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Struggling with Contrast when Gelli Printing? Here’s How to Fix It
Are you struggling with contrast when gelli printing? This is a common challenge when monoprinting with a gel plate. There is always experimentation when playing with monoprinting. You won’t always be able to control the result. But here are a few tips and ideas to help you get great results when creating contrasting gelli prints. 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. Leaving Objects on the Gelli Plate when Printing You may be struggling with contrast with your gelli prints because you don’t have enough contrast between the elements. Start by adding a…
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Paint Your Season’s Greetings with Simple Watercolor Christmas Cards
Looking for ideas for simple watercolor Christmas cards? With the Christmas season approaching, we may want to make homemade Christmas cards. But it can feel really overwhelming if you don’t know where to start. How do you come up with a simple design that’s effective and easy to make? And most importantly, a design that you can easily replicate so that you can give all your favorite people a hand-made card. Today I’m sharing with you beginner-friendly and simple watercolor Christmas cards. This is a great way to practice your basic watercolor skills and make a bunch of beautiful cards quickly and easily. Hop-A-Long Studio is reader-supported. When you buy…
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15 Amazing Gift Ideas for Artists and Creatives
Are you looking for gift ideas for artists this holiday season? It can be challenging to shop for the artist in your life. There are so many products and options it can feel overwhelming. Today I’m going to simplify this process for you. I’ve included 15 of my favorite supplies that I use constantly in my creative process. Whether working in an art journal or on a canvas, these quality products will make fantastic gifts for both professional and novice artists alike! 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. 1. Helix Circle…
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Mixed Media Magic: Altered Photo Techniques for Your Art Journal
Do you ever use altered photos in your art journaling pages? We take photos all the time with our phones but may not realize that these photographs can be perfect additions to our art journal pages. The challenge is how do we seamlessly incorporate our photos into our pages? By using altered photo techniques this can help use change our photographs from snapshots to elements that are perfect for our art journal pages. Today I’ll share with you not only how to alter and adjust your photos for use in the art journal but also how to create a seamless and cohesive art journal page with a range of…
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The Art of Napkin Decoupage: How to Easily Transform Any Surface
Are you new to napkin decoupage? Or have been trying to refine napkin techniques on your own creative projects? Using napkins is a fun and beautiful way to add designs quickly to any surface. I love incorporate napkins into my canvas paintings, art journal projects and cards. But what it you want to use napkins on a curved surface or for a home décor piece? What do we need to know to make sure that we get great results every time? Today I’ll be sharing about how I use napkins outside of the art journal by transforming a plastic pumpkin into a beautiful piece of fall home décor. Hop-A-Long Studio…
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How to Create Stunning Image Transfers with Isolation Layers
Are you intimidated by the idea of using image transfers on your mixed media projects? Image transfers are a beautiful technique. But it can sometimes be hard to get great results, especially on a mixed media background. In today’s project I’ll show you how to can create a beautiful image transfer on a mixed media background that uses both resists and watercolor crystals. 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 Challenge with Image Transfers Having attempted image transfers in the past, I found that I often got mixed results. Part of it…
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Mixed Media Magic: Transforming Pumpkins with Decoupage
Looking for a way to practice your mixed media skills outside the art journal? Try making a fun and original home décor pumpkins with decoupage techniques! I found a plastic pumpkin at my local craft store and thought it would be perfect for adding a variety of mixed media elements to make it unique. Generally, I’m not much of a home décor creative, but occasionally it’s fun to change up the creative process. It can be a way of picking up new skills or learning how to use skills that you have in a different way. I find there’s always fun surprises along the path of creative self-discovery. Hop-A-Long Studio…
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How to Create Vaseline Resist Techniques in Your Art Journal
Are you looking for interesting ways to add and remove layers on your art journal pages? Try this amazing Vaseline resist technique! I love this technique because it’s easy to do and Vaseline is one of the few mediums that will resist acrylic paint. Using Vaseline makes for very interesting effects on any art journal page, and it’s so easy to master! 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 a Vaseline Resist Start with the Background To create a beautiful Vaseline resist, we need to start with a background that will work…
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3 Unique Ways to Use Stencils and Masks
Are you looking for unique ways to use stencils and masks in your art journal? Today I’ll be talking about the difference between stencils and masks and how we can use them in our 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. What’s the Difference Between Stencils and Masks? If you’ve never used stencils and masks together, it can be confusing to know what the difference is. The Stencil Girl Wildflowers Botanical stencil that I’m using today is sold with the mask and stencil together. If you can find stencils…
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How to Create Unique Art Journal Backgrounds with Plastic Wrap
Are you looking for unique ways to create layers in your art journal pages? Today we’ll talk about how to create beautiful and easy art journal backgrounds using plastic wrap. One of the hardest parts about art journaling is breaking up the white space and creating unique backgrounds. We can get stuck at this first step and this can often interrupt our creative flow. This is where I look for things around my house to inspire me. Plastic wrap is a great art tool because it’s inexpensive and easily available. You probably already have some! Hop-A-Long Studio is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn…
The Art of Self-Care
