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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,…
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How to Use Layering Stencils to Create Dimensional Images
Have you ever tried using layering stencils to make dimensional images for your projects? Layering stencils are extremely popular but understanding a few key techniques can help you get consistent results. If you don’t own any multi-layered stencils, today I’ll show you how you to create layered images using any stencil in your collection. 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 Use Layering Stencils Recently, there has been a trend toward layering stencils that use several stencils to make one image. This means ink, paint and other mediums can be added…
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Easy Art Journal Page Using Paper
If you are new to art journaling, it can be intimidating knowing where to start. One of the most basic techniques is creating an art journal page using paper. This doesn’t require a lot of materials and it’s an easy place to get started. But we’re going to spice up this art journal page by adding mediums to the paper. This is a great way to use paper but add your own creative flair to your journal page. 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 Art Journal Prompt Before I start…
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The Best Inexpensive Acrylic Paint Markers
If you’re looking for decent quality but inexpensive acrylic paint markers, it can be hard to know what to buy. There are so many choices out there and it can be hard to know what markers the best and which ones are aren’t very good. I have shared comparisons of my favorite artist acrylic paint markers before. But today I am sharing some of the inexpensive acrylic paint markers that I use that work very well on a variety of 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. What to Look for…
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How to Use Watercolor Backgrounds in an Art Journal
In last week’s tutorial we created beautiful watercolor backgrounds using stencils. But how can we effectively use these watercolor pages in an art journal? It’s always fun to try a new technique, but the real question is how do we apply it to our 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. What to do with Watercolor Stenciled Papers So what can we do with these beautiful watercolor stenciled papers? They can be used as backgrounds in cards or on art journal pages. They can also be cut into images or used in…
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How to use Watercolors with Stencils
Using watercolors with stencils may seem like two things that don’t go together in your art journal. The loose nature of watercolor appears incompatible with stencils. But with a bit of experimentation and imagination, you can get some amazing and unexpected results using watercolors with stencils. 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. Adding Watercolors to Stencils When adding watercolors to stencils, you may need to change your expectation for the final result. When using acrylic paints, gel or paste mediums with stencils, the medium can be applied, and the stencil removed immediately.…
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How to Create Gelli Prints with 5 Types of Ink
When learning how to create gelli prints with inks, it can be hard to know which ink to choose. There are so many to choose from. What ink is the most vibrant? What inks will stain your gel plate? Today we will cover 5 popular inks and how they work with the gelli plate on both gloss paper and cardstock. 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 Gelli Print with Inks The basic technique to create gelli prints with inks is the same as paint. To create a beautiful print, apply…
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Why You Should Try an Art Retreat
If you’ve never experienced an art retreat, this can be a fantastic way to boost your creativity and reset your creative practice. I recently returned from an art retreat and many people had questions about my experience. Today I’ll share with you what I learned and why an art retreat might be the perfect experience for you. What is an Art Retreat? Most simply, an art retreat is a chance to get out of your regular environment and take time to create art. These can be structured, instructive classes, or just a quiet place for you to get away and work on your art. A lot of professional artists do…
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Feeling Stuck? How to Use Gel Prints in Your Art Journal Projects
Do you ever stare at your stack of gel prints wondering how to use those gel prints in your projects? You’re not alone. It can be overwhelming to take the beautiful prints you’ve made and figure out how to incorporate them into your journal. Today I’ll share with you one way that I like using gel prints in my art journal and how easy it is to add gel prints into your 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. Adding Gel Prints to the Art Journal There are so many ways of…
The Art of Self-Care
