The Art Books I Bought

Point Character Drawing by Taco

A drawing reference book focused on comic-style figures, with an especially in-depth section on hands, perfect for improving a skill I’ve always struggled with. I couldn’t find version 1 (the one in the video) for sale in English, but the new volume is HERE.

The World of Rubens (1967 Time-Life Book)

A vintage art history book filled with images and context about Rubens’ life and work, offering insight not just into his paintings but into how his era understood art.

Exploring Dimensional Quilt Art by June Barnes

A fiber art book packed with sculptural textile ideas and techniques, full of inspiring projects (like Möbius strip forms) that I’m excited to experiment with in my own work.

World Textiles: A Visual Guide to Traditional Techniques

A richly illustrated reference book that explores global textile techniques, patterns, and materials. I think it will be great for generating ideas and understanding how designs are constructed.

The Best Contemporary Quilts: Quilt National 2001

A collection showcasing top contemporary art quilts, offering a wide range of innovative work and a gateway to discovering artists to research further.

The Best in Contemporary Quilts: Quilt National 1999

Another volume of cutting-edge quilt art that still feels surprisingly contemporary, reinforcing how strong ideas and design transcend time.

The Book Tools

Rotating Book Stand

A hands-free adjustable stand that holds books open without damaging them, making it much easier to study, sketch, or take notes while working.

Scotch Book Tape (Archival Repair Tape)

A clear, acid-free tape designed specifically for repairing books, helping stabilize damaged covers while staying nearly invisible and preserving the book long-term.

How to Use Art Books to Learn

You can’t just look to learn. It’s easy to flip through a book, admire the images, and feel inspired. It’s also easy to close the book… and go right back to making the same work you were making before. And it’s not because the book wasn’t good. It’s because inspiration needs to be processed.

When I bring a book into my studio, I treat it like a tool to be used. For me, that means taking notes. Not highlighting. Not underlining. Actual notes. I write down:

• Ideas that interest me.
• Techniques I want to try.
• Questions that come up.
• Quotes I find meaningful.
• Thoughts that relate to what I’m reading.

For me, the act of writing forces me to process what I’m seeing. For instance, if I see something I love, I ask myself, “What about this is interesting?” Is it the color scheme? The structure? A particular pattern? This thought process allows me to really dive into what I personally and uniquely want to create and why.

In addition, I often sketch from books — focusing on interesting compositions or juxtapositions. Sketching is just another method of processing ideas. So is doing the exercises in a how-to book. It’s one thing to read about how it works and it’s another thing to actually do it. Any time you use your hands to create something, it’s naturally being processed and translated through your own personal filters.

If you’re an artist, you’re a do-er. And so, I believe, you must do in order to learn because the goal isn’t to collect inspiration. The goal is to use it to move your work forward.

Wrap-Up

Several years ago, I posted a Book Club video that demonstrated exactly how I use art books to learn. If you enjoyed this post, you might find that one interesting too!

So before you go, let me know: What’s an art book that you love and highly recommend?

Thanks for stopping by!

The post Thrift Store Find: 6 Art Books for $12 and Here’s How I Plan to Use Them appeared first on Balzer Designs Blog.

          

Comments

• In reply to Holly. Thanks, Holly! I'm so glad that you're ... by Julie Fei-Fan Balzer
• In reply to Katie T. That's in my TBR pile! by Julie Fei-Fan Balzer
• What a bargain! Enjoyed your Vlog and learning how you keep ... by Katie T
• Love you, Julie! Thanks for always providing interesting and ... by Holly

Related Stories

• If You Can’t Find Your Supplies, You Can’t Make Art: 3 Organization Tips
• Artist Field Trips and the Part of Your Art Practice You Might Be Skipping
• Why Reworking Old Artwork Is a Good Idea

 

This is a photo of my studio today:

Yes, it’s messy, but it’s actually NOT disorganized.

For me, being organized comes down to three very practical things. None of them are complicated or require a ton of heavy lifting, but they do take a little bit of intention. I’ll take you through all three of them in today’s blog post.

Disorganization Can Stop You From Being Productive

Tell me if this sounds familiar: You sit down to make art. You have an idea. You’re ready to start. And then you can’t find the thing you need because your creative space is totally disorganized. So you start looking. You open containers. You retrace your steps. Maybe you get frustrated enough that you decide to reorganize everything. And somewhere in that process, the energy you had to make something…just leaks away.

I think this is one of the quiet ways that we stop ourselves from making art.

Not because we don’t have ideas. Not because we don’t have time. But because our space makes it just a little bit too hard to begin.

Watch the video for my tips:

Organization Tip #1: Zone Your Art Supplies

Everything you own should have a general “home base.” Not a hyper-specific, perfectly styled location. Just a place where that category of thing lives. For example, all of your paints zoned together.

In the photo above, I’m using rolling carts. If you’re working at a kitchen table, this might be a set of bins or drawers. If you have a larger space, it might be a particular shelf or area of the room.

Whatever your space constraints, the goal is simple: when you need something, you already know the direction to move in. If you’re not sure how to start, pick one category (whatever you use most) and gather all of it into one place. That’s it. You don’t have to organize everything at once. Just start by creating one “zone.”

Organization Tip #2: Label Everything

I know this sounds obvious and yet most people resist it. A label means you don’t have to remember.

Every time you have to stop and think, “Where did I put that?” you’re using up energy that could be going into your work.

Keep in mind, you don’t need a fancy system. A piece of tape and a permanent marker works just fine. If you want to use something like a label maker, rock on. The important thing is that when you open a drawer or look at a closed box, you immediately know what’s inside.

Organization Tip #3: Be Aware of What You Own

This one is less obvious, but it’s equally as important. If your supplies are hidden away, they tend to disappear from your consciousness. You forget they’re there. This might be controversial, but I believe that when it comes to art making, the only wasted money is the money you spend on art supplies you don’t use. If they’re stuck in a box or being saved for a project that’s “good enough,” what’s the point of owning them?!

So part of being organized is making sure your materials are visible enough that they stay in your awareness and therefore get used! That doesn’t mean everything has to be out on display. But it does mean thinking about accessibility: clear bins, open shelving, labeled drawers, etc.

I Love Drawers for Organizing

Drawers are my ride or die because you want your materials to feel available to you at all times. If you have to move three boxes to reach what you want, most of us will be too lazy to do it. And the flip side of things being easy to pull out is that they have to be easy to put away. If putting something away requires too much effort, like if you have to stack things just right or rearrange a whole drawer, you’re not going to do it. At least, I’m not going to do it.

So, let things be a little messy inside the system. A drawer doesn’t have to be perfectly arranged to be useful. It just has to contain the right category of things.

The easier it is to reset your space, the more likely you are to keep it usable.

The Goal of Organizing: An Infinitely Usable Art Studio

In my opinion, the goal of organizing is to achieve a usable studio. Not a perfect studio. Not a beautiful studio ready for a magazine feature. A usable studio.

Because when your space is super functional, you sit down and can start making right away. You don’t lose time looking for things. You don’t feel overwhelmed before you begin. You simply get to work! And when it’s easier to start, you start more often, which means you make more art. It’s a snowball effect with one good thing leading to the next!

If your space has been getting in your way, you don’t have to overhaul everything.

1. Pick one category.
2. Give it a home.
3. Label it.

See what changes because small shifts in how your space functions can have a surprisingly big impact on how often you use it. In the end, that’s what matters!

So, here’s to making more art with more joy! Thanks for stopping by!

The post If You Can’t Find Your Supplies, You Can’t Make Art: 3 Organization Tips appeared first on Balzer Designs Blog.

          

Comments

• In reply to Peggy Joyce. I'm so glad to hear you enjoyed the ... by Julie Fei-Fan Balzer
• This is spot on Julie….my work space looks almost exactly ... by Peggy Joyce

Related Stories

• Thrift Store Find: 6 Art Books for $12 and Here’s How I Plan to Use Them
• Artist Field Trips and the Part of Your Art Practice You Might Be Skipping
• Why Reworking Old Artwork Is a Good Idea

 

You may recall that last week I posted this video:

Here are all the art supplies that I used in the video. There were a lot and I think I caught them all? Let me know if I missed any!

Pens & Pencils

As far as art supplies go, these are your most direct way to respond to what you see. They’re great for quick sketches, exploring shapes, and building ideas without a lot of setup. Virtually all of them can also be layered or altered later.

• Colored pencils
  • Prismacolor Premiere
  • Prismacolor Watercolor Pencils
  • Prismacolor water-soluble graphite pencil
  • Blick Studios
  • Derwent Chromaflow
  • Uni Posca
• Varsity pen (fountain pen, water-soluble ink)
• Ballpoint pen – I like Bic pens a lot. They don’t leak and they last a long time.
• Fine-Tip Sharpie
• China marker (Listo) — The Listo grease pencils/china markers are the BEST! I buy the refills and just pop in a new “lead” when I need it!

Markers & Paint Pens

Markers and paint pens create bold, immediate marks and can vary from fine lines to thick strokes. Some are water-soluble and can be manipulated, while others are permanent, making them great for layering and contrast. Every artist should have a few markers and paint pens in their art supply arsenal!

• Permapaque markers (dual tip: chisel + bullet)
• Uni Posca paint pens
• Koi coloring brush marker (water-soluble)

Crayons

Crayons are a highly underrated art supply, but they are excellent for adding color, texture, and expressive marks. The difference between water-soluble and non-water-soluble options allows you to either keep marks crisp or blend and transform them with water.

• Neocolor I crayons (non-water-soluble)
• Scribble Sticks (water-soluble crayons) – I prefer Neocolor II crayons (water-soluble crayons), but I couldn’t find them on the day I recorded the video.
• Inktense blocks (mentioned as an option, but not used in the video)

Acrylic Paint

Acrylic paint is versatile, fast-drying, and easy to layer, making it ideal for experimentation. It can be used thick or thinned with water or gel medium for more transparent effects, and it mixes easily to create a wide range of colors and values. Because it dries quickly, it encourages working fast and building up layers without waiting long.

• Golden Fluid Acrylics – These are some of the specific colors I used in the video:
  • Carbon Black
  • Phthalo Blue (green shade)
  • Cobalt Blue
  • Yellow (benzimidazolone yellow medium)
  • Transparent Iron Oxide
• Liquitex Basics white paint

Paint Application Tools

Different tools change how paint behaves and looks on the page. Brushes, palette knives, and sponges each create unique marks, encouraging experimentation with texture, edge, and application. You can splurge on expensive brushes or get away with cheaper ones. It’s simply a matter of finding the ones that work for you. (I’m a brush abuser, so I tend to buy less expensive ones. This is probably the one art supply I don’t splurge on!)

• Paintbrushes — I used these types of brushes:
  • Small round brush
  • Large flat brush
  • Filbert brush
• Silicone paintbrush
• Palette knife
• Cosmetic wedge sponge

Paper (as Substrate & Collage Fodder)

The surface you work on affects everything—from how materials behave to how free you feel to experiment. Using scrap or “underpaper” helps keep the process low-pressure and encourages risk-taking.

• Underpaper – I use Sulphite Paper as my underpaper.
• Collage paper – I paint my own, but you can use whatever you have on hand!
• Deli paper
• Copy/Printer paper

Cutting Tools

Scissors and craft knives allow you to create shapes directly from paper, shifting your thinking from drawing to construction. Scissors tend to produce softer, more organic edges, while a craft knife gives you precise, clean cuts and the ability to cut interior shapes. Using both encourages you to explore different kinds of edges, forms, and visual effects.

• Scissors – I like Fiskars.
• Craft knife (and even though I didn’t use a cutting mat in the video, you really ought to!)

Adhesives & Mediums

Adhesives make collage possible and can also affect the final look of your work. Different glues and mediums vary in strength, finish, and suitability depending on the weight of your materials.

• Glue stick (UHU preferred)
• Soft gel medium (mentioned as ideal for heavier paper)
• Matte medium (decanted into bottle)

Other Tools

These supporting tools help with setup, application, and process. They may seem secondary, but they make experimentation easier, cleaner, and more flexible.

• Palette (or palette paper)
• Water container (to clean brushes) – I like to use old jars
• Stencils — the one I used in the video is called Big Flower. It’s from the line of stencils I designed for Joggles.

Final Thought

These are all supplies that I love and use and highly recommend. You don’t need all of these art supplies to do the exercise. The goal is to use whatever you have and explore how it works, letting curiosity—not materials—drive your process.

Let me know if you have any questions and thanks for stopping by!

The post Mixed Media Tool Box: Art Supplies Mentioned appeared first on Balzer Designs Blog.

         

Related Stories

• A Mixed Media Art Exercise You Need to Try
• MAP Technique Vault: For Those Who Want A Library of Art Tutorials!
• All About Image Transfers

 

That’s exactly what this art exercise is about.

On World Art Day, I hosted a live online Zoom class where we explored how to take one object and draw it in as many different ways as possible. It’s fast, messy, low-pressure, and incredibly revealing.

The Premise: One Object, Many Ways

All you need for this art exercise is:

• One object (a cup, plant, shoe—anything!)
• Some paper (even “bad” paper is great)
• A variety of art materials you already own and love to use

From there, the goal is simple: Draw the object over and over again—without worrying about making a “good” drawing.

Instead, you’re asking:

• What shapes do I see?
• How else can I look at this?
• What happens if I change materials?
• What if I simplify it? Exaggerate it? Ignore accuracy entirely?

Start With Shapes, Not Perfection

The first step is to break your object down into basic shapes. Forget details. Forget realism. You’re simply noticing:

• Circles
• Ovals
• Lines
• Curves

And then you draw that.

Not the cup. Just a version of a cup. That distinction matters. Because the moment you stop trying to “get it right,” you open the door to exploration.

Speed Is Your Friend

In the video you can see that in just about 10 minutes, I created 10 different drawings using 9 different materials.

That’s the energy you want.

Quick.
Loose.
Unattached.

The faster you move, the less time you have to judge what you’re making and the more interesting your ideas become. Remember, it’s just an art exercise. It’s not a masterpiece. Have fun and just play!

Let Your Materials Lead You

One of the most important parts of this exercise is switching materials often.

Try:

• Pen + water (to see what bleeds)
• Markers (thick vs. thin lines)
• Paint (big brush vs. small brush)
• Crayons (water-soluble vs. not)
• Collage

Each material changes:

• How you see the object
• How you interpret the shapes
• What feels possible

This is how you start to understand your supplies—not by reading about them or watching videos where other people use them, but by using them in play.

Change the Way You Look

Don’t just draw the object one way.

For this art exercise, try:

• Looking from above
• Turning it sideways
• Letting parts disappear
• Focusing only on the silhouette
• Ignoring the “correct” perspective

You can even draw it in ways that make no logical sense. Have fun and don’t get caught up in the drawing part. Keep it playful.

Explore More Than Just the Outline

Once you’ve drawn the basic shape, you can also explore:

• Patterns on the object
• Shadows and silhouettes
• Color mixing (can you match what you see?)
• Texture
• Collage shapes inspired by it

At this point in the art exercise, the object becomes a starting point, not a destination.

This Is Not About Results

Let me say this clearly: These are not supposed to be good drawings.

They might not look like your object at all—and that’s okay. The goal is to:

• Generate ideas
• Learn your materials
• Build confidence
• Stay curious

Because when you focus too much on results, it’s easy to feel like you’ve already failed before you’ve even begun. But when you focus on process, everything becomes useful.

Art Is an Iterative Process

One of the biggest takeaways from this art exercise is that art doesn’t happen in a straight line. It’s iterative. One idea leads to another. One experiment leads to the next.

You keep going.
You keep playing.
You keep responding.

And eventually, something clicks.

Final Thoughts

This kind of art exercise is deceptively simple, but it’s packed with information.

You’ll learn:

• What you like
• What frustrates you
• What materials excite you
• Where you want to explore more

And best of all? You’ll have a page full of ideas you can come back to later!

If you try this exercise, I’d love to hear how it goes for you.

And if you’re looking for more technique-based explorations like this, you might enjoy the My Art Practice Technique Vault, where I dive deeper into materials, processes, and creative experimentation.

Thanks for stopping by!

The post A Mixed Media Art Exercise You Need to Try appeared first on Balzer Designs Blog.

          

Comments

• […] You may recall that last week I posted this video: […] by Mixed Media Tool Box: Art Supplies Mentioned - Balzer Designs Blog

Related Stories

• MAP Technique Vault: For Those Who Want A Library of Art Tutorials!
• All About Image Transfers
• Thrift Store Find: 6 Art Books for $12 and Here’s How I Plan to Use Them

 

What is the MAP Technique Vault?

The MAP Technique Vault is a steady online source of ideas for your art practice, whenever you need it. There are five categories of lessons you’ll receive immediate access to:

• Creativity Sparks
• Art Materials
• Art Techniques
• Studio Vlog
• Q&A Livestreams

In addition to the vast library of content, you’ll also get 1-2 new videos each month that you’re a member.

Creativity Sparks Are Meant to Ignite Your Creativity

Creativity Sparks are short videos that are meant to do exactly what the title says: spark your creativity. It’s an idea, a technique, a prompt for when you’re just not sure what to do or are feeling a bit lost. Here are a few examples of the videos you will find in the Creativity Sparks archive:

A small creative nudge can interrupt overthinking and get you moving before doubt has a chance to take over. Sometimes all it takes is a prompt or spark to shift you from hesitation into action, where ideas can actually begin to grow.

Understanding Art Materials is Key to Artistic Success

Understanding your materials isn’t just technical—it shapes what’s possible in your work. When you know how a material behaves, you can make more intentional choices instead of reacting to surprises or limitations. That knowledge builds confidence, expands your range, and allows your ideas to come through more clearly because you’re working with your materials, not fighting them. Here are a few examples of the lessons you can find in the Art Materials section of the MAP Technique Vault:

Art Techniques Help You Solve Problems

Understanding art techniques gives you a language for making. Techniques offer different ways to approach a surface, build an image, or develop an idea so that you’re not starting from scratch each time. Here are some of the Art Technique videos that are currently available as part of the MAP Technique Vault:

The more techniques you have at your disposal, the more options you have for solving problems, pushing your work forward, and finding the approach that best serves what you want to express.

Studio Vlogs Offer Insight

Studio Vlogs offer a window into how ideas and techniques actually unfold in practice. By watching decisions, adjustments, and even mistakes in real time, you see not just what to do, but how an artist thinks through the process. That kind of behind-the-scenes insight can spark new approaches and help you apply techniques more fluidly in your own work. Here are some of the Studio Vlogs currently available to members:

Q&A Livestreams

The deep archive of Q&A Livestreams give you access to a wide range of artist questions and challenges, many of which you may not have thought to ask yourself. By hearing problems articulated and worked through, you gain new perspectives, practical solutions, and ways of thinking that can shift your own approach. Check out some past livestreams:

Topics covered in livestreams are entirely dependent on the questions asked by members. Some are technique questions. Some are philosophical questions. Some are questions about art supplies or sourcing. All questions are welcome!

In Conclusion

MAP Technique Vault offers a rich archive of techniques and prompts, along with new lessons released 1-2 times each month to keep your practice moving.

Come when you have time. Explore at your own pace. Leave with something to try.

You will receive access to and new lessons from the following categories: Creativity Sparks, Art Materials, Art Techniques, Studio Vlogs, and Q&A Livestreams. There are currently 224 archived videos that fall into these categories, with more being added every month.

Each lesson has a comments section where you can ask questions and share photos of what you’ve made.

Let me know if you have any questions!

The post MAP Technique Vault: For Those Who Want A Library of Art Tutorials! appeared first on Balzer Designs Blog.

         

Related Stories

• A Mixed Media Art Exercise You Need to Try
• All About Image Transfers
• Thrift Store Find: 6 Art Books for $12 and Here’s How I Plan to Use Them

 

What is Sketchbook Revival?

It’s an eleven-day online creative challenge (April 11–21) featuring 30+ hands-on sessions with artists from around the world. Each day, you can dip into lessons on:

• Drawing
• Painting
• Collage
• Mixed media
• Sketchbook play

…and so much more. Some of the workshops that I’m excited about are:

• Jane Davies: Visual Prompts
  • I love Jane’s work and she always offers simple doable prompts.
• Sarah Matthews: Australian Piano Hinge Book
  • Sarah is great and this is one of my favorite books to make. In fact, it’s one I teach people to make and would charge you a lot of money to learn, so it’s super cool that you’re getting to learn it from Sarah for FREE!
• Debbie Mackinnon: Fast & Loose Mixed Media Sketchbook Pages
  • I haven’t heard of Debbie before (another great reason to join the class — you find so many new-to-you awesome artist instructors) but I love anything that involves fast and loose mixed media.
• Este MacLeod: Play with Patterns
  • Este’s work is beautiful and patterns are always a favorite for me!

There are so many more sessions to choose from if these don’t interest you. Each year I find that there’s one or two sessions that simply blow me away! And it’s a good reminder that you don’t have to do everything. You don’t have to keep up. You just have to show up.

Why You Might Need This (Especially Right Now)

If you’ve been feeling:

• Stuck
• Uninspired
• Too busy to “get back to art”
• Overwhelmed by where to start

Sketchbook Revival gives you:

• A structure (so you don’t have to figure it out)
• A community (so you’re not doing it alone)
• A spark (so you actually begin)

What’s in the Lesson I’m Teaching?

My lesson is called, “Your Sketchbook Is Full of Ideas.”

Personally, I don’t tend to use my sketchbook for finished art. Rather, it’s a place where I collect ideas. I write, I draw, I think, I wander, I play, and I collect things. It’s one of the reasons I tend to refer to my sketchbooks as “studio notebooks.” (As a side note, if this is an idea that intrigues you, I have an entire section of My Art Practice dedicated to the studio notebook.)

So, in my session I’ll be showing you how I go from a little sketch to a finished piece of art — all with the help of a simple formula that you can use over and over again! Here’s the piece that I make in the class video:

If you’ve ever struggled with…

• understanding how to use a sketchbook to fuel finished art
• getting started on a work of art
• feeling like you’ve “run out of ideas”

…then you’re going to love this session.

The Best Part? Sketchbook Revival is FREE.

You can join and access all the sessions at no cost HERE. There is a VIP option if you want lifetime access and bonuses, but you absolutely don’t need it to participate.

VIP is for you if:

• You don’t want to feel rushed
• You know your schedule is unpredictable
• You tend to fall off when things feel overwhelming
• You want this to actually stick, not just be a one or two week burst

One thing you should know, there are three opportunities to buy the VIP package, but the price keeps increasing over time.

• When you first register for class, you can upgrade to VIP for $47.
• During the challenge, you can upgrade to VIP, but now it’s $97.
• And then after the challenge is over, you have one week, one last chance, to decide to upgrade to VIP, however the price is now $197!

You don’t need the VIP, but if you think you’re going to get it, do it earlier rather than later!

Join Before It Starts

The event starts this weekend, so SIGN UP and get ready for an art adventure!

Remember: You don’t need more time. You don’t need better supplies. You don’t need to be “ready.” You simply need to begin. And this is a really easy way to do it.

Thanks for stopping by!

The post Sketchbook Revival (FREE Online Workshop) Starts on Saturday! appeared first on Balzer Designs Blog.

         

Related Stories

• Overcome Creative Block by Stashing Inspiration in Your Sketchbook
• Artist Books vs. Handmade Books: What’s the Difference—and Why It Matters
• Why Drawing is the Secret Superpower Behind Every Art Practice

 

A Scary Incident on the Highway

On Thursday, when I was driving home from jury duty (normally a 30-40 minute drive), my car gave out on the highway.  

I was in the middle lane of a three-lane highway and the car suddenly started stuttering, fishtailing, and deaccelerating.  I put on my hazards and did my best to get the car (now going much slower than the flow of traffic) off the road and onto the shoulder.  All I could think to do once I was pulled over was call my husband.  The second he answered I started crying and hyperventilating.  I think the adrenaline just crashed over me.

The long and the short of the story is I called AAA, a state police officer helped me move the car off the highway, my husband came and found me, the car was towed to a service center, and everyone is safe and sound.

Whew.

But that night I was telling my Mom that I felt like a failure for falling to pieces and she stopped me right away.  She told me that from her perspective I had handled myself well.  I didn’t freak out when it happened. I safely navigated the car to the shoulder.  I called for help.  I dealt with the situation.

I thought about how differently she was looking at the situation and it gave me pause.

Do we automatically label ourselves as failures without considering the actual situation?  By being too focused on how we are “supposed to do it?”

Failure in Art: It didn’t Turn Out How it Was “Supposed To”

Here is where this story becomes art related:

How many times have you deemed your artwork a failure because it didn’t turn out “how it was supposed to?”

I know that I do this all the time. There’s a picture in my head and I want it to match that picture. Most of the time, it’s an unreachable goal. Many years I wrote about letting go of expectations (not lowering, but letting go). And I stand by that idea.

I’ll explain in the next section.

Mindset Shift: Change the Question

What if, instead of asking “Did this turn out how it was supposed to?” we asked:

• Did I stay with the process, even when it got uncomfortable?
• Did I make decisions and respond to what was happening in front of me?
• Did I learn something I can carry into the next piece?

Because just like pulling a failing car safely to the shoulder, art isn’t about executing perfectly under ideal conditions. It’s about navigating what’s actually happening.

How to Put This Advice into Practice

Here are a few things you can do to bring this notion into your studio this week:

1. Redefine success.  Success isn’t a perfect outcome, rather it’s staying engaged, solving problems, and seeing things through.
2. Interrupt the “failure” story. When you catch yourself labeling a piece as a failure, pause and ask: What did I actually do well here? There is always something.
3. Practice responding, not controlling. Instead of forcing your work to match a preconceived idea, treat it like a situation you’re navigating in real time.

Your artwork isn’t a pass/fail test. It’s evidence that you showed up, paid attention, and kept going even when things didn’t go as planned. Yay for you! I think that perseverance is a really key quality to develop in yourself — both for art and personal reasons. So, this is me encouraging you to keep going! Keep trying! And have fun doing it!

Thanks for stopping by!

The post Rethinking Failure in Art: A Better Way to Measure Success appeared first on Balzer Designs Blog.

         

Related Stories

• Thrift Store Find: 6 Art Books for $12 and Here’s How I Plan to Use Them
• If You Can’t Find Your Supplies, You Can’t Make Art: 3 Organization Tips
• A Mixed Media Art Exercise You Need to Try

 

One of the (fun) challenges of working in mixed media is that we often end up with lots of beautiful experimental papers. Painted papers, printed papers, papers covered with marks, patterns, and more!

They’re fun to make, but they add up quickly and can make you feel quite overwhelmed. One of my favorite solutions is turning that pile of papers into a usable mixed media book.

Turning those experimental surfaces into handmade books gives them a purpose and a structure.

That’s exactly what we’ll be exploring in my upcoming 4-day in-person workshop “Making Mixed Media Books” at Dillman’s Art Workshop Retreat in northern Wisconsin.

You can read more about the workshop HERE.

What Is Mixed Media Bookmaking?

Mixed media bookmaking combines surface design techniques with simple book structures. Instead of starting with blank pages, you create your own papers using techniques like:

• painting
• collage
• printing
• drawing and mark-making
• layering transparent materials

Those surfaces are then transformed into colorful handmade books, which can be further worked into, exploring materials, texture, and visual rhythm across a sequence of pages. For artists who love experimenting with materials, bookmaking is a wonderful way to turn those explorations into finished pieces.

Make a Single Sheet Folded Book

If you’ve ever made painted or printed papers, here’s a simple way to turn them into a book. All you need is one sheet of paper.

1. Start with a sheet of paper.
2. Fold it in half lengthwise.
3. Fold it again in the opposite direction.
4. Fold once more so you have eight rectangles.
5. Cut a slit along the center fold between the middle panels.
6. Refold and push the pages together.

Watch the video if you’re more of a visual learner:

You now have an eight-page handmade book.

This structure works beautifully with painted or collaged papers, because the design flows across the folds and pages.

Join Me at Dillman’s Bay in May!

In my upcoming workshop, Making Mixed Media Books, we’ll spend several days exploring both surface design and simple book structures.

We’ll create painted and printed papers, experiment with layering and mark-making, and then transform those surfaces into handmade books, like the one I’m holding in the photo below:

Dillman’s Art Workshop Retreat has been hosting artists for decades on the shores of White Sand Lake in northern Wisconsin. It’s a beautiful setting to step away from daily life, focus on your art, and spend time with other creative people. This is a photo of one of their classrooms:

You can come with your family with a vacation. Lodging options include cabins as well as motel-style accommodations. While you come to class, your partner and/or family can fish, hike, relax, and otherwise explore the area!

If you’d like to join me, you can find all the details HERE.

And if you try making a folded book from one of your own painted papers, I’d love to hear how it goes.

The post Mixed Media Bookmaking: Turning Painted Papers into Handmade Books appeared first on Balzer Designs Blog.

          

Comments

• In reply to Kristina Schaper. Thanks, Kristina! I appreciate ... by Julie Fei-Fan Balzer
• Hi Julie, making books out of mixed media papers is one of my ... by Kristina Schaper

Related Stories

• A Mixed Media Art Exercise You Need to Try
• MAP Technique Vault: For Those Who Want A Library of Art Tutorials!
• Bainbridge Island Museum of Art & Their Artist Books Collection

 

How is Visiting a Museum Part of an Art Practice?

There’s a difference between going somewhere and going somewhere with intention. I think that’s what an artist field trip really is, and I think it’s a part of an art practice that gets overlooked. It’s not just leaving your house. It’s not just consuming something creative. It’s deciding, even quietly, that you are going to pay attention.

And I think that’s part of what we’re actually looking for when we say we need creative inspiration. Not ideas, exactly, more like space to let your brain wander. Because the truth is, your art practice can’t run only on output. It just can’t. If all you’re doing is making and making and making, eventually you start to feel like you’re scraping the bottom of something. That feeling of being stuck, bored, and disconnected from your work is awful. But, I think it’s actually evidence of a lack of input.

Input doesn’t just magically happen. You have to go looking for it a little bit. That’s what an artist field trip is doing. It’s choosing to step outside your usual routine and deliberately seek out something that might spark creative inspiration. It could be a museum. It could be a walk where you decide ahead of time that you’re going to notice color, or texture, or light. It could be sitting in a café and actually looking at people instead of your phone. But the important part is that shift from passive to intentional. It’s the difference between wandering around and actually seeing.

The Isabella Stewart Gardener Museum

The Gardner is a great place for that kind of intention looking because it’s so immersive. The courtyard alone is worth the visit!

Light streaming through the glass ceiling, plants, water, and a generally sense of tranquility and aliveness. It doesn’t feel like a museum so much as a place where your brain can stretch out and relax a little.

Fun Fact: On the tour I took I learned that almost everything in the courtyard is potted so that it can be easily changed out!

And it’s not curated like a typical museum. It’s not arranged by time period or theme or anything else. There are no little cards on the artwork to give you any kind of information. It’s just you looking at beautiful things and thinking about them.

Looking with Intention

I believe that if you focus on something, you notice more. It sounds obvious, but it’s not how we usually move through the world. Most of the time we’re skimming. Even in museums. The average person spends just 15-30 seconds looking at a piece of art in a museum!! But when you slow down and let yourself linger on the thing that catches your eye, something starts to happen. You start asking questions: Why do I like this? What is it doing? How could I use that idea? And even if you don’t answer those questions right away, just asking them changes the way the experience lands.

This is where I think a lot of people miss a step in their art practice. They go, they look, they enjoy, and then they move on. But, I believe that reflection is the part that actually turns inspiration into growth. Not in a formal, “sit down and journal for an hour” way (although it can be that). It can be as simple as letting something sit in your brain a little longer. Turning it over. Noticing what stuck. This is the real reason that I think sketching is so cathartic for so many artists. Sketching forces you to look and pay attention in a way that you don’t normally. If you’re not a sketcher, try writing! Simply writing out your thoughts and impressions creates a similar kind of focus.

Attention is one of the most powerful tools in your arsenal.

Socializing is a Part of My Art Practice

The other thing that struck me on this artist field trip was how much I enjoyed being there with other artists. The tour I went on was a member perk for members of the Cambridge Art Association, so there were lots of folks to chat with during the afternoon!

I think there’s something incredibly generative about being around other creative people. When someone else points out something you didn’t see, or asks a question you wouldn’t have thought to ask, it shifts your perspective just enough. It’s like when you go into a library looking for one book and end up finding five others you didn’t even know existed because they were sitting right next to it. That kind of sideways discovery is hard to engineer on your own. It’s a good reminder that even though making art can be solitary, being an artist and building a sustainable art practice doesn’t have to be.

In Conclusion

So I guess this is just a gentle nudge to you. If your work feels a little flat right now, or you’re not sure what to make next, maybe the answer isn’t to push harder in the studio. Maybe it’s to take yourself on an artist field trip! Not to be productive. Not to check a box. Just to look, and notice, and let something catch. And then give yourself a minute or two to reflect on the experience.

Finally, as I mention in my video, going to a museum is one way to fill up your cup. You can go for a walk, visit with friends, dig in your garden, read a book, go swimming — whatever makes you feel satisfied and filled up with energy and ideas.

Thanks for stopping by!

The post Artist Field Trips and the Part of Your Art Practice You Might Be Skipping appeared first on Balzer Designs Blog.

         

Related Stories

• Thrift Store Find: 6 Art Books for $12 and Here’s How I Plan to Use Them
• If You Can’t Find Your Supplies, You Can’t Make Art: 3 Organization Tips
• Why Reworking Old Artwork Is a Good Idea

 

Artists often assume that once a piece is finished, it should stay that way. We put it aside, archive it, or stack it on a shelf. Finished is finished.

But the truth is that artwork doesn’t exist outside of time. You change. Your skills change. Your interests evolve. When you revisit an older piece of work, you’re seeing it with completely different eyes than when you made it.

And that’s exactly why reworking old artwork can be so valuable. Watch the video for more:

Your Old Work Is a Record of a Moment

Every piece of art captures who you were when you made it: your interests, your abilities, the questions you were exploring. When you return to it months or years later, you can see things you couldn’t see before.

Sometimes you notice technical things—composition, color balance, awkward spacing. Other times you notice conceptual things: a place where you stopped because you were unsure what to do next.

Revisiting old work reveals the distance you’ve traveled as an artist.

It Gives You a Low-Pressure Starting Point

Beginning a new piece can feel intimidating. The blank page carries a lot of expectation.

An older piece of artwork already has a surface, marks, and structure. Instead of starting from nothing, you’re responding to something that already exists. That can make the process feel more like a conversation than a performance.

Often the question becomes simple: What happens if I keep going?

It Helps You See Your Work Differently

When a piece is fresh, we’re often too close to it. We remember the effort, the decisions, and the frustration of making it. Time creates distance.

That distance allows you to see the work more objectively. You can notice patterns, habits, and opportunities that weren’t visible before.

Sometimes the most interesting discoveries come from asking questions like:

• What if I cut this apart?
• What if I paint over part of it?
• What if this becomes the background for something new?

Reworking old artwork turns the piece into a starting point rather than a finished object.

It Helps You Let Go of Preciousness

Artists can become protective of finished work. We worry about ruining it.

But treating older work as material rather than a precious object can be freeing. When you allow yourself to alter, crop, collage, or layer on top of an existing piece, you begin to see your art practice as fluid rather than fixed.

Nothing in the studio has to be permanent.

It Reinforces the Idea That Art Is a Process

One of the most useful mindsets for an artist is understanding that art isn’t a series of perfect finished objects. It’s an ongoing process of exploration.

Reworking older pieces makes that process visible. It shows that artwork can evolve, transform, and continue to grow over time—just like the artist who made it.

Sometimes the most interesting work doesn’t come from starting something new. It comes from returning to something old and asking a simple question:

What might this become now?

Ways to Rework Old Artwork

If you’re not sure how to begin reworking an older piece, start with small changes. You might crop the artwork to find a stronger composition, add new collage elements, or paint over sections that feel unresolved. I love to cut old work into pieces and use it as material for new projects.

Do you like to rework your old artwork? Let me know in the comments of this post!

The post Why Reworking Old Artwork Is a Good Idea appeared first on Balzer Designs Blog.

         

Related Stories

• Thrift Store Find: 6 Art Books for $12 and Here’s How I Plan to Use Them
• If You Can’t Find Your Supplies, You Can’t Make Art: 3 Organization Tips
• A Mixed Media Art Exercise You Need to Try