What’s your favorite way to learn a new mixed-media art technique? I love taking classes, but lately my schedule has been so nutty that signing up for a workshop seems like an impossible luxury. I’m so glad there’s such a great array of art videos, which have some distinct advantages over in-person classes: I can play something back if I don’t get it the first time, pause the video if I need to catch up, and watch it any time I need a refresher. Oh, and I can learn at my own pace. In my pajamas.
One of my favorite art videos is Art Journal Color Courage with Dina Wakley. I tend to gravitate toward the same color palettes again and again, but when I try to devise a new color scheme it usually goes awry. Combinations don’t work, I end up making mud…it’s a mess. In this perfectly paced video, Dina explains the color wheel and how to use it to create gorgeous art journal pages. The whole process is so easy and painless, and now when I use paint or other color media, I feel so much more confident in my choices.
After learning about how colors work together, you get to put theory into practice making art journal pages, using all your favorite paints, inks, stencils, and more. This is where all the information finally clicks and, instead of struggling with color, color becomes your best friend.
Another of my top tier art videos is Junk Journal Workshop with Carolyn Dube. You probably know by now that I love making handmade books, and this video takes bookmaking to another level altogether. If you like working in journals and collecting ephemera, this is absolutely for you. Receipts, stamps, ticket stubs, envelopes—stop hoarding it and start using it! Best of all, there’s no binding experience necessary to make this book. This journal is held together with a wire coil, so it comes together incredibly easily.
Carolyn packs her art videos with so many tips and tricks, and this one is no exception. In addition to learning how to bind the book you’ll also get ideas for decorating pages using fun materials like washi tape, vintage papers, and ribbon. You’ll love her technique for making a cool fabric and paper pen holder that gets bound in with the pages. You know, just thinking about this video is getting me excited about making a book. Clear the calendar, I know what’s on my agenda for the week.
In my endless search for great collage techniques, I find myself going back to the art video Tear, Glue, Paint, Draw with Kristen Robinson. The title reveals a lot, but there’s much more to discover, which is why it’s in heavy rotation for me. Kristen has an innate talent for collage and shares an incredible amount of techniques, with an emphasis on creating your own elements: decorated background papers made with paint, ink and stamps; texture created with molding paste and sealing wax; hand-drawn designs; and even custom papers stained with coffee.
You’ll quickly discover that you can incorporate these techniques in so many other projects, which will enrich your artwork in ways you never even thought about. That’s the inspiration these art videos bring to your practice, which is a pretty powerful thing.
I’m off to book a few classes with some incredible instructors. I hope they don’t mind that I’m not wearing any makeup.
Here’s another great video you should check out: Surprise Garden: Design Elements for Mixed Media Flower Painting with Carrie Schmitt. In this blog post, I try Carrie’s incredibly fun and freeing way to paint flowers on a canvas.
