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The Art of Self-Care

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Recent Posts

  • 3 Ways to Make Your Mixed Media Pages POP!3 Techniques to Make Your Mixed Media Pages POP!
    In Art Journal, Techniques
  • How to Make Collage Papers for FreeMake Gorgeous Collage Papers for Free
    In Techniques
  • How to Choose an Art Journal You’ll Love
    In Art Journal
  • How to create unique color combinations in the art journal using a color wheel
    Art Journal,  Techniques

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

    May 5, 2023 /

    Have you ever used a color wheel when designing an art journal page? The color wheel is a valuable tool that helps you create color combinations quickly. But if you’ve never used a color wheel before, learning how to use a color wheel may feel confusing. Recently I’ve been noticing a trend among my students.  Every time I pull out my color wheel, there’s always a couple of people who ask me how to use it. Today I’m sharing with you a few simple concepts to help you create more dynamic art journal pages by using the color wheel as a guide. Hop-A-Long Studio is reader-supported. When you buy through…

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    Nadine Milton

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    Easy Foil Alternatives for Cards and Art Journal Pages

    Easy Foil Alternatives for Cards and Art Journal Pages

    November 18, 2022
    How to Use Deco Foil with Deco Foil Transfer Pen, Deco Foil Adhesive Pen and Laser Prints

    Deco Foil all the Things! How to Use Deco Foil

    October 1, 2021
    Dealing with Loss During the Holiday Season

    Dealing with Loss During the Holiday Season

    December 5, 2019
  • 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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    Art Journal Page Using Distress Embossing Glazes, Stampers Anonymous Mod Cactus Stamps and Wild Whisper Designs Brush Script Stamp Set

    Distress Embossing Glaze Techniques for the Art Journal

    April 8, 2022
    Choosing an Art Journal for Your Creative Practice Hop-A-Long Studio

    Choosing an Art Journal for Your Creative Practice

    May 27, 2022
    How to Paint Watercolor Backgrounds

    How to Paint Watercolor Backgrounds

    February 14, 2020
  • 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

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    How to Use Layering Stencils to Create Dimensional Images

    How to Use Layering Stencils to Create Dimensional Images

    September 23, 2022
    wet-on-wet watercolor techniques mixing colors

    Easy Wet-on-Wet Watercolor Techniques for Beginners

    October 28, 2022
    Festive and Fabulous Gel Print Holiday Cards

    The Best DIY Gel Print Holiday Cards

    December 5, 2025
  • Adding Modeling Paste Through a Detailed Stencil
    Techniques

    How to get the Best Results with Acrylic Pastes and Stencils

    January 20, 2023 /

    Do you ever use acrylic pastes with your stencils? Acrylic pastes can create beautiful dimension and crisp images in your art journal, if you know how to apply them. Here are some tips and techniques for how to get fantastic results with acrylic pastes and 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. Types of Acrylic Pastes Acrylic pastes are beautiful, but they can be a little overwhelming at first. There’s so many brands and types of pastes to choose from. As I’ve been teaching online and in-person, I’ve realized that most of…

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    Nadine Milton

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    Gel print art journal page featuring hummingbirds and flowers

    Gel Print Collage Techniques You’ll Love

    July 18, 2025
    3 Ways to Use Brusho Crystal Colours

    3 Ways to Use Brusho Crystal Colours

    December 18, 2020
    How to get past a creative block- try this amazing mixed media art journal page!

    Struggling with Creative Block? Try this Easy Art Journal Page!

    October 18, 2025
  • 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

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    My first mixed media page in the Dina Wakley Ledger Journal

    My First Impressions of the Dina Wakley Ledger Journal

    March 14, 2025
    How to Use Watercolor Backgrounds in an Art Journal Page

    How to Use Watercolor Backgrounds in an Art Journal

    September 2, 2022
    Layering Details using Caran d'Ache Technalo Water Soluble Graphite Pencils

    How to use Water Soluble Graphite

    June 17, 2022
  • 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

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    How to Use Gel Prints in Your Art Journal

    Feeling Stuck? How to Use Gel Prints in Your Art Journal Projects

    July 29, 2022
    How to Design a Scrapbook Page Camera Detail

    How to Design a Scrapbook Page

    May 1, 2021
    Travel Greeting Card Using Photos and Wild Whisper Designs Road Trip Paper Collection

    How to Make a Travel Greeting Card

    June 18, 2021
  • How to Use Layering Stencils to Create Dimensional Images
    Art Journal,  Techniques

    How to Use Layering Stencils to Create Dimensional Images

    September 23, 2022 /

    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…

    Read More
    Nadine Milton

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    Techniques for Creating Beautiful Layers with Alcohol Ink

    Techniques for Creating Beautiful Layers with Alcohol Inks

    December 16, 2022
    Gelli Plate Printing Textures with Leaves

    Gelli Plate Printing with Leaves

    June 24, 2022
    How to Decoupage in an Art Journal

    How to Decoupage in an Art Journal

    May 14, 2021
  • 5 Acrylic Background Techniques for the Art Journal
    Art Journal,  Techniques

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

    June 10, 2022 /

    Do you ever struggle with staring at a blank page? One of the hardest parts of art journaling can be knowing where to start. Today I will be sharing 5 acrylic background techniques to break up those blank pages and help you create with confidence. 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. Acrylic Background Techniques Before you start, I suggest adding a layer of gesso to the surface before adding paint. I find that it strengthens the paper, and you will get better and more even paint coverage when adding acrylic paint on…

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    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 Make a Simple Christmas Card

    How to Make a Simple Christmas Card

    November 27, 2020
    Valentines Art Journal Page

    Valentines Art Journal Page

    February 5, 2021
  • Choosing an Art Journal for Your Creative Practice Hop-A-Long Studio
    Art Journal

    Choosing an Art Journal for Your Creative Practice

    May 27, 2022 /

    Choosing the right art journal for your creative practice may seem overwhelming. There are so many types of journals available it can be hard to know where to start. Today I’m sharing a few things to consider when choosing an art journal for your creative practice. I’ll also share some of my favorite art journals that I use for my projects. Whether you are drawing, stamping, painting, or collaging, there are a variety of art journals that will work for you. 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 an Art Journal When…

    Read More
    Nadine Milton

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    Wet on Wet Watercolor Technique

    Wet on Wet Watercolor Technique

    July 31, 2020
    How to Make Collage Papers for Free

    Make Gorgeous Collage Papers for Free

    April 24, 2026
    Art Journal Flip Through Lessons from an Online Art Retreat

    Looking for Inspiration? A New Art Journal Flip Through!

    August 11, 2023
  • Art Journal Textured Background Techniques with Acrylic Mediums
    Art Journal,  Techniques

    Textured Background Techniques for the Art Journal

    March 11, 2022 /

    I love adding interest to my projects with art journal textured background techniques. These beautiful techniques work for both my art journal projects and canvas projects. Adding texture as part of the initial layer before adding color lends to unique and beautiful results. Textures enhance the final look of your project and can help with design cohesion. Preparing the Surface Before adding background textures make sure to add a layer of gesso, especially on stretched canvas surfaces. This will strengthen the surface, add tooth, and allow you to add texture easily to the surface. Art Journal Textured Background Techniques There are many art journal texture techniques out there, but here…

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    Nadine Milton

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    Detail of Card Live Life in Full Bloom Stamped Card Colored with Distress Crayons

    Quick Coloring Technique Using Distress Crayons

    September 24, 2021
    Art Tag using Scribble Stick Watercolor Technique and Brene Brown Quote on Vellum

    Scribble Sticks Watercolor Technique

    September 17, 2021
    Finding Joy in the Little Things

    Finding Joy in the Little Things

    June 14, 2019
12

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.

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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 (163) Awareness (19) Blending Color (22) Card Making (16) Card Tutorials (11) Christmas (9) collage (20) 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

  • 3 Ways to Make Your Mixed Media Pages POP!3 Techniques to Make Your Mixed Media Pages POP!
    In Art Journal, Techniques
  • How to Make Collage Papers for FreeMake Gorgeous Collage Papers for Free
    In Techniques
  • How to Choose an Art Journal You’ll Love
    In Art Journal
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