TIME TRAVELER | Online Class

5 August 20205 August 2020 | Marsha.

Time Traveler - Online Workshop Kalbach Koopsen Valk

I’m beyond happy to announce I’m part of this very special workshop – Time Traveler!

I’m teaching along with my amazing friends Nathalie Kalbach and Birgit Koopsen in this three-week online workshop that goes on sale today and begins on August 17th.

Become a Time Traveler with us! With this course, Nat, Birgit and I will help guide you through space and time, finding inspiration from different eras in history.

Each teacher has chosen a time and will show you mixed media techniques and design motifs inspired by their modern take on that period.

The goal is to create three different handmade book projects using Gelli® plate printmaking techniques and favourite mixed media techniques unique to each teacher.

You will get three different artistic perspectives and oodles of fun and creative ideas to try.

Sign up TODAY for Early Bird pricing: Today, 5 through 8 August 11.59 EST this course is just $89 USD. From 9 to 17 August 11.59 EST Time Traveler will be $99 USD. And then, from 18 August the course will be its regular price of $139 USD.

Check out the promo video below:

Time Traveler will begin on 17 August and will run for three weeks, with a new video publishing each day.

There will be a total of 21 videos, over five hours of video in total, as well as supply lists and additional lesson content in the classroom to help you along the way.

All the videos are downloadable and available to you to enjoy at your own pace.

Here are some of the topics covered in this workshop:

Mixed Media techniques
Gelli Arts® gel plate printmaking techniques
Bookbinding techniques
Tips and tricks for translating inspiration into art
Creative ideas to take to all your artmaking, art journaling, cardmaking, and beyond!

Sign up HERE for this one-of-a-kind take on creating personal, expressive mixed media art in book form from three talented teachers.

A to Z StencilGirl® Art Journal Collaboration & Challenge

27 July 202027 July 2020 | Marsha.

Hi there! Hope you are doing well!

From about March until now I’ve worked my way through a handmade journal as part of the StencilGirl® Products A to Z Collaboration and Challenge organised by StencilGirl® columnist Tina Walker.

For this challenge, all of the participants were asked to fill a journal with an entry for each letter of the alphabet.

Marsha Valk StencilGirl® Products A to Z Collab and Challenge - B

The idea I had for this journal was inspired by a book that I read and loved about 15 years ago: ‘Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life’ by Amy Krouse Rosenthal.

I’ve kept a journal like it before years ago, in a small address book that I had accidentally purchased. I used to keep it in my bag to write down ‘random stuff’ per letter on my train commute to and from work.

A lot of it was overheard conversation, observations, small things that caught my eye or that were on my mind. Sometimes I added little sketches.

I wish I could have had all of that this time around, however, it turned into a home edition of an ‘A to Z of Ordinary Things’ due to you-know-what.

Marsha Valk StencilGirl® Products A to Z Collab and Challenge - M

As this was a collab for the StencilGirl® Talk Blog, the only stencils we were allowed to use were stencils by StencilGirl® Products. All of the other materials I used were my own choice.

Watch the video above for a quick flip through of the journal!

Tina’s column about the collab is up on the StencilGirl® Talk Blog today.

Thank you so much for stopping by!

Marsha Valk StencilGirl® Products A to Z Collab and Challenge - V

Please note that I’m also a columnist for the StencilGirl® Talk Blog, so though I did not receive any compensation for participating in this collaboration, the majority of the stencils I used to fill the pages were previously given to me or purchased at a discount!

n*Studio | Vacation Mode

6 March 201810 July 2018 | Marsha.

It’s my 25th turn on the n*Studio blog today! Which is super cool but also bittersweet as it’s actually my goodbye post…

I’m leaving the n*Studio Creative Squad!

I’ve just had a look at all of the projects I created in the past two years. Wow, did I make a lot of different things! And I remember all of the projects well, not in the least because Nat and Kim always make sure that there is an excellent theme for each month.

I can honestly say that there is a story behind every single n*Studio project I did and to me that makes my time with the Squad really special. The combination of the themes and Nat’s stamps and stencils challenged me in the very best way possible.

I experimented, even made some videos and always tried to come up with something fun. I’m incredibly thankful that Nat invited me to be part of her awesome team and it was an absolute pleasure to be a part of it!

There’s an overview of all of my projects (and that of my fellow Squad members) on the Creative Squad page on Nat’s website, if you’d like to have a look too!

This month’s theme is Vacation Mode, and there’s a step-by-step of how I created the cards above here: Vacation Mode – Marsha Valk

Enjoy your day!

Inspired by | Stone Mattress: Nine Tales by Margaret Atwood

10 December 20175 March 2018 | Marsha.

Hi there! It’s the 10th today, and I’ve got a new instalment of Inspired by for you!

The theme this time is… Stone Mattress: Nine Tales by Margaret Atwood.

Het stenen matras

I read the Dutch translation, which I found in my local library. As the English title suggests, there are nine stories in the book. The first three stories are connected, and that confused me, as I was expecting stories, and then it seemed like I was reading chapters instead.

I’m not a massive fan of bundled stories. I prefer a longer, more in-depth story that I can’t wait to get back to when I have more time to read. With stories, you have to start over again and again and again.

I didn’t like all of the stories in this book, but I did enjoy most of them. The characters are dark, strange, evil, revengeful and a bit crazy.

Whilst I was reading, I kept seeing scenes that made me wish I was an illustrator: the indigo and emerald bees of Alphinland in the first story, the twins in the third story or the contents of a storage facility in the fifth one.

The project

The bees kept popping back into my head, so I decided to try and draw those. Which was even harder than I imagined, but it was nevertheless a fun exercise.

I used Derwent Inktense pencils to sketch and colour with. They are water-soluble, but permanent once dry, so I could work in several layers.

I also used red watercolour for the background, a black permanent fineliner for the outlines and a white Stabilo All to write.

I finish the page with gold and bronze ink splatters. They represent the tears of the lady that is connected to the long black hair.

Conclusion

It took a long time before I felt like this page was presentable. Watercolour skills have been on my wishlist for far too long. Drawing skills too ;-). Maybe that’s something I can work on in the new year.

Of course, I’m also bothered by the colours of the bees in the middle panel. The blue one should have been green and vice versa. But I realised too late, and because I sketched with coloured pencils, there was no turning back. Which is fine. Life is too short to fret over sketchbook pages!

Be sure to check out what Riikka has made this month on her blog Paperiliitin. I’ve already seen a glimpse, and I love it!

Take care and have a wonderful week!

Inspired by is a blog series by my friend Riikka and I. We decide on a theme (and that theme can be anything from a film, a book, a painting, to an item, colour scheme or material), and then we create something with that theme or thing in mind.

We keep what we’re making a secret until reveal day on the 10th when we show you and each other our creations.

n*Studio | Each Day is a New Adventure + Colours Are My Friends

5 December 20175 March 2018 | Marsha.

It’s my turn on the n*Studio blog today! Which means that it’s time to share last month’s project with you here! In fact, I have two to share this time, because I seem to have missed one…

Each Day is a New Adventure

Last month the n*Studio Creative Squad was asked to try something new in our art-making.

I had just bought a brand new set of Ecoline Brush Pens, and I decided to break them in on this little journal page, using some of Nathalie’s stamps.

Read the how-to in this post on Nathalie’s blog: Each Day is a New Adventure – Marsha Valk

Colours Are My Friends

Aren’t you wondering what I was wearing whilst creating this journal page? Well… my new apron of course!

Read the how-to for this one in this post on Nathalie’s blog: Colors Are My Friends – Marsha Valk

My Fire Burns Bright

Curious about my project for December? Head on over here: My Fire Burns Bright – Marsha Valk

Don’t miss it, because I talk about Creative JumpStart and how it always inspires me!

Not signed up for CJS 2018 yet? I would love it if you would join us! Go to Creative JumpStart 2018 (affiliate link) to find out more!

n*Studio | Artful Adventures

19 September 20179 November 2017 | Marsha.

It’s my turn on the n*Studio blog today! Which means that it’s time to share last month’s project with you here!

Artful Adventures

Last month the n*Studio Creative Squad worked with Nathalie Kalbach’s new book Artful Adventures in Mixed Media (aff. link), to help find inspiration as we travel (or roam around the neighbourhood).

I didn’t leave the country this summer, but I did have a couple of artful adventures in Amsterdam. I documented one of them in my Traveler’s Notebook.

Read the how-to in this post on Nathalie’s blog: Artful Adventures – Marsha Valk

Curious about my project for September? Head on over here: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle – Marsha Valk

Materials used
n*Studio for Stencil Girl Products Amsterdam Stencil
n*Studio for Stencil Girl Products Chicago Stencil
n*Studio for Stencil Girl Products Mesa Verde Stencil

Other supplies:
Derwent Inktense Pencils (I have a set of 36 of which I used: Cherry, Fuchsia, Ink Black, Peacock Blue, Poppy Red, Sun Yellow, Teal Green)
Pentel Aquash Waterbrush
uniPosca markers (black PC-5m and PC-1m)
Sakura Pigma Micron 05

Please note that though some of the supplies were given to me, I will not benefit from any sales generated by the links!

n*Studio | Free For All

15 August 20179 November 2017 | Marsha.

It’s my turn on the n*Studio blog today! Which means that it’s time to share last month’s project with you here!

Free For All

Last month the n*Studio Creative Squad didn’t have a theme, we could just do whatever we liked!

I have piles and piles of printed paper sitting under the desk in my workspace, waiting for a fun project to use them on.

Whilst sorting through the prints, I also came across an illustration I did a couple of years ago.

And that’s how one + one became this:

Read the how-to in this post on Nathalie’s blog: Free For All – Marsha Valk.

Curious about my project for August? Head on over here: Artful Adventures – Marsha Valk.

Materials used
n*Studio Buenos Aires Tile Foam Stamp
n*Studio Santa Fe Positive and Negative Foam Stamp Set
n*Studio Stroll Through the Hood 1 Cling Rubber Stamp Set (Brownstone, Lady Liberty, Star Tag)
n*Studio Stroll Through the Hood 2 Cling Rubber Stamp Set (E-Train, Mailbox, Warehouse)
n*Studio Cardboard Cling Rubber Stamp Set (Pie Top)
n*Studio Embroidery Cling Rubber Stamp Set (Cross Circle, Star Fish, Grannies, Love Knots)

White cardstock (I used A4 size)
Acrylic paint
StazOn Jet Black
Silhouette electronic cutting machine (mine is an antique, but it’s similar to the current Silhouette Portrait)
Adhesive
Scanner
Black pen

Please note that though almost all stamps were given to me, I will not benefit from any sales generated by the links!

Inspired by | Surprise Surprise

10 July 201730 August 2017 | Marsha.

It’s the 10th, and I’ve got a new instalment of Inspired by to share!

We keep what we’re making a secret until reveal day on the 10th when we show you and each other our creations.

Christmasworld

In January, Riikka and I both attended Creativeworld at the Messe Frankfurt. Christmasworld is being held at the same time, and it’s the fair where new products and innovative trends for seasonal decorations are presented by manufacturers and wholesalers from all over the world.

I’ve never been to that part of the Messe, but Riikka found time to go this year and got bedazzled by the glim glam and madness of it all. She described it along the lines of Easter meets Christmas with rainbows, fairies, lollipops and fluffy cupcakes in pastel colours.

But don’t take my word for it: go to Riikka’s blog post to read about it first hand!

She gave me this brochure when she got back and said it would be awesome for Inspired by.

Surprise Surprise

The inside of the brochure isn’t super special. I think the cover says it all, so I decided to use it as a mood board.

I toyed with the idea of creating something 3D but decided to go with my art journal instead for practical reasons.

The idea for the elephant came from a photo of one of the Christmasworld displays I found on Instagram.

And this is what I ended up with:

Conclusion

This was interesting!

I thought the colours of the mood board were out of my comfort zone, but in the end, I think that only the peachy pink colour isn’t one I use very often.

I really enjoyed drawing and painting the girl. I’m not that comfortable drawing ‘human’ figures, but maybe I should just explore it a bit more.

I loved mixing older and newer (to me) supplies: DecoArt Media fluid acrylics, Nathalie Kalbach’s Elephant stencil, WOW! Sparkles (Pumpkin Spice), the cute washi tape with baby animals that was kindly sent to me by Tapegarden and of course my favourite uniPosca pens!

Now head over to Riikka. I can’t wait to see what she has come up with!

Enjoy your week!

n*Studio | Retrospective

21 February 201712 May 2017 | Marsha.

Time flies when you’re having fun! Next month marks my one year anniversary with the n*Studio Creative Squad!

There’s a brand new project up on Nathalie Kalbach’s blog today. This time the theme is Let’s Go Somewhere and I even created a video tutorial to go along with it, so be sure to check that out here!

I haven’t shared any of the completed projects I made for the Creative Squad so far, so if you haven’t been visiting my friend Nathalie’s blog, you’re in for a treat!

Looking back on everything I created in the past year, I see some of my absolute favourites among the n*Studio projects. Nat (and her awesome assistant Kim)’s monthly prompts always seem to bring out the best in me.

Nat’s designs are of course also right up my alley, so I truly enjoy working with her stamps and stencils and I think that shows!

But you don’t have to believe my word for it… Take a look for yourself!

Click on the photo if you want to know more about the project, the materials I used and what prompted me to create it. The link will take you to the original blog post on Nathalie’s blog.

Opposites Attract
$Marsha Valk | n*Studio: Opposites Attract \\ Gelli Prints$