I am thrilled and very excited that I will be teaching in Toronto and New York in September!!
First I will come to Bizzy B's in Toronto where I will teach the weekend of September 19-21.
You can join me for my Technique Tags class on Friday evening (9/21) from 6.30-10.00.
During this workshop you will create a couple of beautiful large tags but more important you will learn a variety of mixed media techniques using IZinks, gesso, modeling paste, embossing powders, stamps and stencils. Besides that you will learn how to heat emboss on adhesive foam sheets and add stunning texture to them plus the amazing things you can do with Shimmer Sheetz. The learned techniques can be used in all kinds of projects, whether it are scrapbook pages, cards, art journal pages, canvasses or mini albums. You will use IZinks for coloring, they are very versatile, are highly pigmented and have beautiful colors. Find out about the many ways that you can use IZinks to create colorful, textured and artsy projects.
On Saturday (9/20) I will be teaching my "For the Love of Layers" workshop. This is a whole day workshop which runs from 10.30 am until 4.30 pm.
In this class you will work with acrylic paint, stamps and stencils. You will learn how to build up a number of layers to create an interesting, playful and artsy look. You can choose your own favorite colors and create a painting in your own unique style.
When the rough work is done you will use Posca pens to add details and interest. Important part of this workshop is that you let go of control and go with the flow. You will start this project without thinking and just see where the colors and shapes take you. It might sound scary but you will experience how relaxed this way of working is!
Here are some examples of paintings made with the techniques used in this class.
The third workshop, "Embossing and Beyond" will be on Sunday (9/21) from 12.30-5.30 pm.
In this class you will create a little mini book filled with a variety of embossing techniques and more.
We will do layered embossing, multicolor embossing, embossing with stencils, a combination of dry and hot embossing and resist embossing. Besides that you will learn how to use transfer foil to add beautiful shine and color to your projects. With a different technique on every page you will learn to bring embossing to a higher level!
Please visit Bizzy B's website for more details and to sign up! I would love to see you there!!
After this weekend I will fly to New York to spent a week with my sweet friend Nathalie Kalbach and I can't even begin to tell you how much I'm looking forward to that!! I know for sure that we will have an awesome week filled with laughter, chatting, walking, sightseeing....
At the end of the week Nathalie and I will teach our mini Art Fusion Event at The Ink Pad in NYC.
On Sunday September 28 we will both be teaching one class. You can join me in the morning for my "For the Love of Layers" class and then join Nathalie in the afternoon for her "Walk with Me; Altered Book" class.
(See above (Toronto classes) for more details)
I hope you will join us for a fun and artistic day! Just be prepared to get your hands dirty :)
For more info and to sign up please visit The Ink Pad's website!
I would love to welcome you in one of my classes :)
Workshops in mijn studio in Winsum Zondag 18 mei en zaterdag 28 juni Tijd: 10.00-16.00 Prijs: € 65,= inclusief materialen,koffie/thee en lunch Maximaal 8 deelnemers Voor opgave en meer info kun je mailen naar: [email protected]
Last week I had a visit from my highschool drawing and art history teacher (Gosh, highschool, that is what.. 30 years ago!). This year the school (Kamerlingh Onnes Groningen) is celebrating it's 150th anniversary and with that in mind my former art teacher, Hans van der Veen is organising an exposition with his former students that graduated in drawing and art history and are now in some way working in the "art" area. Whether it are painters, graphic designers and even me :) (but more about that later).
Anyway, he came by last week to talk about what I do (teaching, art journaling, scrapbooking, mixed-media and magazine work) and when he went through my art journal he asked me if I never feel restricted by the size. I told him that I do sometimes and that I've been wanting to work bigger for a while. That I also would love to do acrylic painting on larger canvasses and I even have been looking for courses acrylic painting lately because I have no artistic schooling of any kind and I feel like my self learned skils are somehow coming to their end.
And then Hans kind of challegned me. He challenged me to just do it and go bigger and I think that was just the trigger I needed. So I went out and bought 2 larg canvasses. One 60x60cm (24"x24") and one 70x90cm (27.5"x35.5"). Huge in my opinion as I usually work on Scrapbook size (30x30cm), A4 or even smaller.
I just started with the materials I had available. I thought I wanted to do a landscape but found out very quickly that this isn't the right thing for me (at least not until I learned more about painting with acrylics).
So I covered up my first poor attempt with a layer of gesso and started over. Playing, experimenting, not to much thinking, my usual bright colors, shapes... I soon realized that I could not do "just" acrylic, I had to throw in some patterned paper, book paper, micro beads, Posca pens, stamping ink...
After 2 days of fun this is the result:
It's far from perfect, the background doesn't have enough layers, I really don't like the big circle and the white acrylic paint was of poor quality... but hey, it's my first try right?! and I love the colors :)
And I learned a lot!
I learend that my heart lies with mixed media and I don't want to use only one medium.
I learned that a background needs many more layers than I used here to get interest, have more depth and tension.
I learned that there is a huge quality difference between different brands of acrylic paint and that it is definitelly worth spending some more money on better paints. Somehow I didn't really notice it that much in my art journals or maybe it wasn't that important as they are really just to play and not to hang on a wall...
I learned that I sometimes need to be more patient (not my strongest point) and that it can acturally work in your advantage if the paint does not dry instantly.
I learned that I need some new brushes.
I learned that I have a LOT to learn.
But best of all I learned that this is what I want to do! I LOVED having more space to work on, I LOVED the process and I want to learn and to learn and to learn!!
Just when I finished this canvas a book I ordered arrived. It's called "Acrylic Solutions - Exploring Mixed Media Layer by Layer" by Chris Cozen and Julie Prichard (Dutch title "Grenzeloze Creativiteit in acryl).
I read the first 50 pages so far and I already understand so much more about creating an interesting background using layers. I also learned that I'm missing a very important medium to be able to create such interesting backgrounds: Acrylic Glazing Liquid. So that one is on my shopping list and I'm not starting with the next canvas until I have that. That there will be a next canvas is for sure :)
Thank you so much for stopping by today! Any comments with tips, good books and interesting websites about mixed media art with acrylic paint are more than welcome!
Yes, we did! On our announcement of the Artfusion Event we planned we got a lot of comments about the location. Many of you asked us why we didn’t plan it somewhere in the middle of the Netherlands. It would be easier for you to get there and it would also increase the travel distance/time for a lot of you. Also we heard that April was already so full of events and stuff.
And we agree! So we decided to postpone the event and find a better location. We think we found the perfect place!
Artfusion will now take place June 15-16 in the middle of the lovely city of Utrecht. Being a big railways junction in the Netherlands and only 45 minutes by train from Schiphol airport we think Utrecht is one of the best places we could have chosen.
The facility (Kade Ateliers) is a canal house at the Leidsekade 17, near the center of Utrecht where we have the availability of 2 lovely, light rooms. As we see it, we have all the ingredients for an amazing creative weekend on hand here.
Check out the Artfusion blog for al the information about the workshop, schedule and prices!
We would love to meet you there for some Artfusion!
One of the new (for me) products I brought home from CHA is Kroma Crackle. I was blown away by the amazing and colorful samples they had ad the booth and just wanted to try myself.
This was one of my first attempts. I sprayed the gel with glimmer mist and then dried it with my heat gun. Yes, you know, I'm a little impatient. I like the result but it turned out very different then what I was looking for. I wanted those crisp crackles, with sharp edges, lying on top of the paper. So, time to get patient...
I applied the gel to cardstock and let it dry overnight like I was recommended. And yes, it cracked, but parts of the cracks fel of the paper :( What did I do wrong?
When I e-mailed Kroma Crackle (because I didn't read the instructions on the website) I got looong e-mails in return. They even called me all the way from Canada, just to try and help me as much as they could! What a wonderful, helpful and kind team! I learned that after drying you need to seal the crackles with f.i. gel medium or acrylic paint. And that worked :)
Wow, don't you just LOVE the texture?
So it took some patience, practice and some help from the Kroma Crakle team but finally I ended up with this little 6x6 canvas. And I love it!
You can find more about Kroma Crackle on their website or on their Facebook page. Make sure to pay them a visit and be amazed!
The last year I've very much enjoyed beeing on the WOW! US DT but starting this year I switched to the UK team as that seemed more convenient for me living in Europe.
I have done a guest post on the WOW! Embossing Powder UK blog bu today I have my first post as an official DT member up there!
Did you know that there is a monthly challenge on the blog featuring the theme of that month?
By entering the challenge each month, you'll get a chance to win a set of 12 embossing powders of your choice in a handy carry case. The winner will be randomly selected from eligible entries.
Click here to see how you can play along this month!
I like to layer all kinds of stuff like tags, doilies, tissue paper, chipboard pieces, buttons, bookpaper, lace etc. Cover the whole with gesso, add some modeling paste using stencils and then spray paint it.
Here are 2 layouts I made for one of my classes using Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist and Chalkboards.
On the 14th I will be posting another texture canvas on the Tattered Angles blog using some of the new colors that are being revealed at CHA! They are totally amazing and I am very excited about them!
Finaly I want to remind you that today is your last possibility to comment on the Behind the Scenes - Meet Panpastel post for a chance to win an amazing prize. Comments close today (January 10) at midnight (GMT+1).
Today I posted on the Tattered Angels inspiration blog giving you a little tour through my studio and showing two textured canvasses.
For the studio tour and to see the completed canvasses please click here!
That is it for today but make sure to check back tomorrow!
Window 15 of Riikka's (Paperiliitin) Creative Christmas Calender holds a little video by me showing you how to create Christmas Gift Tags and/or Cards using transparencies and Tattered Angels Glam and Glaze!
Remember this canvas I made a little while ago using PanPastel?
On November 30 I will be teaching a PanPastel workshop at Creabest in Ommen.
First we will make a card to get the hang of the techniques and after that we will create a beautiful canvas like this or you can choose to do your own design. Even if you have never with PanPastel before and even if you have never done anything like mixed media before you will be able to create a stunning canvas, so join me for a fun day of creativity!
The next day, December 1st I will be teaching my Texture Paste Canvas and Masking mini-album workshops. Two workshops using a lot of techniques, spray paints, gesso, texture paste and more. Both workshops can be booked seperatly.
This week we’re blog hopping with Authentique! Leave a comment on our blog to be eligible to win a prize pack of Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L adhesives, then hop over to Authentique’s blog too! We’ll draw a winner at the end of the week!
Today is my turn to create something with the beautiful Peaceful line and this is what I made:
Hop over to the Crafty Power Blog for detailed instruction on how to create this colorful mini!
