This is a fun thing that is happening tomorrow: my friend Jimmy Leslie is interviewing me for The Fine Art Collective! It will be on their Instagram live story feed here @TFACNA, so tune in tomorrow, April 16th at 12noon EST.
The format will be very cool – a split screen with Jimmy and myself, I will be in my studio, answering questions from Jimmy AND you! So stop by and get in on the conversation.
A little about TFACNA – “The Fine Art Collective North America is part of a global network of artists & technical experts dedicated to sharing art materials knowledge & skills.” It’s a great resource and I’m honored to be sharing my story with them :)
Hello from my Creative Squad! Today we have a series of cards from Maura Hibbitts that are sure to brighten your day even in these difficult times. Maura is using my Amsterdam 6×6, Mesa Verde, Art Deco Wallpaper, Signals, and Art Deco Empire stencils. The theme this month is: Weather Report – Let’s talk about the weather! Do you love thunderstorms? The crisp air of Autumn? A good snowstorm? Are you a fan of endless sunshine? Create something inspired by that go-to topic of small talk – the weather!
April certainly is a month of changeable weather! One day it can feel like a beautiful spring day full of sunshine and warmth (and I certainly want more of these kind of days!). The next can bring in snow and cold, but luckily these storms don’t last too long and the snow melts away quickly. And of course, there is the saying about April showers bringing May flowers, but be sure to check for rainbows too! So, check the weather report before you head out!
I’ve been making and sending out cards to let people know I am thinking about them during these difficult times, so I knew I wanted to use this month’s theme to make some more cards.
I started off with an array of rainbow colors, my gel plate, and several of Nathalie’s stencils to create some papers to use for the project. I used a brayer and a mix of red, orange and yellow along with a stencil, like the Amsterdam stencil here. First time the stencil goes on the plate and the paper on top; then put the painty stencil on paper, and third take another print off the plate. I used watercolor paper to do this.
I also keep some deli paper handy when I am printing to use for excess paint. Quite by accident, I happened to have the deli paper sitting on a stencil, and when I rolled the brayer over it, it picked up the pattern.
I repeated the printing process with the green, blue and purple blend on watercolor paper and deli paper. First print here is off the plate with the Art Deco Empire stencil, and the second is printing with the stencil.
I decided to add in more color with a rainbow mixture of fluid acrylics. Here, I blended in the opposite group of colors with a baby wipe. Since the heavy body acrylic was dry, it acted like a resist, so all colors now show.
On some of the printed papers, I used a splatter brush and fluid acrylics to add a subtle layer of color.
Gold accents always take it up a notch, so I used the Signals stencil with gold paint to add a shimmery layer to some printed papers.
Now I have a mix of rainbow painted watercolor sheets and deli papers to use for my cards. Plus, a quick look at some of the rainbow assortment of supplies I used.
Now, the fun begins! I cut out all kinds of shapes related to weather and pieced them together to make my images….sun, clouds, an umbrella, snowflakes, raindrops, and a rainbow. I did use a pencil to sketch out a few. I adhered the heavier paper with tacky glue, and the deli paper with matte gel medium. Oh, and I had previously used the paper trimmer to cut white card stock for the base, and yellow for the background, which I edged with black ink.
Once the cards were dry, since it was such a beautiful day, I headed out to the deck to do the doodling on the cards. I am using a carbon ink pen, but any black permanent pen will work. I also added in thoughts about the weather.
Softly falling snow (well, I hope not, lol!)…The sun shines behind the clouds…Singing in the rain…Look for the Silver lining…Bringing some sunshine…and Look for rainbows! I hope these thoughts and the rainbow colored cards will bring some much needed encouragement into our lives right now. Be well, be healthy, and find joy in April’s weather! – Maura
Thank you Maura for lifting our spirits today!!! These cards are so happy and beautiful.
Want to give Maura’s project a try? You can find all my Stencils in my Online Shop. Here are some of the other supplies Maura used:
Feel inspired? Working on something yourself that you’d like to share? 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“.
When I received my new RubberMoon Stamp Designs I once again couldn’t stop making samples and patterns (remember last year’s April Patterns — well it happened again this year lol). I decided to record a short video for some of them and post them on my Instagram.
These videos are short and sweet – You can see what I use and how I pull the pattern together. I hope it inspires you to give some of them a try and maybe come up with your own too.
Here is a recap of Patterns 1-7 – I hope you enjoy :)
First up is a simple but very bold pattern using the Empire Triangle stamp from my Triangle Love stamp set:
Video 02 is a super easy pattern using my Stained Glass Triangle from my Triangle Love stamp set:
Next up is an argyle style diamond pattern using my Star Triangle stamp from my Triangle Love stamp set:
Video 04 is using my Sunburst Triangle stamp from the Triangle Love set to create hexagons:
Video 05 shows 2 border patterns and a loose field of pattern, all using stamps from the Triangle Love Set:
Next up is a pattern using my Mini Motifs stamp set – 3 stamps from that set that fit nicely together:
Video 07 is using the Tulip Triangle from my Triangle Love set and it is neat to watch the hexagon transform into a star and then into a larger hexagon:
Here are some of the stamps I used for these patterns:
So happy to share with you today a special video interview I did with one of our Creative JumpStart 2020 teachers: Nancy Curry. I have known about Nancy for many years as an arts educator and author and this is her first time teaching with CJS. In this second interview Nancy talks about the inspiration behind her lesson and the joy she experiences from seeing student work and how they transfer the ideas and skills to other projects. She also discusses her current artmaking and the meaning behind the imagery that she is using, her journey to work through some fundamental art skills, and how she likes to experiment with new materials.
Thank you Nancy!
You can learn more about Nancy (including links to her workshops) on her website.
Sign up now for Creative JumpStart 2020 if you haven’t yet and make use of our special sale now – just $45 through the end of April 2020. If you have already jumped into the classroom, check out some of the tutorials and also work of other students again. There is so much inspiration in there: 31 different mixed media lessons from 31 Super Hero Artists like Nancy. Hope to see you in the CJS classroom soon :)
“We are in this together! All will be good!” Hope this page finds you well and coping with everything ok.
For my background I used Daniel Smith’s gold gesso and then stamped over that with my new Mini Motifs set and my Solid Triangle Small.
Then I added a bit of color with some fine point Posca markers and used a pencil eraser for the dots with an ink pad.
I think I might also be channeling a little bit of Klimt here too. Speaking of- you can still sign up for my Artful Adventures with Gustav Klimt Workshop here – check it out – it is super fun!
Sometimes there is something so refreshing about using just the basics.
Here are some of the supplies I used:
I hope you can join me for a Facebook Live chat tomorrow, April 10 at 12noon EST. I’ll be catching up with all of you and of course talking about some of my latest Artful Adventures… from home :) Join us!
Hello my friends – today we have some very nice news to share with you. We have been waiting anxiously to let you know and now is the time: We have a new Creative Squad member to welcome to the team and introduce today!!!
Do you know my Creative Squad? They are my amazing design team of artists who bring you their creations each month. I give them a theme as a way to get their creative juices flowing, and then they make a project using some of my stamp and stencil designs. You can check out their projects each week on Tuesdays, right HERE on the blog. It is always inspiring to see what they come up with!
So without further ado, here is the Creative Squad:
First, a BIG welcome to Emilie Murphy, our newest member! We have been following Emilie for months on social media and knew we wanted to invite her when a place opened up on the Squad. Emilie brings her joyful and colorful style to inspire us each month :)
Here’s a little more about Emilie, and a reintroduction to the rest of the awesome squad too :) You can also explore squad members current and past on the Creative Squad page.
Emilie is a French scientist living in Maryland and you can check her out on her website here. And here is a little bio from her:
Emilie Murphy – Emilie has always been passionate about making all kinds of different things since her childhood. Ten years ago she started on a scrapbooking journey and since 2016, this has also evolved into card making and mixed media. She loves anything handmade, which seems to always spark her curiosity and enthusiasm to experiment with new techniques. Her favorite things to make are art books/journals; where she can play with stamps, stencils, inks, paints, mix papers, and fabrics. Making artistic kinds of things became vital for her well-being and provides an escape from her daily life routine. She can’t thank Nathalie enough for giving her the opportunity to be a part of her Creative Squad!
Jennifer from West Virginia has been with the squad for over 2 years and you can learn all about her here on her website. Her bio is:
Jennifer Gallagher is an artist and art instructor currently living in West Virginia with her husband and two sons. She has been involved in the arts her entire life in one way or another. After studying fashion in college, Jennifer found herself drawn to new art forms and techniques. She now enjoys painting, collage, art journaling, and mixed media. Geometric shapes and patterns are her greatest source of inspiration and joy.
Maura from Upstate New York has been with us since January 2018 and you can check her out more here on her website. Here is her bio:
Maura Hibbitts – “I’ve joyously jumped to the right side of my brain to play with color and work in mixed media, sometimes with a steampunk twist, since retiring from teaching science. I’m back to being that kid that sat under the backyard tree and drew for hours. I enjoy life with my family in the Adirondack region of New York, love to travel, read, garden and still find myself fascinated by clouds and rocks from my years of teaching earth science.”
Nicole has been a squad member since 2019 and comes from Texas, you can check out her here on her website. Here is her bio:
Hi! I’m Nicole Watson, a Midwest girl who married a Southern boy now living in Austin, Texas. Art has always been part of me … from collecting random bits of paper at a young age, to selling my first painting in high school, then discovering mixed media while studying art and design in college. Other stops along my art journey include scrapbooking, card making, freelance photography, and layout/graphic design. Creating in my studio and sharing my work with others gives me life, purpose, and is healing to my soul.
And finally Judi Kauffman – our part time squad member who comes to us from Maryland. Judi likes to fly a little below the radar so you can learn all about her here on my blog post interview with her.
Please check out our Creative Squad posts each Tuesday for fun projects and inspiring techniques – there is always something new from this amazing gang and we are so happy to have them!
Hello from my Creative Squad! Today we have a beautiful art journal page celebrating the beginning of Spring from Jennifer Gallagher who is using my Kassel and Broadway 4×4 stencils. The theme this month is: Weather Report – Let’s talk about the weather! Do you love thunderstorms? The crisp air of Autumn? A good snowstorm? Are you a fan of endless sunshine? Create something inspired by that go-to topic of small talk – the weather!
Jennifer here again this month with the weather report. Spring has officially sprung. The cold, snowy days of Winter have begun to give way to birds chirping, spring rain showers, and the beginnings of green busting through the soil. It almost feels like we are drudging along in the dreary winter and then all of a sudden that first little sign of spring comes out of nowhere. I love Spring! There is something so hopeful about the awakening of the Earth and the budding of new plants. We could all use that hopefulness now. With that in mind, I have created a very simple art journal page that is a visual representation of that burst of color and life amidst the darkness of winter. Let’s get started.
I began by putting a coat of clear gesso down to prepare my page. I am working on the cotton rag paper in my Dina Wakley Media Journal. After the gesso dried, using a large flat brush, I brushed on a thin amount of water across the page, leaving a small circle in the center totally dry. Then I dipped my brush into Marabu Aqua Ink in ultramarine blue. I applied the color and blotted here and there with a towel.
With a mini-blending tool, I applied Distress Oxide in mermaid lagoon around in the same places, leaving the center center alone.
I spritzed a fine mist of water across the page, let it sit for a few seconds, and then dabbed it up with a paper towel.
Next, I laid Nat’s Kassel stencil down and applied Distress Ink in blueprint sketch through it to create a border on three sides.
After placing Nat’s Broadway 4×4 stencil in the center of the page, I applied Distress Oxides in twisted citron and worn lipstick through it.
Holding the Marabu art crayon in sunshine yellow like a pencil, I drew a thin line of color around the outside of the circle. I dipped a very small brush into water, ran the brush across that line, and then took a dry cosmetic sponge and with a gentle touch pulled the color in a downward motion. I would pick up the sponge and move to the next section and pull. I repeated this motion all across the circle. Then I repeated the process with the pomegranate art crayon. You can go back and add as much as you like.
I unscrewed the top off of my Distress Spray Stain in picket fence and dipped a small paintbrush into the liquid. I used it to create white splatter on my page.
I laid the stencil back down and added Distress Oxide in picked raspberry into the center of the stencil to brighten the center.
Using a black gelly roll pen, I doodled around all of the stenciled designs. I also lightened the four circular areas with a white posca pen.
I added some word stickers from Tim Holtz Big Chat and Small Talk sets. I added “alive” and “everything has beauty”.
I hope you have enjoyed this tutorial. Art can be a great way to keep ourselves busy during difficult times. I am wishing the best for you, your families, and your communities. If you get the chance to try this tutorial, please share your creations with us.
Thank you Jennifer for such an uplifting page!
Give it a try: you can find all my Stencils in my Online Shop and here are some of the other supplies Jennifer used:
Feel inspired? Working on something yourself that you’d like to share? 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“.
