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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 Stamp on Acetate Sheets with Paint and Inks
    Techniques

    How to Stamp on Acetate Sheets with Inks and Paints

    July 1, 2023 /

    Are you looking to add pattern and interest to clear acetate or plastic sheets for use in your creative projects? Today I’ll be sharing with you how to stamp on acetate sheets and get great results every time. There’s a variety of mediums that will work for stamping on acetate, but today I’ll be focusing on three mediums that I’ve found work the best: acrylic paint, StazOn ink, and archival ink. 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. Why Stamp on Acetate Sheets? If you have been following me for a while, a…

    Read More
    Nadine Milton

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    How to tint acrylic pastes and gels

    From White to WOW: How to Tint Acrylic Pastes

    August 1, 2025
    Unique Pan Pastel Techniques with Watermark Ink Peony Project on Black Art Journal

    Unique Techniques using Pan Pastels with Watermark Ink

    April 2, 2023
    Best Acrylic Paint Pens Paint Marker Comparison Hop-A-Long Studio

    The Best Acrylic Paint Pens: A Paint Marker Comparison

    July 9, 2021
  • 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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    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
    Art Tag using Scribble Stick Watercolor Technique and Brene Brown Quote on Vellum

    Scribble Sticks Watercolor Technique

    September 17, 2021
    Living in the Moment Art Journal Page Paint Tutorial

    Living in the Moment: An Art Journal Painting Tutorial on Denim

    August 27, 2021
  • 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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    Why art journal?

    Demystifying Art Journaling: How to Start & Why It Matters

    February 13, 2026
    Art Journal Project I'm Feeling Blue

    Art Journal Project “I’m Feeling Blue”

    January 20, 2020
    Gel print art journal page featuring hummingbirds and flowers

    Gel Print Collage Techniques You’ll Love

    July 18, 2025
  • v
    Techniques

    How to Create Gelli Prints with 5 Types of Ink

    August 19, 2022 /

    When learning how to create gelli prints with inks, it can be hard to know which ink to choose. There are so many to choose from. What ink is the most vibrant? What inks will stain your gel plate? Today we will cover 5 popular inks and how they work with the gelli plate on both gloss paper and cardstock. 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 Gelli Print with Inks The basic technique to create gelli prints with inks is the same as paint. To create a beautiful print, apply…

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    Nadine Milton

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    Choosing the best collage glue for your art practice

    Looking for the Best Collage Glue? START HERE!

    July 25, 2025
    How to Gelli Print on Tissue Paper

    How to Gelli Print on Tissue Paper

    July 1, 2022
    Japanese Art Journal Papers

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

    February 4, 2022
  • 5 Art Journal Background Ideas Using Ink
    Art Journal,  Techniques

    5 Art Journal Background Ideas Using Ink

    June 25, 2021 /

    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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    Nadine Milton

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    Simply Stated Design Advent Calendar 2024

    The Unique Advent Calendar You’ll Love Unboxing!

    October 22, 2024
    Amazing Alcohol Ink Cards Using Hardware Store Foil

    Amazing Alcohol Ink Cards Using Hardware Store Foil

    November 25, 2022
    Unique Pan Pastel Techniques with Watermark Ink Peony Project on Black Art Journal

    Unique Techniques using Pan Pastels with Watermark Ink

    April 2, 2023
  • Mixed Media Found Object Art Panel
    Projects

    Mixed Media Found Object Art Panel

    May 28, 2021 /

    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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    Nadine Milton

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    Mixed Media Collage Using Paper, Acetate and Fabric Tape

    Mixed Media Collage Techniques You Need to Try!

    March 21, 2025
    Doodling with Stencils with Tim Holtz Distress Inks and Posca Paint Pens

    Doodling with Stencils: Using Stencils to Improve your Drawing Skills

    October 22, 2021
    Watercolor Pigment Powders Brusho Crystal Colours, Lindy's Gang Magicals and Nuvo Shimmer Powders how to use on watercolor paper

    Watercolor Powders Demystified! You need to Try these!

    April 18, 2025
  • How to create layers using ink blending
    Art Journal,  Techniques

    How to Create Layers Using Ink Blending

    April 16, 2021 /

    Creating in a journal is a great self-care practice but it can be challenging to add layers and dimension to a page. Today we will discuss how to create layers using ink blending in your creative projects. Layering Inks Layering inks is a great way of creating dimension in your projects. There are several things to consider when you are creating layers with your inks: Color Values In my last article I shared about how to use color values when creating a monochromatic project. By using a variety of color values this creates different shades and intensity of color, which adds dimension to your project. Type of Ink Certain types…

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    Nadine Milton

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    Must have mixed media supplies for the art journal including art journal, acrylic paint, gesso, matte and gel mediums, watercolor paint, acrylic and watercolor brushes, paint pens, pigment pens, stamps and stencils

    Must Have Mixed Media Supplies for the Art Journal

    November 12, 2021
    Choosing the Best Inexpensive Acrylic Paint Markers

    The Best Inexpensive Acrylic Paint Markers

    September 9, 2022
    How to fussy cut napkin images for any project

    How to Cut the PERFECT Napkin Image

    July 20, 2024
  • Monochromatic Art Journal Project Be Brave Using Blue Color Palette and Wild Whisper Designs Products
    Art Journal

    Monochromatic Art Journal Project

    April 9, 2021 /

    Have you ever tried using a color wheel when designing an art journal layout? This week we will be learning how to create a monochromatic art journal project and talk about the color theory behind this concept.   What Does Monochromatic Mean? Monochromatic means “containing or using only one color.” When applying this to an artistic application, it is choosing one color as the basis of our project. It can be challenging only using one color in a project, but by understanding how color values work, we can create a very dynamic layout using only one color.   What are Color Values? Color values refers to the lightness or darkness…

    Read More
    Nadine Milton

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    Easy Art Journal Project Using Wild Whisper Designs Until We Eat Again Collection

    Easy Art Journal Project: Jumping into Art Journaling

    July 16, 2021
    Mixed Media Textures Using Brushos

    Mixed Media Textures Using Brushos

    May 6, 2022
    Choosing the Best Watercolor Marker

    Choosing the Best Watercolor Marker

    March 18, 2022
  • How to Make a Simple Christmas Card
    Projects

    How to Make a Simple Christmas Card

    November 27, 2020 /

    As Christmas is drawing near, I wanted to share with you how to make a simple Christmas Card using stamps. It is easy to get wrapped up in completing elaborate projects around Christmastime, but sometimes our intentions and our available time do not align. Today I want to share a simple Christmas Card that can be completed under 10 minutes. Card Making for Self Care Card making is an essential part of my seasonal self care. It presents an opportunity to sit down for a few minutes and make something simple and creative. We often get so busy that we do not take time to pause, to rest and regroup.…

    Read More
    Nadine Milton

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    Restoration During A Holiday

    Restoration During A Holiday

    July 3, 2020
    Rabbit acrylic painting on top of gelli printing collage

    4 Ideas for Using Gelli Printing in Your Projects

    May 22, 2020
    How to Paint a Night Sky

    How to Paint a Night Sky

    February 19, 2021
  • How to Use a Dip Pen
    Techniques

    How to Use a Dip Pen

    October 23, 2020 /

    As this month is Inktober, I wanted to share with you about how to use a dip pen. Using a dip pen is one of the skills that I have learned this year and it has had a huge impact on how I draw and how I approach drawing. Using a Dip Pen With all the different pens out on the market, many of us think of dip pens as a tool only used in calligraphy. Since I started working with a dip pen, I have started to use it in many art mediums, especially in my art journal. In the video below, I demonstrate how I get good strokes,…

    Read More
    Nadine Milton

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    Adding Your Own Art to Stencil Images

    Adding Your Own Art to Stencil Images

    August 28, 2020
    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
    Art Journal Textured Background Techniques with Acrylic Mediums

    Textured Background Techniques for the Art Journal

    March 11, 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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  • Techniques

Tags

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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