Posted on August 23, 2020 by thefrugalcrafter Lindsay Weirich
Hi friends! If you were waiting with bated breath for the real-time version of this project to be up in Critique Club it is up now! I usually post it the Saturday before it’s due but it completely slipped my mind.
And if you prefer the time lapse version, here it is!
You have a week left to save 50% on my Watercolor Glass Class! *Use coupon code SHINE is the discount doesn’t appear automatically. Offer good through August 2020.
That’s all for today, we went hiking by the coast today and the salt air and exercise wiped me out. I’ll sleep well tonight! Till next time happy crafting!
Posted on July 5, 2020 by thefrugalcrafter Lindsay Weirich
Hi friends! Today’s prompt for World Watercolor Month is “Favorite Color” and mine is crimson red so I decided to paint these strawberries!
You can find the 1hr 44min narrated tutorial for this painting in Critique Club under June 2020 bonus project #1. In case you haven’t heard, Critique Club is a membership group where you can upload up to 2 painting you are working on per month for an in-depth critique from me. My goal is to help you grow and improve as artists! I also post 2 long narrated tutorials per month for members that tend to be on the intermediate/advanced side. You also get access to all the past tutorials (37 in all so far!) so you will have inspiration for miles and it’s only $5 per month. Learn more or sign up here. Thank you for your support!
Posted on July 1, 2020 by thefrugalcrafter Lindsay Weirich
Today we are going to have a really fun time playing with stuff I bet you already have!
This is the first video I have filmed since I hung up quilts and did a bit more sound deadening in the new space. I hope it sounds good! 🙂 Relax, enjoy, hang out and craft with me!
This video is sponsored by Top Flight Stamps! SAVE 10% off your next order with coupon code: thefrugalcrafter10 *USA orders of $50+ ship free!
For the sentiments I used sentiment dies that I cut from black cardstock that I backed before with scor-tape *This is a great way to use up offcut strips of black cardstock!
I hope this inspires you to dig out your stencils and play! Happy crafting!
Posted on June 21, 2020 by thefrugalcrafter Lindsay Weirich
Hi friends! Happy Father’s to all the dads out there. I hope you have a special day:) Today we are going to work in a variety of black, gray and white pencils in a grey sketchbook.
You can also use charcoal and chalk for this. The grey of your paper will take out some of the work of shading. You can find a real time version of this tutorial in Critique Club. Critique club is a monthly membership group in my teachable school that allows you to upload 2 paintings a month for an individualized critique from me to help you grow as an artist. You are not required to upload any artwork though, if you want to join just for the bonus tutorials and camaraderie of other like minded artists that’s fine too:) All are welcome! In addition each month you get 2 new long format intermediate/advanced art tutorials from me. You also have access to all past tutorials while you are a member (there are currently 36!) and you can get inspired by past creative prompts as well if you need inspiration. Click here to learn more about Critique Club or sign up today!
Drawing is the foundation to all art. If you are feeling weak in that area I have a course that will teach you how to draw what you see as we work through a variety of lessons. You will learn drawing, shading, perspective and other techniques so you can go from “I can’t draw a straight line” to “I can draw whatever I have in mind!” Click here to find out more about Learn to Draw with Lindsay. It makes a great Father’s Day gift too!
I think we are going to take a drive to the coast today. I hope you find a nice way to spend the day and til next time happy crafting!
Posted on June 17, 2020 by thefrugalcrafter Lindsay Weirich
Hi friends! Today I have a real time workshop using acrylic paints, pan pastels, stencils, fibers stamps and gel press plate and more. Learn some fun techniques you can use in your next project!
Enjoy the video!
This video is sponsored by Top Flight Stamps! SAVE 10% off your next order with coupon code: thefrugalcrafter10 *USA orders of $50+ ship free!
Posted on May 13, 2020 by thefrugalcrafter Lindsay Weirich
Hi friends! Today we are going to dive into the world of watercolor pigment powders. They have been around for a few years so if you like to keep up with the trends chances are you might have purchased some of these in the past. I hadn’t seen many people using them lately so I thought it would be a good time to take them for a spin again!
Watercolor pigment powders are made by many companies, today I’ll use a variety including Colourcraft’s Brusho, Ken Oliver Color Burst, Magenta’s Nuance Powder, Cosmic Shimmer and Infusions by Paper Artsy. Any of these brands will work for today’s techniques. You can even use fabric dyes but you want the kind that have the mordant (salts or soda ash) separate. I have had good luck with Tye-Dye kits but bad luck with Rit as it has the salt crystals in it and it keeps the color from reacting as intensely. I prefer the powders that use multiple colors like the Paper Artsy Infusions do but you might like others. There are a lot to choose from!
I made more backgrounds than I did cards but that’s OK, they will keep. I cut all my paper to layering size (4″x5 1/4″) prior to working so when dry they will go into my paper storage, You might remember a couple of weeks ago I cut all my scraps down made lots of serendipity papers in that size. I’m telling you, cutting down my scraps was the best thing I ever did for cardmaking, I can make a card in no time now and the bins of paper are so inspiring to look at!
So, are you ready to get inky? A few tips before you begin:
Cover your workspace with plastic or a craft mat that will wipe clean. This will stain.
Wear gloves or be prepared to have multi colored hands for a day or two.
Pre cut all paper prior to beginning, Watercolor paper or bristol works the best with the watercolor powder but any thick white paper will also work, expectantly with the texture paste technique.
Create a space for the paper to dry, these will take a few hours to try so I usually do a project like this at the end of the day and leave them over night.
These powders are really fine and can easily be airborne so you might want to wear a mask (and nowadays we all seem to have them!
Video!
This video is sponsored by Top Flight Stamps! SAVE 10% off your next order with coupon code: thefrugalcrafter10 *USA orders of $50+ ship free!
I think projects like this are perfect when you have a couple of hours but you don’t really know what you want to do but you still want to be creative. There is no pressure for perfection and you are making so many little backgrounds that if you have a couple of duds it’s no big deal. It’s only a piece of paper! You could even stamp, stencil or gel print on any dud so there doesn’t have to be any waste. What was your favorite technique?
Sourdough Bread Update!
I made my first sourdough loaf yesterday and it was a hit! I used a King Arthur Flour sourdough bread machine recipe on the longer rising French bread setting and it was good but didn’t rise as much as it should have. I am experimenting today with the beginner sourdough loaf recipe from TheKitchn because that is where I got the starter recipe from and since it makes 2 loaves I am going to do one loaf (in a loaf pan) risen slowly overnight in the fridge and the other as a round artisan loaf (because I only own one loaf pan LOL!) risen at room temperature so I can serve it with dinner tonight. Both of those recipes require a small amount of baking yeast so it’s not a 100% true sourdough but my starter is only a week old and I am new at this so I am giving myself a break. I must say I enjoyed the crusty heel slice of yesterday’s bread toasted with Margarine today much more than the slice I had yesterday. The kids were disappointed that it was gone! I don’t think I am going to have a problem with discard starter in this family the way they like to eat bread around here! Anyway, that’s what’s going on in my neck of the woods:)
Posted on April 17, 2020 by thefrugalcrafter Lindsay Weirich
Hi friends! I don’t know about you but I have really had to push myself to be creative lately. I’ve been feeling down, adrift and out of sorts. It’s hard to get motivated to do anything other than the bare minimum when you feel this way but I’ve found that if I make myself venture down the the frigid basement craft cave and make myself start something I usually end up enjoying the time and working longer than I planned. All you have to do is just start, even when you don’t feel like it.
I know this must sound incredibly entitled and silly that I have to push myself to do something I enjoy. I must sound incredibly spoiled to anyone who is essential and still working outside of the home. In fact, I think that’s part of it. I actually feel a bit guilty that I get to work from home. My work feels very frivolous during this time. I’m struggling. First world problems, I know. If you are feeling like this you are not alone. Art and craft is not like food, shelter and healthcare, it’s not life sustaining but it can be soul sustaining and if you can share a smile with a friend you can’t visit in person I think it’s worthwhile. I sent one of these cards to a friend who is a nurse. We all have a part to play during these weird times. So, even though you might not feel terribly inspired right now pull out some old supplies and make something that will make someone else’s day a bit brighter. That seems pretty worthwhile to me. Watch the video to see how I made these.
I used my old letterpress platform to line up my stamps in a similar fashion that you would use a MISTI. I think it worked just as well as a stamping platform and I already had it!
I use a variety of inks from Gina K and Memento. *The smaller pads give greater variety without taking up a bunch of space For the background, I used water-reactive ink such as Distress ink.
To seal the postcards with the inky background I used wax, the kind you would wax furniture with.*any wax will work toprotect postcards. This is not needed if you are going to mail them in an envelope.
I also used a Stampin up roller stamps and a tattered angles background stamp.
The purpose of this card is to show you that you can make do and re purpose supplies to use them in more versatile ways. Which version did you like better, with the colorful background or without? I ended up turning these into regular greeting cards by mounting them on folded cardstock. I never quite know where a card making journey will take me. LOL! Happy crafting!
Posted on April 12, 2020 by thefrugalcrafter Lindsay Weirich
Hi friends! Today I have the first of several quarantine still lifes. I have been enjoying setting up stil-lifes with item I have around the house to draw and paint from. When life slows down you can pause and observe the ordinary. Also we have lost power/internet due to a snowstorm this week and are expecting to lose it again tomorrow with high winds expected so we have to be resourceful with what we have on hand. I think that’s one thing this quarantine is teaching everyone. It’s not all a bad thing.
I took that photo the other day after my daughter made sushi. I setit up on my coffee table because I like the wood grain. We have to be resourseful LOL! I thought it looked so pretty! Below is my painting.
This was a joy to paint and I hope you enjoy the time lapse. There is a full 2 hour narrated tutorial up in Critique Club for members in case you want more info.
Supplies (affiliate links used)
Ink or watercolor, I used the Micador made from Koh-i-noor. This Koh-i-noor set is available in the USA, not sure how it compares. *any vibrant ink or watercolor will be fine, even markers will work here.
Gouache, I used the Himi Palette. The Arteza gouache is good also (I used gold from Arteza) available in the 60 set or in a set of metallics only.
Remember to use what you have, you will be surprised how well the supplies you have on hand can be adaped to different techniques, besides, it just makes since to see if what you have will work before buying something new. I need to remember that myself because I do like new supplies LOL! It IS really satisfying to use up supplies and make what you have work tho, it’s kinda addicting!
I hope you are having a lovely weekend and Easter if you celebrate it. It’s a bummer not to be able to see my parents and sister’s family like we usually do but hopefully it will mean things can go back to normal sooner. We are all healthy here, I hope you are too! Take care of yourself and each other and til next time happy crafting!
Posted on February 2, 2020 by thefrugalcrafter Lindsay Weirich
Hi friends! Today I am drawing a mixed media portrait of Sabrina Spellman (aka Sabrina Morningstar) from the Netflix show The Chilling Tales of Sabrina. This character is originally from the Archie comics and I absolutely love the new show!
Honestly, I’m not really happy with how this turned out but that’s life, sometimes you love your work and other times it’s meh. You always learn something though and often it is in the work we are not happy with that we learn the most. I hope you enjoy the time-lapse.
Supplies (Affiliate links used, if shopping at Arteza use coupon code GHDAY20 for 20% off through 2/4/2020) *Arteza products are also sold on Amazon, check for best prices.
Want to take a class? Save 40% on any class in my online school now through Valentine’s Day with coupon code 40LOVE Click the orange “add coupon” on the checkout page and enter 40LOVE to get your discount! Offer good through 2/14/2020 OR click on one of the classes below to have the discount already applied:)
I think the best way to spend winter is by staying inside and painting! Maybe I’ll see you in one of my classes! I just realized that it’s Groundhogs Day and I think he predicts an early spring, I hope so but until them you can find me inside painting. How about you? Happy crafting!
