If there is one word that describes my work, it might be textural layers. Okay, technically that’s two words, but together they capture the essence of my art. This past January, I released my own line of embossing powders for artists with Emerald Creek Craft Supplies called Baked Texture. Designed to go beyond the traditional…
One reason I have so much respect for our artist contributors is that they continually come up with cool techniques, hacks, tips, and shortcuts that make mixed-media art projects even more fun than they already are. Case in point: The collaged wooden box with metal embellishments featured on the cover of the July/August issue of…
We were thrilled to have mixed-media artist Kristen Robinson host a webinar recently, "It's All in the Mixed-Media Details." She demonstrated three fantastic techniques for using wax, plaster, fabric, and wire to create beautiful details to use in collage and assemblage. All of these work in tandem with her new set of collage and assemblage…
We asked, and you answered! The question was “Do you use polymer clay, and if so, what do you love about it?” One thing that came up time and again was its versatility. Even I was inspired by some of the responses. Our readers suggested: foiling it, embossing it, creating image transfers with it, using…
When teaching my classes at Art Retreats I try to plan the projects so that the students can go home and recreate the same project in their own kitchen. There is no need for the expense and fuss of elaborate tools and a big fancy studio. Many students who attend retreat classes are total newbies…
Until today, I thought metal embossing had somewhat limited uses. But Lisa Patterson has shown me the light! Her delightful mixed-media art includes this technique often because she prefers fast and easy results. I can’t blame her for that! The catch is that the results don’t look like they were achieved so simply. Their intricate,…
Let's play a little word game, shall we? I say: Stamping and printmaking. You say: ? A rubber brayer like this one is good for inking stamps. If you said "brayer" then you probably know how using one–the right one–can enhance your stamping and printmaking process and results. If you didn't say "brayer," that's OK,…
We’re celebrating Put a Bird on It month with 12 hours of free projects, techniques, and eBooks featuring our feathered friends today. If you missed the 12-hour free fest on our Facebook page, here is a list of links taking you to each free how-to or download. Even if you’re not a fan of things…
We have a running joke around here. Assistant Editor Barbara Delaney, a former early education teacher, often looks at a process used by a contributing artist (like marble painting with shaving cream or weaving with torn papers) and says, "We did that in preschool!" Some of Barb's experiments in mark making. She doesn't mean it as a…
