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Intimidated by Watercolor Mixing? An Easy Watercolor Tutorial
If you are new to watercolor painting, watercolor mixing may seem intimidating. Watercolor mixing is a great way of learning the palette, but where to start? What colors do you use? How do you mix colors without creating mud? When I was first learning how to use watercolor and acrylic paints, color mixing seemed impossible to learn. But I was determined to move past only using the color from the tube. I experimented, learned from others and I continue to grow in my skills. The effort to learn color mixing is worth it. Not only does it improve your paintings, but it also provides so much freedom in your creative…
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Creative Stamping with Watercolor Markers
Stamping with watercolor markers is a great way of customizing your stamping designs in your art journal or creative projects. I love watercolor markers because they can be used in so many different ways. Not just as writing or drawing pens, but also used with stamps and other mark making tools. Stamping with watercolor markers is a less conventional way of using these markers in your creative projects. Today I will be sharing some of my favorite techniques and how I use watercolor markers to customize my stamped images. Watercolor Markers There are a variety of watercolor markers available, but I prefer watercolor markers that have both a writing…
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Creating Mixed Media Tissue Paper
If you are looking to personalize your art journal projects, creating mixed media tissue paper is a fun way to get unique colors and textures. Creating mixed media tissue paper is easy and only requires a few materials. In this tutorial I will share with you three different techniques for getting a variety of different textures with mixed media tissue paper. What Type of Tissue Paper to Use? There are a variety of tissue papers that you can use for this technique. From tissue paper used for gift wrapping to acid-free tissue paper used for protecting and storing works of art. I am using acid-free, PH neutral tissue paper but…
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Art Journaling with Tissue Paper Collage
Tissue paper collage is a fun way to add layers and textures to your art journal pages. You can get a variety of printed tissue papers or purchase plain tissue paper to alter with inks, stamps and paints. The possibilities for tissue paper collage are endless and it’s a great way of personalizing your journal. For today’s project and tutorial I am using Dina Wakley collage tissue paper. The papers are printed in both black and white which provides versatility on how you can apply them in your projects. Why Use Tissue Paper? I love tissue paper collage because of the translucent quality of the medium. It can be layered…
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Art Journaling with Napkins
Have you ever tried adding napkins to your art journal? Art journaling with napkins is such a fun and easy technique to add pattern and design to your page. Especially if you are new to art journaling, this is an easy technique to get you creating full pages in no time! Today we will be discussing what napkins to use and how to prepare them for use in your art journal. I will also demonstrate how to attach the napkins and different techniques for creating napkin art in your journal. Why Napkins? Why would you start art journaling with paper napkins? Because they are an easy way to add…
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Loosen Up with Contour Drawing and Painterly Effects
Do you ever struggle with drawing and getting overwhelmed by the details? Contour drawing is a great way to loosen up your drawing practice. Today I will share with you how to create a contour drawing and how to create painterly effects using watercolor paints. What is Contour Drawing? Contour drawing is the practice of drawing an outline of the subject using one continuous line. When contour drawing you do not take your pen off the page as you draw. The benefit of contour drawing is that it defines the basic shape by creating a line drawing. If you tend to get stuck in the details when drawing, this technique…
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How to Create a Mixed Media Shaker Card
With Christmas just around the corner I wanted to show you how to create an easy mixed media shaker card. I love making cards around Christmastime. It is one of my favorite Christmas traditions! The process of coming up with unique designs, writing messages to my friends and family and sending them through the mail brings me great joy. I remember as a child my parents getting dozens and dozens of Christmas cards with family updates and kind messages inside. The practice of giving and receiving cards is not as popular as it used to be. But I believe it makes giving or receiving a handmade card so much more…
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Must Have Mixed Media Supplies for the Art Journal
With Christmas just around the corner, I wanted to share with you the must have mixed media supplies for the art journal. Depending on what and how you like to create, your essential mixed media art supplies may be different. Here are my recommendations for mixed media supplies for the art journal. 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. Mixed Media Art Journal There are a variety of different journals that I use in my creative practice. When choosing a journal, I look for a journal with smooth paper that can take wet…
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How to Use Black Paper Backgrounds with Inks and Pens
Have you ever used black paper backgrounds in your journal or creative projects? Adding color to black paper by drawing and stamping is easy, but there are a few things to consider when applying color. Not all mediums are suitable for using on black paper, so today I will share some of my favorite mediums and techniques with you. Inks for Black Paper When using inks on black paper backgrounds, you need to consider the properties of your ink. The main consideration is whether your ink is translucent or opaque. Not all inks are the same so only certain ones will work well on black paper. Inks that I use…
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The Search for the Best Permanent Pen
Have you discovered the best permanent pen for your creative practice? If you haven’t, then you are not alone. It can be overwhelming. There are so many choices for permanent pens! When choosing the best permanent pen for you, it is a very personal decision. Today I will be sharing some of my favorites and what I consider when purchasing a pen. Permanent or Water-Soluble? For today, I will be focusing on permanent pens and will leave water-soluble pens out of the discussion. What you look for in a permanent pen versus a water-soluble pen is vastly different. If you would be interested in my thoughts on water-soluble pens, let…
The Art of Self-Care
