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The Art of Self-Care

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

Recent Posts

  • 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!
    In Art Journal, Artist's Journey
  • gel plate printing with leaves and grassesUnique & Easy Gel Printing with Leaves and Grasses
    In Techniques
  • How to get the most textured collage in your art journalCreate the Ultimate Textured Collage with this Technique
    In Projects, Techniques
  • Gelli Plate Printing Textures with Leaves
    Techniques

    Gelli Plate Printing with Leaves

    June 24, 2022 /

    Gelli plate printing with leaves is a fun and easy technique that lets us get outside to find beautiful textures. Summer in Canada is short. So, I make a point to get outside and incorporate nature in my art journal and gelli plate printing projects. Today I am sharing my favorite techniques for Gelli plate printing with leaves and how to get good results with organic materials. 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. Finding Leaves for Your Prints Now that summer is upon us, I’ve been spending a lot of time out…

    Read More
    Nadine Milton

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    How to Paint Flowers with a Toilet Paper Roll

    How to Paint Flowers with a Toilet Paper Roll

    August 4, 2023
    Building Meaningful Connection During COVID-19

    Building Meaningful Connection During COVID-19

    April 3, 2020
    Watercolor Landscape Paint Along with Gouache

    Watercolor Landscape Paint Along

    June 11, 2021
  • Art Journal Page Using Gel Textures and Gel Prints
    Art Journal,  Techniques

    Creating Art Journal Textures with Gelli Prints

    April 22, 2022 /

    I love creating textures in my art journal and Gelli prints are a great starting point for adding depth in any project. I’ve been experimenting with ways to add textures on my Gelli prints so that they pop on my journal pages. Today’s art journal page covers several easy techniques for altering gel prints with a variety of mediums and tools. 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 Shapes Lately I have been enamored with simple shapes in my art journal projects like circles and rectangles. I recently discovered the Helix Circle…

    Read More
    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
    Art Journal Page Tutorial with Tim Holtz Distress Glazes

    Art Journal Page Tutorial with Tim Holtz Distress Glazes

    June 26, 2020
    Detail of Card Live Life in Full Bloom Stamped Card Colored with Distress Crayons

    Quick Coloring Technique Using Distress Crayons

    September 24, 2021
  • Gelli Print Feather Focal Image Technique
    Techniques

    Creating Beautiful Textures by Gelli Printing with Stencils

    April 15, 2022 /

    Gelli printing with stencils is an easy way to create beautiful and unique textures for your art journal and creative projects. If you are new to the gel plate, gelli printing with stencils is an easy way to get comfortable with the medium. I discovered gel printing many years ago, but my first experience with printing was so frustrating! I would see videos that made the technique look so easy, but I never got consistent results. Thankfully, I was able to take an in-person art class with an excellent instructor. Since then, I’ve been hooked on the medium! In this tutorial I will share what I have learned about using…

    Read More
    Nadine Milton

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    Traveler's Notebook Examples

    How to Use a Traveler’s Notebook

    March 19, 2021
    Japanese Art Journal Papers

    Wild and Wonderful Art Journal Papers: An Exploration into Japanese Paper

    February 4, 2022
    Saying Goodbye to Ego Art Journaling Page

    Why I Killed my Ego

    November 28, 2019
  • 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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    Building Meaningful Connection During COVID-19

    Building Meaningful Connection During COVID-19

    April 3, 2020
    How to Make a Simple Christmas Card

    How to Make a Simple Christmas Card

    November 27, 2020

    Realistic Goal Setting and New Year’s Resolutions

    December 30, 2019
  • Fall Scrapbooking Page using Gelli Prints and Wild Whisper Designs Strength of the Season Ephemera
    Projects

    Too Many Gelli Prints? A Fall Project for Using Your Prints

    September 10, 2021 /

    Do you ever make Gelli prints but are unsure on how to use them in a project? Last week I shared a few techniques on printing with the Gelli Arts mini plates. Today I will show you how to use these prints in a project. Seasons Change The inspiration for this project was a quote “seasons change and so do we.” I am currently in another season of change and this quote resonated with me. We all go through change. The choice is whether we embrace the change or resist it. In times of change, taking the time to reflect is important. We should reflect on the past and think…

    Read More
    Nadine Milton

    You May Also Like

    Amazing Alcohol Ink Cards Using Hardware Store Foil

    Amazing Alcohol Ink Cards Using Hardware Store Foil

    November 25, 2022
    Art of Self-Discovery Art Journaling Page

    The Art of Self-Discovery: An Art Journaling Project

    May 27, 2019
    Valentines Art Journal Page

    Valentines Art Journal Page

    February 5, 2021
  • Printing with Gelli Plate Minis Gelli Printing Plates
    Techniques

    Printing with Gelli Plate Minis

    September 3, 2021 /

    Are you looking for a new technique for your mixed media practice? Today I will be demonstrating printing with the Gelli plate minis and how these differ from larger Gelli plates. It is always nice to try new things and discovering these little plates has opened many creative doors in my art practice. What are Gelli Plate Minis? Gelli Arts Mini gel printing plates are smaller versions of the Gelli printing plates and come in a variety of shapes. The collection of Gelli plate minis I have are oval, rectangle, and hexagon but they also come in shapes including triangle, circle, octagon, and diamond. The oval, rectangle, and hexagon Gelli…

    Read More
    Nadine Milton

    You May Also Like

    Beautiful Smudge Free Pan Pastel Christmas Cards

    Beautiful Smudge Free Pan Pastel Christmas Cards

    December 2, 2022
    Choosing the Best Watercolor Marker

    Choosing the Best Watercolor Marker

    March 18, 2022
    How to Create a Traveler's Notebook

    How to Create a Traveler’s Notebook

    April 23, 2021
  • How to Decoupage in an Art Journal
    Art Journal,  Techniques

    How to Decoupage in an Art Journal

    May 14, 2021 /

    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…

    Read More
    Nadine Milton

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    Creative Foundations How to Blend Ink

    Creative Foundations: How to Blend Ink

    January 31, 2020
    Art Journaling Project "How did I end up here?"

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

    May 6, 2019
    An Easy Watercolor Tutorial on Watercolor Mixing

    Intimidated by Watercolor Mixing? An Easy Watercolor Tutorial

    February 18, 2022
  • Gelli Printing with Die Cuts
    Projects

    Gelli Printing with Die Cuts

    February 26, 2021 /

    Have you ever wondered how to make those lovely Gelli print backgrounds and how to incorporate them into your projects? This week I was playing with combining Gelli printing with die cuts and Pan Pastels and had some fantastic results! Gelli Printing with Die Cuts Gelli printing with die cuts is a great way to combine and duplicate images in your art pieces, cards, and journal pages. I love using die cuts in my prints and then cutting these same images for use as focal images on my page. I find that using a repetitive pattern in my pieces bring cohesion to my art. What to do with Gelli Prints?…

    Read More
    Nadine Milton

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    Paint Your Season's Greetings: Simple Watercolor Christmas Card Designs

    Paint Your Season’s Greetings with Simple Watercolor Christmas Cards

    December 1, 2023
    Lessons in the creative process Adventures in Book binding and learning new creative skills

    Lessons in the Creative Process: My Adventure with Book Binding

    November 26, 2021
    Mixed Media Art Journal Collage

    Mixed Media Art Journal Collage: Finding Intention at Christmas

    December 17, 2021
  • Rabbit acrylic painting on top of gelli printing collage
    Art Journal,  Projects

    4 Ideas for Using Gelli Printing in Your Projects

    May 22, 2020 /

    Today I want to share with you 4 ideas for using Gelli printing in your projects. Last week I wrote an article and provided tutorials about how to make Gelli prints. As a follow up to those tutorials, I want to give you some practical ideas for using Gelli printing in your projects. Creative Ways to use Gelli Prints It is not always easy finding creative ways to use Gelli prints in your projects. When I first started Gelli printing, I would end up with a stack of great prints that I had no idea how to use in other projects. I generally just pasted them onto journal pages and…

    Read More
    Nadine Milton

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    Art Journal Project Using Watercolor Paint and Distress Stains

    Art Journal Project Using Watercolor Paint and Distress Stains

    June 19, 2020
    How to Decoupage in an Art Journal

    How to Decoupage in an Art Journal

    May 14, 2021
    4 Lessons I Learned From Almost Anxious

    4 Lessons I Learned from Almost Anxious

    June 5, 2020
  • How to Make Gelli Prints
    Techniques

    How to Make Gelli Prints

    May 15, 2020 /

    Today I wanted to share with you one of my favorite art techniques, how to make gelli prints. Gelli printing was a technique I used to struggle with until I took a class from a professional artist. She showed me that Gelli printing can not only be easy but also fun and relaxing. Gelli printing is my go to art activity when I want some creative self-care, especially in the moments where I’m not feeling very creative. What is Gelli Printing? What is Gelli printing? It is a type of monoprinting which is a form of printmaking that has lines or images that can only be made once. It differs…

    Read More
    Nadine Milton

    You May Also Like

    Easy Brusho Christmas Card

    Easy Brusho Christmas Card

    December 22, 2020
    Gift Ideas for Artists

    The Best Gifts for Artists that Love Watercolor and Acrylic Paint

    November 5, 2022
    Mixed Media Textures Using Brushos

    Mixed Media Textures Using Brushos

    May 6, 2022
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.

Categories

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  • Artist's Journey
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  • Techniques

Tags

Acceptance (10) acrylic paint (16) Acrylic Painting (17) Applying Art Mediums (14) Applying Brusho Powders (10) Art Ideas (22) art journal (18) Art Journaling (61) Art Tutorials (156) Art Videos (163) Awareness (19) Blending Color (22) Card Making (16) Card Tutorials (11) Christmas (9) collage (17) Creative Foundations (24) Creativity (28) Drawing (12) Embossing (11) Gelli Plate (10) Gelli Printing (20) Goal Setting (9) Ink Blending (13) Inking (42) Inks (11) Making Good Choices (12) Mental Health (32) Mindfulness (24) Mixed Media (13) Mixed Media Art (16) napkins (9) Self-Care (47) Self-Care Activities (16) Self-Care Videos (33) Self-Discovery (14) Stamping (62) Stencilling (48) stencils (9) Tim Holtz Distress (23) Values (9) Watercolor (14) Watercolor Basics (13) Watercolor Painting (19) Wild Whisper Designs (21)

Recent Posts

  • 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!
    In Art Journal, Artist's Journey
  • gel plate printing with leaves and grassesUnique & Easy Gel Printing with Leaves and Grasses
    In Techniques
  • How to get the most textured collage in your art journalCreate the Ultimate Textured Collage with this Technique
    In Projects, Techniques
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