Ronda Palazzari Designs

Darby Smart: 80s Throwback Bag

Are you familiar with Darby Smart?  it's a DIY kit company that has projects from home decor, fashion items, to jewelry.  Your box comes with the supplies to complete the project including step by step instruction.  They have fabulous designers who are right on trend with their designs, including this 80s throwback bag featuring my Mix Tape stencil. 

The Darby Smart kit comes with a Baggu bag, my 12x12 Mix Tape stencil,and ilovetocreate Tulip Fabric Paints.  You might want to scoop one or two of them up for you & a friend.  Margot Potter created the top bag that is utterly adorable.  There are more photos on her blog so go check it for more details. 

it's Back: Scrapbook Soup Unique Embellishments

Last week i showed you one of my Scrapbook Soup Guest episodes filmed with Julie Fei-Fan Balzer.  After posting it, the video was made private.  i am pleased to tell you the video is now available for viewing.  Here's a look at the Unique Embellishment Episode i filmed with KS Studios for Scrapbook Soup.

Don't you think Julie & I work well together?  I have to tell you it was so much fun on the set and in the green room.  KS Productions is a great team and i am blessed for this opportunity. 

Here's the layout you see me creating above. In the background you see my ceiling tile stencil peeking through the layers of patterned paper. 

I just love the way the leaves look with the text peeking through the gesso & watercolors.  You can also see the flowers cut from the patterned paper as well as the blue "label" piece i created using a circle punch. 

ASLD: Drawing Sampler

After my initial class at the Art Student League of Denver, i found the fire within me.  Taking classes there sparked my desire to learn more, to take more chances, to lose myself in art.  i freely admit it was scary to take that first step.  i didn't really tell anyone i was doing it because i needed to know i could do it on my own.  With Anthony in his last year and Andrew in the middle east, it's important for me to know i can do things on my own if i need too.

i needed to push past the fear and find the courage.  i am always telling my students that when you are uncomfortable that's when you experience the most growth.  Taking my own advice, i jumped into a drawing sampler class last week.

I have always believed that drawing is the foundation to all arts.  it gives you a great base to any other medium.  Plus there is something magical about pencil strokes across the page.

After talking a bit about supplies and the different types of pencils & supplies, we jumped into practicing value scales and strokes on our pads. I love his approach by first giving us an overview and then diving right into the drawing. 

We moved on to talking about negative and positive space on drawings and did a few exercises here too.

Next was one point & two point perspective.  This is something my brain loves.  i think it's because i do have a strong left & right side so i see how the math & creative pieces come together.

An hour lunch break had me outside in the sculpture garden enjoying my brown bag lunch.  It felt good to be outside in the sunshine just admiring the pieces in the garden, the blooming flowers, and the beautiful day.  

I also wandered around the League's building, discovering all its nooks and crannies.  I love the way the old wood floors and stairs squeak with pressure.  After only a couple visits here i feel very comfortable. 

I love that the League displays both student and faculty pieces available for purchases.  They come in all kinds of mediums, embracing the art of all styles.

After lunch with jumped into figure drawings, something i was really excited and nervous about.  I have worked with models in the past but this was my first time working with a nude model.  We did quick 10 minute poses just trying to get the figure on the paper. 

It wasn't easy trying to capture all i wanted in 10 minutes.  i was completely frustrated with myself and totally exhilarated at the same time.  i can tell you it is something i want to do more of in the near future.  I want to be able to let go and just dive into it without letting my fears of perfection get the better of me.  There is much for me to work on with figures.

We also did 10 minute poses just working on the face.  I found the profile and straight on faces much easier than a three-quarter face.  Again, it's something for me to work on, to learn, to grow.  I am ready to go back to take some figure studies and even some uninstructed model time. 

Create Daily: Repeated Technique

Have you been creating daily?  It really does help keep your skills sharp and the creative mojo flowing.  Creating daily doesn't mean you have to finish the project in one sitting.  it's more looking at the little things we do each day creatively.  Today is about taking one technique and using it over and over again.  These projects are all about using alcohol with wet mediums. 

This tag uses acrylic paint with sprayed alcohol to create a cool texture like background.  I love the way the white peeks through the aqua background.  I was experimenting using different spray bottles to see the effects. 

On this colorful layout, i used gesso and watercolors crayons with alcohol to create those cool shapes in the background.  I wanted to see how the gesso layer would look with the watercolors crayons and alchol.  A very cool effect i think!

This tag uses acrylic paint and drops of alcohol ink using pipettes.  I love the way yellow peeks through the red background along with the rub-ons. it was very cool to use the one technique over and over again in different ways.  i really find that it pushes you creatively. 

I invite you to take one technique and repeat it at least three times in different ways.

Tag Duo: Building my Stash

i love making tags because it's a quick way for me to be creative, a little jumpstart to my day.  It's also a great way for me to use up my stash of leftover supplies or try out new techniques.  You can find details on how to make these two tags at the MMME Blog.  People often ask "what do you do with all your tags? You must have a bazillion of them." 

a bazillion & one to be exact.

Actually i don't have that many left because i use them in different ways.  Mostly i use them for gifts or even as notes (like cards).  Sometimes i hang them up on my inspiration boards as art hanging around my studio. I also use them on my layouts or in my art journals.  Here's a look at some ways to use tags. 

the tag was a piece that didn't make it onto my layout i was working on.  i had my neocolor ii crayons out and decided to color the tag with greens to complete this page.  i was also working with some black paint so i decided to paint the leaf on the tag and then added to my page. 

If you create a tag you love you can use them on your layout. Take those creative pieces and bring them together with a photo you love to tell your story. On this layout you can also see my honeycomb stencil with distress inks in the background.

Tags as an mini art album.  These wooden tags started out with me playing around with gesso and Maya Mist.  I tied them together with baker's twine to create a little visual journal. 

Tags as a display.  I love this for a holiday display.  You can make them with your kids and then hang them up on a simple frame. 

Playing around with my stencils and going through lots of tags.  I keep them all stacked up for future use, like on this layout.  When you need a focal point, tags are a great way to draw attention and create contrast. 

So how do you like to use tags?

Zipper Cuff Bracelet

i am a color junkie.  i know you are shocked to read that announcement but it's true.  The colors aren't just limited to my art pieces but tend to flow in all aspects of my life including my wardrobe & accessories.  i love that little pop of color in my scarves, handbags, shoes, and/or jewelry.  So when i looked at my zipper trim collection, i thought i could turn it into something wonderfully colorful i could wear. 

This cuff was super easy to create and i totally love the colors.  it's looks great with any outfit so it has become a go-to accessory.  i have small wrists, child-like wrists, so making it custom to fit me is awesome.  After tackling this project, i admit my mind is swirling with other cuff ideas. 

I have some stencils to give away, a two sets of 6x6 stencils.  I appreciate all your wonderful comments.  Here are the two randomly selected winnerrs:

Kate said...

Wow! Love all your samples and pops of color. I think my two favorites are the spinning tops and baubles. I think they would make awesome backgrounds for a mixed media album of my little boys.

and

rachel whetzel said...

LOVE your designs!! My two faves are the punchinella/coffee mug ring set, and the christmas set. That star and the 25 one are super SUPER cute. I love what you did with them!!

Kate & Rachel, email me at [email protected] with your snail mail address and i will send your stencils out to you!

ASLD: Watercolor Sampler

Last week i talked about my wants on my OLW art journal page.  Wants are great to think about but are pretty useless unless we put them into action.  Here i am trying to do just that, taking a leap into new things that i have been wanting to do for a long time.  I became a member of the Art Student League of Denver a while ago.  i signed up knowing i wanted to take more art classes but kept coming up with excuses on why i hadn't taken one yet.  i finally let go of my fears, or rather didn't let them control my actions, and signed up this summer.

The ASLD is located near downtown Denver in the Art District.  It's a wonderfully old building (old by the US standards) situated on a fairly quiet street. Many great local artists teach here as well as visiting artists.  Their schedule has so many great workshops, drop in classes, and lectures, it's hard to make a decision. 

The interior is full of character with warm wooden staircases that squeak with quaintness.  I love that art work adorns the walls and everyone is so very helpful.  They run youth programs for art, especially in the summer, so the place was alive with budding artists. 

My first class during the summer schedule was a watercolor sampler class.  While i have been dabbling in watercolor for a while, i wanted to start from the beginning and just get my feet wet.  it isn't the most comfortable medium for me so i thought i would be a good way to challenge myself. 

As you can see our professional Artist/teacher is definitely a master in the subject.  His pencil drawings (not shown) are completely amazing as well.  He really knows values and can capture a scene relatively quickly.  He started us off with the basics and then had us jumped into techniques. 

i loved Rick's approach to teaching and the encouragment he offered his students.  He told us to find what works for us, giving us his tips & tricks.  One thing i absolutely adored was his watercolor jars.  He squeezes his colors into these jars, especially when he finds a sale.

We also talked all about brushes and other tools used in watercolors.  I love photos of brushes.  So much potential in these beauties. 

After lots of good basic information, we jumped into some exercises and basic techniques. Then we dove a little deeper and created some landscapes.  I admit landscape paintings aren't what i want to do with watercolors necessarily but i had fun creating the above painting.  i also think i was probably more advanced then this class, however there were light bulb moments which made the class totally worth taking.  i jotted down notes & thoughts in my journal, filling a few pages full of new information.  All in all it was an excellent day at the Art Student League and i am ready to take more classes.

Scrapbook Soup: Unique Embellishments

In June i traveled to Cleveland, Ohio to film Scrapbook Soup with Julie Fei-Fan Balzer.  It was the most thrilling experience and i absolutely loved doing it.  The full episode will air on PBS so check your local listing.  You can also find lots of inspiring videos at Scrapbook Soup/KSProductionstv Youtube channel.  Guess what i am sharing today?  One of my segments from the new season, showing you how to change patterned paper into all kinds of cool embellishments. 

EDIT: it's LIVE!

Don't you think Julie & I work well together?  I have to tell you it was so much fun on the set and in the green room.  KS Productions is a great team and i am blessed for this opportunity. 

Here's the layout you see me creating above. In the background you see my ceiling tile stencil peeking through the layers of patterned paper. 

I just love the way the leaves look with the text peeking through the gesso & watercolors.  You can also see the flowers cut from the patterned paper as well as the blue "label" piece i created using a circle punch. 

 

Word Up #74: WANT

Today's word, brought to you by the incredible Karla, is another great word.  WANT.  it's a powerful word, one that should be used thoughtfully.  it's a word that has kept surfacing for me over the last month or two as i have been rearranging my priorities.  what do i really want?  i will let you in on a little secret, i am a left-brain person as much as a right-brain person.  i want things organized and i want to have a plan of action.  i want to restructure my day so it feels productive as a creative business. i want to jump into new adventures without feeling guilty for not doing other things. i want to feel like i can give myself fully to whatever i do.  But right now my life feels a little chaotic and i want control back.  in truth, i am the one who gave control away.  i want to regain control and move forward.  Here is my want piece.

it captures my chaotic mood and my wants at the same time.  i couldn't have spoken it better than this piece.  i pour my emotions into it, both the good and the not so good.  i see the beauty in those emotions, not to mention the freedom from the release.

So what do you want? Join us at OLW and create something to capture your wants!

Twas the Night, Baubles, and Spinning Tops

i created 19 stencils this release.  They can be found at your local craft stores as well as online stores.  By now you may have even purchased one or two of them.  Remember you can tag me on twitter, instagram, or facebook, or add it to the Ronda Palazzari Designs Flickr group. Today i am sharing the last of these stencils, Twas the Night, Baubles, & Spinning Tops. 

Twas the Night is a great holiday stencil but can also be use throughout the year for many different projects.  This stencil, like Captured, is also great for Project Life, a December Art Journal, or Holiday Album.  Most of the shapes on the 12x12 stencil are 4x6. 

It's completely adorable in both sizes.  The smaller 6x6 would look great on tags for presents, as accents on a page or tag, home decor, etc.  Same goes for the 12x12 size. 

 

I don't do a weekly Project Life album but i love the way the pages look in my regular albums, especially when i have multiple photos i want to use. I love the way this stencil looks like patterned paper.  I layered it with the 6x6 stencil too.  

Baubles is a great larger baclground stencil.  I love the open spaces to create layers using paint, stamps, another stencil, etc. Turn it on it's side for a different look too!

I really love this stencil in both sizes.  On the left i used distress paints with the 6x6 stencil.  On the right i used the 12x12 stencil with distress inks.

i used the 12x12 stencil to trace and cut out the white piece on this layout.  I then painted some colorful pieces to fill in behind the cut out as well as patterened paper.  I am super excited how this layout turned out.

Spinning Tops is a great background stencil that can add that special touch to any project.  Did you notice that it's the reverse of Squiggles?  They look so different, yet now you can probably see the pattern in each. 

The spinning tops looks great in both sizes.  On the left, I painted the tag white and then used distress inks over the top.  On the right tag i used Ferro Special Effect Paste through my 12x12 stencil and then used Dylusions spray ink to add color.

Grown uses both the 12x12 and 6x6 stencil.  I used a white paint resist with the 12x12 stencil on the background and then layered on colors.  After it dried i added modeling paste through the 6x6 stencil.  Did you also notice the Captured stencil & Well Rounded stencil on this layout?

So there you have it, all 19 stencils.  Do you have one (or two) that must be in your stash?  Well i am giving away two sets of 6x6 Baubles & Spinning Tops today. 

To be entered into this giveaway simply leave a comment answering which is your favorite stencil (or two) & tell me how you plan to use it.  You have until Sunday, August 18th 8 pm Mountain Time to be entered.  I will randomly select the two winners and announce them early next week!