank you so much for looking!
Strolls through my hood get me out of my studio, they help me get unstuck and often I get inspired by what I see and get new ideas to create something. It is part of my philosophy about Artful Adventures in Mixed Media – which is the subject of my book. Here are some photos that I gathered in the last couple weeks.
So hard to believe that it is already November – and while I am dreading winter before it even started I nonetheless loving the ambience that comes with the seasons …and hey …I got an antique oil lamp and I looooveee it.
I am also taking a class at NYU in Historic Preservation and a lot of my assignments are to take a stroll through the hood and take pictures of certain architectural features – HA – great – you asked the right person LOL. Anyway- for my assignment to photograph pilasters I thought the class would enjoy this gem of a house ;) No sugar coating back then!
For the same assignment but the task to find the “Colosseum Motif” I took a picture of this church window – gosh I love love love the brick pattern. It is fun to do my strolls as usual but look at the buildings I know with different eyes and search for certain features.
A wonderful Cafe in our neighborhood offered a great dinner and we went with friends. The theme was 1894 – the year the building in which the cafe is set, was built and the owner and cook not only researched all those recipes, he also told the story and background of each course. It was so much fun.
Now I am sure you are as nervous as we were about the “Pickled Ear”
I am happy to report all was good- no Jersey Style chopped ear was served ;) An ear of corn ….which was delicious.
Other than that we are still doing a lot of renovation and updates in the house. The picture above is the curtesy of the seller …we call this usually a landlord’s special – when they just paint everything with flat paint – including hardware etc. without doing anything like priming etc. In this case it was especially stupid and bad as it was painted on top of a layer of oil paint. Don’t ask me how I feel about taking this all off …I am ready to pickle an ear ;)
We are also working on a new guest powder room and we cannot wait for it to be done. This used to be the super dark laundry room in the basement. I actually think that initially the cook might have slept here as the cook often times was also the laundress and according the censuses from 1890 and 1900 they lived in house. Plus this room downstairs has a window. So I think the cook was here and the other servants have lived upstairs …but we will probably never know for sure. In any event …this is what it will be in the future. The blue on the wood panelling is called Skinny Jeans …I love the name!
Bobby Pretzel likes winter btw- that is when he starts cuddling on my lap and therefore…maybe I do like winter as well, because how can you not love having such a bundle of toe beans cuddle with you :)
Hope you enjoyed the stroll this month – see you soon :)
My Creative Squad has made some really cool videos for their projects through the years (what a talented bunch indeed) so I thought I’d do a little 4 part series where I share some with you. Also I encourage you to check out the Creative Squad archive of projects as an excellent resource for serious artistic inspiration.
Let’s get started!
First up is Creative Squad alum Marsha Valk, sharing a trio of mini mixed media canvases using my Actually I Can and Fanfare rubber stamp sets and my Central Ave stencil. The theme that she was working with was Little Wonder – We’re thinking small this month and focusing in on a tiny scale, exploring the delicate details, and creating something that is petite and precious.
I love the bright color palette she uses and the layered backgrounds she builds up.
Keeping with a bright happy color scheme is this project from alum Nicole Watson who is using my Mini Motifs and Triangle Love stamp sets and the theme: Rise & Shine – Sometimes it is inspiring to think of each new day as an opportunity to do something good – to shine. Create something that will encourage others to do the same and let’s all bring a little more light into this world!
Looking for something solid? Like a nice solid shape that you can depend on? How about some solid stamps like my Solid Square, Solid Triangle, or Solid Hex! Haha I’m just joking around but they are pretty nifty stamps to play with.
Mix them up and layer them. They are building blocks for something bigger.
They can be a base for additional stamping with shape and pattern and in fact they can even be used to “kiss” other stamps before they go on the page. Check out that simple process here and enjoy the results:
Pattern and texture are two elements of artwork that always catch my attention. If you know me, I am pretty big on using both in my own work too. I think they add so much – movement, complexity, and that little something that makes you want to look more closely. They invite the viewer in and hey, that’s a good thing.
One way I add pattern and texture is through stencils and a favorite is my Signals stencil. It is definitely abstract and a little bit random too. The pattern was inspired by a vintage German roller stamp and it is just the thing for instant mark-making.
When I want pattern in a background of an art journal page to balance with some heavy duty journaling, Signals really works. I think it’s so successful because of its smaller scale and also it’s not super perfect with harsh edges. It isn’t geometric – it has a hand drawn feel to it that is very human.
Here my Creative Squad team member Robin uses it in muted tones over book pages for a quiet background that still has interest.
Besides backgrounds, Signals was my solution in this art journal page to give my building a little visual texture. Is it masonry showing through the mural or maybe just a little gritty urban texture? You can decide :) I think it works.
Signals plays nicely with other stencils too for layering, probably because it is more about texture and marks. Here it’s layered with my Space Age Modern stencil in pink and orange Distress Ink for a more complex look. Kinda gives an agitated vibe to the art journal page and fits the pose of the figure.
If you need a bold pattern though, Signals can work in that way too. I love layering it in black over bright colors. It has serious energy here.
Or do the opposite like my Creative Squad team member Maura does here – use the Signals stencil in bold colors over a black acrylic background. I love it!
Hope you enjoyed seeing how you can use the Signals stencil to add pattern, texture, and interesting details to your mixed media artwork. Give it a try! Here are some of the supplies used in these examples:
Image transfers can be done in lots of ways and I personally love experimenting with them in my artwork and art journal. Sometimes you want to include a photo image directly into your work and a transfer is a way to incorporate it more seamlessly.
I cover some of my favorite techniques in my Trace, Transfer, Transform online workshop to help you get started with image transfers. It can be daunting and a bit of practice and guidance can be just the thing. One important aspect about transfers to remember is that even imperfect transfers can add to your piece in unexpected ways.
Experimenting and playing will get you in the groove and open your eyes to the possibilities.
It is like a form of visual collage that adds to the layering and texture. And it’s just really a blast to fool around with to see what happens. Sounds like the kind of thing for you? Here’s a peek at my Trace, Transfer, Transform workshop:
A Look Back… at hand carved stamps! I love using my rubber and foam stamp designs in my art journal pages. They add pattern and detail and another element of my style into what I’m creating. Sometimes though, I don’t have the motif that I’m looking for in a ready made stamp so… I carve my own! It’s a fun process and it can give you that look and ease of use that is so great about stamps, but it usually also has a slightly imperfect look that makes it special. Here is a Look Back at some pages where I mix up hand carved stamps with my other favorite art making materials:
Here in this art journal page, the sinuous design in the background is a hand carved stamp. It looks like iron work or an architectural detail and was perfect for creating a background. I mixed in a little of my Manhattan stencil to soften things and blend the foreground and background elements.
Just like any stamp, a hand carved stamp doesn’t need to be a single use tool. As you can see I used that guy again in the background of this art journal spread. The double impression reminds me of a gate or doors behind the figure. I stamped it in yellow and then gave the design some more oomph (but not too much) with a fine white acrylic marker.
Speaking of architectural elements, that’s how I made them in this art journal page: hand carved stamps! You can go quite big if you use a product like Speedy-Carve that comes in sheets. It’s almost like linoleum printing but the material is so soft and easy to work with.
The figure above is a hand carved stamp, along with a hand cut stencil, and my Groovy foam stamp. I like how they all work together in this art journal spread, with similar line weights, curves, and scale. Don’t be afraid to mix up and layer your hand carved stamps with other stamps and stencils. They can be the focal point or a supporting actor on the page ;)
I’m finishing up with a double-header of an art journal spread: two pages that are celebrating hand carved stamps. The one on the left is a straight up impression and the right has cut outs and layering (and hey, recognize that figure from before?). Like I said, it’s fun to go big. These are both scenes from my hood and subjects that I definitely wanted to explore as stamps.
Ready to try making and using hand carved stamps? Here are some of the supplies I used in the above posts:
Look Back is a blog series to show you some projects and posts that you may have missed – sometimes going WAY back in the archive. I think it will be fun to revisit a few ideas that we haven’t seen for a while. I’m excited to see how a little look back might inspire something new in the future :)
With heavy hearts we are saying farewell to our our design team the Creative Squad, while we take a break for some much needed art time.
We have had so much talent over the years (from March 2016 onward!) highlighting my designs. It has been a pleasure working with all of the artists who were members and seeing new projects each week. I never expected that running a design team would bring so much joy to my life, but almost as soon as we got rolling, it was apparent that it was going to be an amazing time. Thank you to all those who made it possible!!!
As you know, the current Squad was Maura Hibbitts, Jordan Hill, Riikka Kovasin, and Judi Kauffman. I wanted to just highlight some of their work and then go through the list of Squad members through the years.
Maura Hibbitts – always brightening us up with color.
Jordan Hill – inspiring us with collage and sketching.
Riikka Kovasin – a master of composition and storytelling.
Judi Kauffman – expect the unexpected… and gorgeous texture!
Robin Seiz – thoughtful projects with a delicate touch.
Emilie Murphy – all those beautiful layers!
Jennifer Gallagher – cool and clean vibes all the time :)
Nicole Watson – master of layering and texture.
Linda Edkins Wyatt – quirky creativity to expand our minds.
Marsha Valk – experimenter extraordinaire with an eye for design.
Tania Ahmed – positive energy and refreshing style.
Josefine Fouarge – color maven :)
Shilpa Nagaonkar – brilliant colors and patterns galore.
Cheiron Brandon – the card maker we all aspire to be :)
Michelle Rydell – bold positivity!
Tina Walker – mixing vintage with a meaningful message.
Gwen Lafleur – fearless with texture and rich color.
Holy moly what a lineup! As you can see, through the years I’ve worked with so many different artists, who brought their individual voices and artistic styles to the Squad. It has been one of the highlights of running this business and an incredible source of inspiration for me and I’m sure you too.
We also had a different theme every single month from March 2016 on, for the Creative Squad to build off of when they were creating. Here are a few favorites and the projects that came out of them:
Mail Art – During the times of social distancing, old fashioned mail is a fun way to keep in touch and lift someone’s spirits. Create some mail art, and then actually send it off! Address it, put a stamp on it, and put it in the mailbox. You will make someone’s day :)
Little Wonder – We’re thinking small this month and focusing in on a tiny scale, exploring the delicate details, and creating something that is petite and precious.
Free for ALL – It’s time for summer vacation and relaxing so around here the Creative Squad is taking a break from themes this month. They’re just going with the flow and making a project of their choosing. It’s a Free for All!
I hope you take the time to go back through some of these posts and enjoy all of the ideas and techniques that the Creative Squad has shared. It’s been a fun ride and I am so happy to have been a part of it :)
It was such a pleasure to be part of the Creative squad and a privilege to be part of that incredible line up of artists. I hope the extra time brings you closer to your goal of creating. Best to you!
Such a wonderful group of talented artists!
Thank you all for your inspiration and thanks to you Nat for assembling them.
Reply