Art Tutorials
Art tutorials that provide step by step directions on how to do an art technique or project. These are to help build a foundation of creative techniques that can be used as a mental wellness and self-care exercise. These include techniques such as drawing, gelli printing, embossing, art journal projects, card projects, watercolor painting, acrylic painting, mixed media work and collage work.
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The Best Acrylic Paint Pens: A Paint Marker Comparison
Today I will be sharing my journey in finding the best acrylic paint pens for my creative practice. I generally avoid using the words “perfect” or “best” when I talk about art supplies. I believe that there are good supplies available at a variety of price points. However, when it comes to acrylic paint pens, this is not the case. There are a lot of brands out there, but there are very few pens that I have found that work as advertised. We will be exploring the different brands that I have tried and what I have discovered is the best acrylic paint pen for my creative practice. Hop-A-Long…
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One Page Fold Up Book: Instax Mini Album
Today I will be sharing my version of the one page fold up book. If you have never seen these books, they are easy to make and fun to create. By taking a single sheet of paper, in just a few minutes you will have a book that you can create in. It can be challenging to start creating in a new journal or book. So by making your own little book, this can be a fun way create in a way that is simple and not overwhelming. One Page Fold Up Book To create a fold up book, start with a piece of paper of your choice. These books…
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5 Art Journal Background Ideas Using Ink
The art journal is a wonderful place to create, but it can be challenging to know where to start. Today I am sharing 5 art journal background ideas using ink to help inspire your creativity. These are some of the ways that I start my journal pages, especially when I’m not sure where to go next. The blank page can be intimidating. There are so many directions a page can go. These easy techniques can be a springboard for your creative ideas, to help you move past the blank page. 5 Art Journal Background Ideas Using Ink Ink Blending Ink blending is one of the simplest ways to quickly…
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How to Make a Travel Greeting Card
Today we will talk about how to make a travel greeting card using beautiful paper and your personal photos. When I create cards, it is usually an art card or a photo card. This week, I thought I would show you how you can these two creative styles together. Creating a Travel Greeting Card Creating a travel greeting card with photos and other elements can be challenging. The key is figuring out the right balance for these images so that the card feels cohesive. For this card, I used a landscape photo with die cut imagery. By using a simpler photo, this allowed the die cuts to add to the…
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Watercolor Landscape Paint Along
Today’s project is a watercolor landscape paint along using gouache. I love using landscapes in my art journal pages. Creating landscapes is great practice for understanding how different art mediums work together. For this watercolor paint along we will be using colored pencils, acrylic paint, gouache, and ink to make a dynamic mixed media art journal page. What is Gouache? If you have never used gouache in a project, it is an opaque watercolor medium. It has similar pigments and binders as watercolor paints, but includes a white filler, such as chalk, which makes these paints opaque. Gouache provides a different result than watercolor. The opaque nature of the paint…
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Mixed Media Tag “Nature Does Not Hurry”
Today I will be sharing how to create this easy mixed media tag using patterned paper, stencils, and inks. Tags are a great way to try out techniques. They are small, quick to create on and can be added into other projects. I often use my tags in my creative journal, as bookmarks or use them in greeting cards. As these tags can be completed quickly, usually under 20 minutes, this makes them an important part of a creative self-care routine. The Intention For this week’s mixed media tag, the inspiration came from this quote: Nature does not hurry and yet everything is accomplished. We often rush through our daily…
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Mixed Media Found Object Art Panel
Have you ever had objects that you wish you could incorporate in your art? Today we will be creating a mixed media found object art panel which includes these found objects into your art. By adding dimension to your projects, it can be very inspiring and is a great way of mixing up your creative practice. Found Object Art and Assemblage If you are new to found object art, it often goes by another name, assemblage. The dictionary definition of assemblage is “a work of art made by grouping found or unrelated objects.” This is exactly what found object art is. Where to Find Found Objects Found objects can be…
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Art Journaling with Acrylic Paint and Stencils
Have you ever tried art journaling with acrylic paint and stencils? It can be fun, but sometimes it can be challenging to get a beautiful focal image. Today we will discuss some of my favorite tips for adding acrylic paint through stencils to create a dimensional art journal page. Using Acrylic Paint with Stencils Art journaling with acrylic paint and stencils is very easy to learn. Lay your stencil down on the surface and apply paint through the stencil. But the challenge is how to get a crisp, consistent image and beautiful shading on your image. The Right Tool for Acrylic Paint I am always exploring new tools and ways…
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How to Decoupage in an Art Journal
Have you ever tried decoupage in an art journal? If you have ever felt blocked trying to figure out where to start a new project or page, decoupage is a great technique to try. Today we will be discussing how to decoupage in an art journal and some of the techniques to get consistent results. Decoupage in an art journal is a very simple technique but it does require a few materials to get started. For years I did not try decoupage because I was uncertain of the materials to use and how to apply them. Today we will be touching on the paper, gels and mediums that can be…
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How to Create a Wine Bottle Flower Vase
As Mother’s Day is just a few days away, I wanted to share a creative project that is “off the page.” Most of us stick to flat surfaces such a journal to create in. But today I wanted to share with you how to create a wine bottle flower vase. With Mother’s Day just around the corner, this is a simple project that make a great gift for that special person in your life. The Inspiration The inspiration for this wine bottle flower vase came from a problem that I often have during the summer months. When working in my garden I often come across flowers that have been…
