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Techniques for Creating Beautiful Layers with Alcohol Inks
Alcohol inks are a beautiful and fun art medium, but how do you create layers and dimension with alcohol inks? This may seem difficult and complicated, but alcohol ink layering techniques are easy to do if you understand the right methods. I’ll be working on a page for my art journal, but these techniques can easily be adapted for card projects or tags too. Hop-A-Long Studio is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission at no cost to you. Learn more. Creating Layers with Ink Blending For this project, start by choosing your favorite alcohol ink surface. My recommended surfaces for alcohol inks…
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Beautiful Smudge Free Pan Pastel Christmas Cards
Looking for smudge free results with your Pan Pastel Christmas cards? These easy Christmas cards take advantage of the beautiful blends you get with Pan Pastels without the smudging that sometimes occurs with this medium. Hop-A-Long Studio is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission at no cost to you. Learn more. Blending with Pan Pastels I love the beautiful blends that we can get with Pan Pastels. This is what makes Pan Pastels so forgiving and fun to use. If you are new to Pan Pastels, check out my How to Use Pan Pastels video where I walk you through the basics…
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Amazing Alcohol Ink Cards Using Hardware Store Foil
Are you looking for alternative surfaces to use alcohol inks on? Yupo isn’t the only surface that you can use for alcohol inks. There are so many ways to create beautiful alcohol ink cards using hardware store foil and other household items. Hop-A-Long Studio is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission at no cost to you. Learn more. Using Foil Tape and Aluminum Foil for Cards If you haven’t seen last week’s post, I shared how you can make beautiful card bases using aluminum foil and metal ducting tape. To see how to make these foil backgrounds, visit this article. Once you…
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Easy Foil Alternatives for Cards and Art Journal Pages
Looking for foil alternatives for cards and art journal pages? There are household products that can work amazing on your art journal and card projects, at a fraction of the cost of craft foiling sheets. These techniques are a must know for any creative. Today we’ll go over a few different materials, the positive and negatives of each, and how you can add them to your creative projects. Hop-A-Long Studio is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission at no cost to you. Learn more. Alternatives to Foil Cardstock Foil cardstock is an amazing option for creating mirrored surfaces, beautiful sentiments, and details…
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3 Christmas Card Ideas Using One Die Cut Design
If you’re new to making Christmas cards or are looking for a simple and easy holiday cards, today I’m sharing 3 Christmas card ideas using only one die cut. I love choosing beautiful and intricate dies for my cards. If you choose the right die, it can be used for so many different designs! Hop-A-Long Studio is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission at no cost to you. Learn more. Creating Colorful Backgrounds One of the keys to a beautiful and unique Christmas card designs is creating a beautiful, colorful background. There are many patterned papers and colorful cardstocks that will give…
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The Best Gifts for Artists that Love Watercolor and Acrylic Paint
It can be hard to know how to choose a gift for the artist in your life. Choosing the best gifts for artists can be challenging, especially if you don’t know much about art supplies. In this guide I’ll share with you some fantastic gifts for artists and how to decide which gift is the best for the artist in your life. Hop-A-Long Studio is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission at no cost to you. Learn more. Choosing the Best Gifts for Artists Part of choosing the best gifts for the artist in your life is to answer the following questions.…
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Easy Wet-on-Wet Watercolor Techniques for Beginners
If you are new to watercolor and learning wet-on-wet watercolor techniques, watercolor can sometimes feel challenging. You may feel like you have no control over your brush or your watercolor paint. Today we’ll cover the basics of wet-on-wet watercolor techniques for beginners to help you get great results every time! Hop-A-Long Studio is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission at no cost to you. Learn more. The Problem The problem with wet-on-wet watercolor is how do we control the water? When I was new to watercolor painting, a lot of my projects ended up looking like colored blobs instead of landscapes, clouds,…
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How to Collage with Dried Leaves in Your Journal
Have you ever tried collage with dried leaves in your art journal? Dried leaves can be a hard medium to use because they can crack and disintegrate in your project. But by using a few simple techniques, you can preserve your leaves and create a beautiful, layered autumn art journal project. Hop-A-Long Studio is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission at no cost to you. Learn more. How to Prevent Dried Leaves from Falling Apart The hardest thing about using dried leaves in your art journal is preventing them from falling apart. Especially with collage, if you use a thick gel medium…
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How to Press and Preserve Fall Leaves
Fall is one of my favorite times of year. It’s the perfect time for pressing and preserving fall leaves to add to your journal and creative projects. There are so many beautiful colors and shapes from fall leaves, they add a beautiful, organic touch to any project! The Problem The problem with fall leaves is how to prevent them from cracking, crumbling, and disintegrating on your project. It’s discouraging to create a beautiful project with leaves and have the leaves crumble and crack off your page. Using these simple techniques below will help you press and preserve your fall leaves. These techniques are easy, require very little materials and will…
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Is Craft Paint Really Cheaper? What’s the Best Paint?
Choosing the best paint for your art journal can feel overwhelming. There are so many brands of paint at a variety of price points. Most people will start with craft paint in their journals. But is it the best and least expensive paint for your creative practice? Today we will answer the question, “Is craft paint really cheaper?” Hop-A-Long Studio is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission at no cost to you. Learn more. Understanding the Difference Between Craft Paint and Artist Paints Craft Paints Craft paints are inexpensive and are created to meet a price point. These paints are dye based,…
The Art of Self-Care
