Hop-A-Long Studio

The Art of Self-Care

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  • CLASSES
  • COMMUNITY
  • SHOP
  • ABOUT
  • CONTACT
  • HOME
  • CLASSES
  • COMMUNITY
  • SHOP
  • ABOUT
  • CONTACT

Recent Posts

  • Comparison between PVA, Mod Podge and Matte Medium Which Glue is the Best for CollageMod Podge, PVA, or Matte Medium? Here’s How to Choose
    In Techniques
  • Art paperclip created using handmade paper and hand drawn images by Nadine MiltonTired of Boring Paperclips? Make These Instead!
    In Projects, Techniques
  • How to make a perfect laser image transferThe Ultimate Guide to Perfect Image Transfers
    In Projects, Techniques
  • How to fix disappearing napkin art with these simple steps
    Art Journal,  Techniques

    My Napkin Art is Disappearing! 3 Easy Ways to Recover Images

    April 28, 2023 /

    Do you ever run into your napkin art disappearing on your art journal pages? You may start with a beautiful background that would be perfect for napkins, but then your images disappear when you apply them! This is frustrating and can be very disappointing. But your project isn’t ruined! There are several ways that you can recover your disappearing napkin images on your art journal 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. Why is my Napkin Art Disappearing? Napkin art is a beautiful addition to any art journal page as the napkin…

    Read More
    Nadine Milton

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    How to get the best results with napkin decoupage

    New to Napkin Decoupage? Start HERE!

    June 28, 2024
    How to Paint a Night Sky

    How to Paint a Night Sky

    February 19, 2021
    Completed Art Journal Project What You Focus on Grows

    Altering Paper on a Journal Page

    January 29, 2021
  • Art Journal Backgrounds with Spray Paints and Inks
    Art Journal,  Techniques

    Easy Art Journal Backgrounds with Spray Paints and Inks

    April 21, 2023 /

    Looking for a fast and easy art journal background? Try using acrylic spray paints and inks to create beautiful art journal backgrounds with ease. A blank page can feel so intimidating. By breaking up the art journal background this can be a great way to get your creative juices flowing. Today I’m sharing my favorite acrylic spray paints and inks and how I use them to create layered art journal backgrounds. 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 Color with Spray Inks An easy way to add variety to your art journal…

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    Nadine Milton

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    Why art journal?

    Demystifying Art Journaling: How to Start & Why It Matters

    February 13, 2026
    How to Get Comfortable with Your Watercolors an Easy Art Journal Project

    How to Get Comfortable with Your Watercolors

    February 10, 2023
    Collage with Dried Leaves in Your Art Journal

    How to Collage with Dried Leaves in Your Journal

    October 21, 2022
  • Unique Pan Pastel Techniques with Watermark Ink Peony Project on Black Art Journal
    Art Journal,  Techniques

    Unique Techniques using Pan Pastels with Watermark Ink

    April 2, 2023 /

    Looking for ways to create beautiful details with Pan Pastels? Using Pan Pastels with watermark ink is a very simple way to add in interesting textures and details to your Pan Pastel creations. You can use this technique with both black and white paper to create a variety of unique effects. 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 is Watermark Ink? Watermark ink is a translucent ink used to make watermarks on papers or creative projects. When the ink is stamped onto the surface, it creates a mark slightly darker than the…

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    Nadine Milton

    You May Also Like

    Adding Modeling Paste Through a Detailed Stencil

    How to get the Best Results with Acrylic Pastes and Stencils

    January 20, 2023
    Mixed Media Textures Using Brushos

    Mixed Media Textures Using Brushos

    May 6, 2022
    wet-on-wet watercolor techniques mixing colors

    Easy Wet-on-Wet Watercolor Techniques for Beginners

    October 28, 2022
  • Looking to Improve your Painting Skills? How to Paint a Tree with Ink using Yasutomo Traditional Chinese Ink Silver Black and Chinese & Watercolor Brushes
    Art Journal,  Techniques

    Looking for an Easy Painting Exercise? How to Paint a Tree with Ink

    February 24, 2023 /

    Do you ever find yourself unsure of how to improve your painting skills? You may not know where to start and it may feel overwhelming. If that’s you, here’s a very simple project on how to paint a tree with ink that will help you improve your painting skills. As a creator, I sometimes go through times where I’m not feeling inspired. I can feel like I’m out of ideas or am uncertain on where to start with a project. When this happens, I tend to simplify my process as this can help get the creative juices flowing. For this project, you’ll need a piece of watercolor paper, ink and…

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    Nadine Milton

    You May Also Like

    Urban Sketching for Self-Care

    Urban Sketching for Self-Care

    September 18, 2020
    How to Use Layering Stencils to Create Dimensional Images

    How to Use Layering Stencils to Create Dimensional Images

    September 23, 2022
    Amazing Alcohol Ink Cards Using Hardware Store Foil

    Amazing Alcohol Ink Cards Using Hardware Store Foil

    November 25, 2022
  • How to Get Comfortable with Your Watercolors an Easy Art Journal Project
    Art Journal,  Techniques

    How to Get Comfortable with Your Watercolors

    February 10, 2023 /

    Are you new to watercolor paints or have recently purchased a new set of watercolors? Watercolors are a wonderful medium but every new color or set of colors can take time to get used to. The colors may act differently than what you’re accustomed to, which can cause frustration. So how do you get comfortable with a new set of watercolors? I recently purchased a new set of Russian watercolor paints called White Nights at my local art store. I wanted to share with you my process and the exercises I use to get familiar with the paints and color combinations. We’ll be creating a simple watercolor painting in our…

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    Nadine Milton

    You May Also Like

    How to create unique color combinations in the art journal using a color wheel

    How to use a Color Wheel to Create Unique Art Journal Color Combinations

    May 5, 2023
    How to get the most textured collage in your art journal

    Create the Ultimate Textured Collage with this Technique

    August 23, 2025
    gel plate printing with leaves and grasses

    Unique & Easy Gel Printing with Leaves and Grasses

    September 19, 2025
  • Basic art journal techniques using acrylic paint and napkins
    Art Journal,  Techniques

    New to Art Journaling? Basic Techniques using Paints and Napkins

    January 27, 2023 /

    Are you new to art journaling? Or do you have a pristine art journal that you’re afraid to start creating in? The first few pages in an art journal can be hard. You may not feel like you know what you’re doing, or perhaps you’re struggling with what to create in your journal. Today we’re starting with a simple prompt and basic art journal techniques to get you started. 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. Starting with a Thought or Question Usually most of my art journal pages start with a thought…

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    Nadine Milton

    You May Also Like

    Goal Setting: Creativity as a Prompt

    Goal Setting: Creativity as a Prompt

    January 14, 2020
    Living in the Moment Art Journal Page Paint Tutorial

    Living in the Moment: An Art Journal Painting Tutorial on Denim

    August 27, 2021
    Mixed Media Fall Greeting Card Using Distress Crayons, Archival Ink and Wild Whisper Designs Paper and Stamps

    Mixed Media Fall Greeting Card

    October 8, 2021
  • Amazing Ink Techniques for Your Art Journal Using Archival and Dye Inks
    Art Journal,  Techniques

    Amazing Ink Techniques for Your Art Journal

    January 13, 2023 /

    Looking for creative ways to use ink techniques in your art journal? So often when we’re working in our art journal, we like to use acrylic mediums. But inks can also create amazing results in an art journal. The benefits of dye and archival inks is they are easily available, aren’t super messy, and have so much versatility as an art journal medium.   Earlier this week I was asked the question by a reader, “Can you use ink in a journal?” Yes, you absolutely can. Today we’ll look at several creative ink techniques for your art journal. Hop-A-Long Studio is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site,…

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    Nadine Milton

    You May Also Like

    Is Craft Paint Really Cheaper? Choosing the Best Paint for your Art Journal

    Is Craft Paint Really Cheaper? What’s the Best Paint?

    October 7, 2022
    Nadine Milton Sketching in Kelowna Japanese Garden

    Why You Should Try an Art Retreat

    August 13, 2022
    Art Journaling Project "How did I end up here?"

    Art Journaling Project “How did I end up here?”

    May 6, 2019
  • Techniques for Creating Beautiful Layers with Alcohol Ink
    Art Journal,  Techniques

    Techniques for Creating Beautiful Layers with Alcohol Inks

    December 16, 2022 /

    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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    Nadine Milton

    You May Also Like

    Art of Self-Discovery Art Journaling Page

    The Art of Self-Discovery: An Art Journaling Project

    May 27, 2019
    Finding A New Normal

    Finding a New Normal

    May 29, 2020
    Gelli Plate Printing Textures with Leaves

    Gelli Plate Printing with Leaves

    June 24, 2022
  • Easy Foil Alternatives for Cards and Art Journal Pages
    Art Journal,  Techniques

    Easy Foil Alternatives for Cards and Art Journal Pages

    November 18, 2022 /

    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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    Nadine Milton

    You May Also Like

    Mixed Media Art Journal Collage

    Mixed Media Art Journal Collage: Finding Intention at Christmas

    December 17, 2021
    5 Acrylic Background Techniques for the Art Journal

    Intimidated by the Blank Page? 5 Acrylic Background Techniques for the Art Journal

    June 10, 2022
    Adding Your Own Art to Stencil Images

    Adding Your Own Art to Stencil Images

    August 28, 2020
  • Collage with Dried Leaves in Your Art Journal
    Art Journal,  Techniques

    How to Collage with Dried Leaves in Your Journal

    October 21, 2022 /

    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…

    Read More
    Nadine Milton

    You May Also Like

    Travel Greeting Card Using Photos and Wild Whisper Designs Road Trip Paper Collection

    How to Make a Travel Greeting Card

    June 18, 2021
    Techniques for Creating Beautiful Layers with Alcohol Ink

    Techniques for Creating Beautiful Layers with Alcohol Inks

    December 16, 2022
    How to Create Stunning Image Transfers with Isolation Layers

    How to Create Stunning Image Transfers with Isolation Layers

    September 30, 2023
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Nadine Milton

Visual Storyteller & Mixed Media Artist

Welcome to Hop-A-Long Studio! I would love for you to join me in the journey of self-care through artistic expression.

Categories

  • Art Classes
  • Art Journal
  • Artist's Journey
  • Projects
  • Techniques

Tags

Acceptance (10) acrylic paint (16) Acrylic Painting (17) Applying Art Mediums (14) Applying Brusho Powders (10) Art Ideas (22) art journal (20) Art Journaling (62) Art Tutorials (156) Art Videos (164) Awareness (19) Blending Color (22) Card Making (16) Card Tutorials (11) Christmas (9) collage (22) Creative Foundations (24) Creativity (29) Drawing (12) Embossing (11) Gelli Plate (10) Gelli Printing (21) Goal Setting (9) Ink Blending (13) Inking (42) Inks (11) Making Good Choices (12) Mental Health (32) Mindfulness (24) Mixed Media (15) Mixed Media Art (16) napkins (9) Pan Pastels (9) Self-Care (47) Self-Care Activities (16) Self-Care Videos (33) Self-Discovery (14) Stamping (62) Stencilling (48) Tim Holtz Distress (23) Values (9) Watercolor (14) Watercolor Basics (13) Watercolor Painting (19) Wild Whisper Designs (21)

Recent Posts

  • Comparison between PVA, Mod Podge and Matte Medium Which Glue is the Best for CollageMod Podge, PVA, or Matte Medium? Here’s How to Choose
    In Techniques
  • Art paperclip created using handmade paper and hand drawn images by Nadine MiltonTired of Boring Paperclips? Make These Instead!
    In Projects, Techniques
  • How to make a perfect laser image transferThe Ultimate Guide to Perfect Image Transfers
    In Projects, Techniques
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