happy weekend!

supplies for creating on the go

I pretty much always take supplies and an art journal with me whenever I am on the go! My art journal is a place to explore my ideas, painting, collage, doodling, drawing and printmaking. It is a small and accessible place for me to practice, explore and brainstorm all kinds of techniques.

I always have my favorite supplies in a pouch all ready to go so that I can grab it as I head out the door. And while there will never be enough room for everything that I like to create with, I always have a handful of supplies that are easy to use while traveling or running around town.

There are all kinds of at journaling supplies but these are what I tend to use most-

1. While I am not picky about the sketchbooks that I use, I am particular about my art journals only because I use a lot of paint and wet media which means I need paper that will hold up to all my layers and techniques. I typically make my own art journals and I always use watercolor paper or bristol paper because it is nice and thick and holds up well when using paint. 

2. I use watercolors all the time and even though I use a lot of acrylic paint in my art journal pages, I tend to only use watercolor paint when I am on the go. They are so easy to create with in a variety of settings and typically don't require clean up. .

3. I always keep a glue stick around so I can quickly glue collage ephemera or photos to pages of my art journal. 

4. I like to use tape (washi tape, masking tape, scotch tape, etc) to attached photos and collage ephemera to my pages. Often my art journal becomes a place to store ideas which means a lot of pages have little notes, ideas, pieces of doodles and photos attached to the surface.

5. I spend a lot of time drawing and doodling in my art journal pages. I always have a pouch filled with a good collection of mu favorite pens and markers. 

6. I collect large art pouches and I always like to have a couple of them filled with supplies sitting in different places (one in my car, in my studio, at home) so I can grab one and go without taking time to hunt and gather things.

tiny black and white doodles

sakura jelly roll pen   uni-ball signs pen   pentallic black journal

floral drawing- altered purse

By now you've got to know that I love to draw or paint on just about anything and my favorite surfaces are often accessories! Specifically purses. I love to purchase cheap purses completely transform them with my favorite techniques and supplies. 

This this particular purse I wanted to challenge myself to only use a Sharpie marker and a Sharpie oil based paint pen.

The purse that I used cost $6.99 and it is made from synthetic leather (not leather). In my experience pretty much any "pleather" accessories can be transformed with your favorite art supplies. I've transformed countless pleather purses and so far I haven't experienced any issues with cracking or peeling because I seal them with gel medium or a light layer of polyurethane.

My process was pretty straight forward- I used the purse as my drawing surface and drew all over it with a black Sharpie pen.

Then I selectively filled flowers with a white paint pen. My goal was to create a push and pull between the white, yellow and black lines.

The result is a pretty little floral bag that only cost $6.99 and a little bit of time and creativity!

happy weekend!

DIY ring organizer

I collect statement rings and I have a huge collection of them in all different shapes, colors and sizes. My collection has gotten so big that I now keep them all in a cereal bowl on a shelf in my closet. 

Recently I decided that it was time to get them organized and I grabbed things that I already had on hand to create a couple of ring organizers that I could store in my dresser drawer.

I used a drawer organizer for supplies and a bunch of foam curlers. 

The first step was to remove all the plastic from the foam curlers.

Next, I planned out how many foam curlers I needed to fit into the organizer. I glued them all together.

Then I painted the curlers with black acrylic paint and let it dry over night.

The last step was to glue the foam curlers into my drawer organizer. 

The result is a SUPER simple way to keep my rings organized, visible and easily stored in my drawers.

exploring we will go

a peek inside my art journal

My latest online class Magazine Makeover is in full swing and I thought I would share a little preview of my art journal that is dedicated to only working over magazines. This process is such a fun way to play and practice using pattern, space, color and contrast!

Just a couple more days left to get in on the sale price for this this class and all my online classes! Link in profile