Friday, February 1, 2019

Learn With Me / Tutorial: Alcohol Inks On Canvas - Did I Go Too Far? Save Money Too

Alcohol ink definitely can not be compared to Acrylic paint. Which is what I am most familiar with. Originally, I tried alcohol inks in and on my polymer clay projects. They help created stained glass effects and sea glass effects. Since two dimensional art is what I am most familiar with, it makes sense that I would be curious about trying this medium out on a two dimensional surface. After watching countless tutorials on YouTube, I couldn't wait to begin experimenting. It is clear that you need to buy every colour possible! Ha ha, just kidding.  Nevertheless, it is a good excuse to buy even more art supplies. You can use any kind of alcohol ink. That includes those created using Sharpie markers, Copic or other ink refills. 
This is just one of the many changes my piece looked like.

For today's video, I started out using a small canvas board, about 5" x 7" that I added a couple of layers of Gesso. /that is a white coloured concoction used to prepare surfaces for painting. In this case it was to help create a smoother, insoluble surface for the inks.

As you watch the video you will see how much my piece morphed from one look to the other. I will save the surpises for the video.

I hope you enjoy watching the way alcohol inks can be used in so many ways, including creating beautiful art pieces. Not to mention colouring metals, glass, plastics, fabric, polymer clay, and ribbon, freshwater pearls, beads, foil....endless options.

As you watch, please leave your comment if you wish. I am curious to know at which stage did you think I should have stopped? At which point did I over do it? Do you think you will try alcohol inks? If you already use them, what do you create with them?

Now Watch And See How Far I Went
SAVE Money!!
Remember have fun with it. You can use alcohol inks on any nonporous surface. I am working on alternatives to the really expensive Yupo paper. It looks like great stuff, but for anyone wanting more options that are inexpensive and easy to do - I'm all for trying that. Which means I will be experimenting more by applying a coat or two od acrylic gel medium or gesso to pare, cardboard or even acetate.

If you apply white acrylic gesso or paint to acetate or  old plastic sheets (I save clear plastic/acetate lids and packaging) you can use the alcohol inks on the shiny acetate side and the white will help show it through.

To protect your final surface spray with a fixative or try applying brush on  led or uv resin (I use no wipe top coats)

Thanks for hanging out. Hope you try it out. I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU. iT REALLY HELPS ME, IF YOU SHARE AND SUBSCRIBE!!
To connect more...
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Tuesday, January 29, 2019

Heartfully Creating: Art in Two Dimensions - Sharing A few of Anita's Old Sketchbook Drawings!

Recently, I discovered an old sketchbook that brought back memories. Thought it would be nice to share what I found in a short video. 
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Painting With Craig: Sealable Palette - Does It Work? A Review

Over the course of my artistic career, I made the water spray bottle my number one tool to keep my palette wet and juicy. Otherwise the acrylics would for that plastic skin, eventually drying out completely rendering the useless!  As mentioned in the palette talk

The biggest problem with Acrylic paints and oils are their inability to be reactivated once dry or video previously, I tried a wet palette that is sealable but found it too big, The idea we saw at this great channel, offered the great idea to make your own wet palette. Please check his videos out here at CLIVE5ART. Personally, we both prefer the method mentioned in the Palette Talk video.

But it would be great if we could find a palette that can be sealed. Craig and I would use a ziploc bag around a makeshift palette, like a disposable plastic or styrofoam plate. Even though we ziploc it, there is always a risk that the paint will dry out. As you will soon see, wasting precious, expensive artist paint is one of my biggest fear as an artist. We have a special story coming soon on that topic!
Watch Our Sealable EBay Palette Test and  Review Below
When I was shopping on Ebay.ca (I live in Canada). I was surprised to discover a sealable paint palette. So I thought I bet this would work for Craig when he uses the acrylics.  Here is the link in Ebay to find it.

We received it after about 3 weeks. That is pretty good from China to Canada, Shipping was free, the cost about 17 dollars Canadian. I see today it's 15 dollars. Go figure. The first test would be to put paint in it and see if it truly does seal. You will have to watch the video to see what we discovered. One warning, ALWAYS  read the size details before ordering online!




If you want to help out feel free to check out these links and share em!
Love you all.
Anita




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Wednesday, January 23, 2019

HeArtfully Creating: SO MANY CHOICES!! - Painting Palette talk With Craig


Today we get to talk about the variety of painting palette in this super exciting video. You wouldn't think there were this many options but there are. And there are even more than what we share today. A palette is used for mixing paint and accessing your paint while you, well, paint. Really you can use any thiing that is non  porous. We will do a review next about a new sealable palette I bought Craig.
Watch Palette Talk Below!



If you want to help out feel free to check out these links and share em!
Love you all.
Anita



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Sunday, January 20, 2019

Learn With Me: Talking About Alcohol Ink And UV Resin Fun



 I love learning and lately I have been learning more and more about using Alcohol Inks.. The possibilities are many. Depending on the non pourous surface you apply them to, the way they work together is amazingly cool. Using acrylic paint most of my life as well as other paint types, alcohol inks are a completely different medium. Then encasing the alcohol ink piece in resin add even more neat dimension. Alcohol ink can be used in or on my fave, polymer clay. It can colour metals, glass, acetates, ceramic tiles - ny non porous surface. Yupo  paper has been mentioned often in tutorials I have watched. Sounds like a plastic light "paper." I want to try it soon, just costly. But above I used aluminium foil, so use what you want. Paper will just soak up the ink and it won't be the same experience.
48 Ferro Rochers were in this container. I  love those hazelnut delights. I love great containers too!

Thanks to Debbie Crothers (check out her great tutorials), I used a Ferro Rocher container's liner as a palette to pour some inkk into. She uses ice cube trays. Let it evaporate and then rubbing alcohol reconstitute it whenever you need them. Or I dipped my paint brush into rubbing alcolohol and it picked up the evaporated ink's pigment. Experiment. It isn't drippable like this but you can turn it back to that with enough alcohol.
Watch My UV Resin and Alcohol Ink Video Below

I have talked about this before....the UV resin from the easily recognized UV resin from China. The bottles I keep trying have basically no english on them. In the video above, I have come to more conclusions about this particular brand of resin. I tried a total of about four different bottles and all did the same thing. If I leave it in a mold away from UV light, it still hardens even if I let it sit awa from light. Thinking you have all this pot time or work time....nope, it just won't sit a  stay liquid like. So frustrating. But that is all I will say on that for now. Just watch the video for more thoughts on the topic.
Or you can buy a watercolour palette on Ebay and pour it into the compartments and let evaporate. I tried to label the colours.
If you want to help out feel free to check out these links and share em!
Love you all.
Anita


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Saturday, January 12, 2019

Painting With Craig - The Beginning - Tutorial Video


Join Craig as he prepares for a new acrylic painting. We share the essentials to begin a painting. Hopefully you will be a little inspired to  paint. So we will follow him step by step as he works on a new masterpiece!
Watch Video Below!!


My husband Craig! 

Preliminary Drawing on his canvas

 I will be working  on my own creations and posting videos soon.

If you want to help out feel free to check out these links and share em!
Love you all.
Anita


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Friday, December 7, 2018

Inside My Studio: What Have I Been Working On Lately...

I just created the video below for my Etsy shop blog. It is about what I have been creating lately. Since what I create and trying to sell those creations intermingles so tightly with Heartfully Creating, I am sharing this on both blog sites. It's meant to reach as many people as possible!
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A Few Ramblings About Creating...
It has been a busy few months artistically speaking. It seems that once I find a technique or process I like, I want to make some in every colour. It is much different than when I was working only in two dimensions. A canvas in front of me and a palette of brightly pigmented paints, crying out to be smooshed, combined, and swiped into what would become a beautiful work of art. Well, hopefully it would.

My paintings were usually at least 16" x 20" inches or more and could take days and days to weeks and weeks. It all depended on what it was, how I wanted it to look and if it was turning out how I wanted. Some artists like to meticulously plan out their masterpiece, methodically, critically and succinctly. Not me, I try to but it just doesn't happen. A speck of an idea may spontaneously plunk into my mind, fuelling what would become my next artistic creation. But planning and agonizing over how it will be played out just doesn't feel natural. In three dimensional land, sculpting in polymer clay,  making jewellery, needle felting, and such can be done in the same manner.
Watch Below about What I Have Been Working On Lately...
If you don't want to read my rambling about my creative process, dive in and watch the newest video compilation below.

Open A Bank Account!
However, I am trying to bank ideas into what Christi Friesen once recommended for me to do, write down my ideas into a notebook, keeping them in an idea "savings" account. Then, wen I want to create, (daily for me) I just go through my idea bank and make a withdrawal. I am totally paraphrasing, but it's the gist of what she said. The banking of ideas is a great idea. Just like Christi, a
The time I won a Christi Friesen polymer clay 

original heart. Such a Happy moment!
great lady! You might want to try it. In fact, I even made a handmade note book using index cards, a hole punch and some heavy wire. As for the discipline of banking my ideas, still too impulsive and I forget to look at my bank. That's my fault. Not giving up. It really could work if I followed it through. It doesn't help that I stink at actual banking, spending what I don't have - impulsively!

Any way, thank you for stopping by. Hope you like what you see, are a wee bit inspired to create in whatever method you wish. You may even want to look at my Etsy shop here.  
And I hope you know how much I value any and all likes, shares and subscribes to any or all of my online activities because it encourages me on those days when my body feels too tired to create but my always mind longs to do it. It also helps bit by bit to earn a few cents a day trying to earn money to cover my creative projects through google adsense and such. And of course I also am super appreciative for my 1200 plus or so jewellery shop customers. So happy you want to wear what I enjoy creating!

If you want to help out feel free to check out these links and share em!
Love you all.
Anita

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Friday, November 23, 2018

Polymer Clay Journey: More About My Wee Sweet Tweetees Bird Dangles

A while back I was creating little Tweetees. If you follow H/C then you know I seem to get addicted to making the beads which means,  it takes a while before I get the pieces turned into wearable art to sell in my shop. (I need to try to cover the cost of my art making supplies some way!) 
Tweetees, The name reflects the cuteness of these little bird dangle drops. Pretty sure Tweet and Tweety might be copyright hence the spelling deviation. My beads are created to design earrings, bracelets, necklaces and such. Today after much work on a variety of bead styles slowed down, I finally got to post my first Tweetee earrings in my Etsy shop A Bergie Creation. 

A cane is transformed into cute Tweetee Birds


Here We  Are Cute Little Earrings

Some More "In Process And Soon To Come Photos"

















Thanks for stopping by. 

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Saturday, November 17, 2018

Needle Felting Journey: Thinking Warm Thoughts

Is it winter where you are? Well here in Thunder Bay Canada, it isn't official but it is cold enough to make me nose cold, causing me to consider carrying on with the Needle Felting Journey I began a year or two ago. Makes sense then to wan to sin my fingers into soft and cuddly Merino wool. Thought I would share the few videos that I made in the beginning. It just might spur me on to begin using the plethora of roving that I purchased back then. It is worth learning about if you like learning new art making skills.
Maybe I will have some new needle felt pieces or learn with me videos soon.  Oh right, once I get those new jewellery pieces created for my Etsy Shop and the rest of the beads and mini figurines that I was thinking of creating.

For Now /here are some links to my earlier needle felt video posts.
 PurrrrFect Kitty Click here

Making A wee turtle click here

Warming your heart click here.

Thanks for stopping by. 

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Friday, November 16, 2018

Polymer Clay Journey: Tutorial And Review - A Cheap, Fast Easy Way, To File & Drill Holes into Polymer Clay

See What I Discovered This Week!
So excited to share this discovery with you. Just as I keep finding, that nail art tools are very compatible with polymer clay, I found another handy and better still, cheap tool to help us with polymer clay! So watch the video about it and how you can drill holes and file polymer clay for under $3! (no, not sponsored)
Watch Now!...
Where Can I Buy This?
I don't  have the exact shop link on Ebay, but click here to go to the exact cordless nail file drill that I am using. Always check out the sellers feedback before buying from them.

 You won't be disappointed.

 Thanks for stopping by. 

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Saturday, November 10, 2018

Polymer Clay Journey: Video Tutorial About Alcohol Inks and Transluscent Clay

Happy Saturday fellow Art makers! Finally my alcohol inks and translucent clay bead/drop video tutorial is complete!
Watch it here!
Thanks for stopping by. 

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Thursday, November 8, 2018

Polymer Clay Journey: Alcohol Inks and Translucent Clay Beads


 Happy Thursday guys! If you have been following ABERGIECREATION on Instagram (ABC is my main name for social media and my Etsy shop), then you’ll know I have been working on making beads and dangle drops with alcohol inks and translucent clay. My plan was to create a tutorial as well as talk about using alcohol ink refill ink and not just Adirondack and Piñata inks. Well, haven’t stopped long enough to edit the video and I am still creating more and more beads. Thought I would share some pictures from the last weeks until I get the tutorial made (Should be up by Wednesday or sooner).

It is So fun mixing colours and incorporating glitters, powders and glow in the dark powders too. Hope you try it. Talk to you soon. Thanks for stopping by!












Thanks for stopping by. 

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Some Thoughts and A Video: On Patreon And Earning A Living


one of my first  hand drawn tutorials for my blog!

Being an artist I have always wanted to earn a living making art.  After much contemplation and initially struggling with the idea of Patreon and after wanting to become a patron of other creators, I finally decided it was okay to set up a Patreon account, just to present it as an option to anyone interested. Yes, It feels weird even to talk about the idea of anyone giving any amount of money to support my creativity. Heck, I'm Not even comfortable telling people prices for my art work or setting prices in my Etsy shop. So please know that in no way do I expect anyone to make a pledge or sponsor what I do.  No matter how this adventure goes, as long as the Good Lord puts breath in my lungs, I will continue to create and share in whatever way possible.
What made me jump in?
I have concluded that if I enjoy learning from or like what other creators do, even though it's their choice to produce what they do, that to support what the do not just by giving them a thumbs up or positive comment, along with sharing their link -  by offering a dollar a month (or however much), then it helps encourage them even a wee bit to create more great content. Or it just helps to say thank you for what you do, I am watching/reading your stuff. 
Earning A Living
For many these days, creating you tube videos, tutorials and/or blogging is how they want to earn a living, hoping to leave their day job. Definitely, I can relate to that.
As an artist myself, I know the time and energy that can go into planning, filming, writing, editing, producing, and not to mention the equipment and software costs needed to provide quality visuals with good audio. (Obviously, that's not my content- yet! :0) So when I sign up to be a patron, I am simply trying to encourage them to keep doing what they do. That it may mean they can devote more time doing what they are so good at instead of having to stop creating or producing, to work at a job they don't love, to pay daily living expenses. Most folks are creating in their spare time for fun, which is great. For me, I started sharing on the internet what I do for fun, because I love talking and I really love teaching what I know, especially art making.
Me at age 13 at Sick  Children's Hospital after scoliosis 

surgery (and yay, my aunty Cleo!)
Not to mention, because of my life experience - living with a physical disability, and becoming a Christian, my heart feels lead to share what I have learned to hopefully encourage and help others. Makes sense since the lives of others encourages me.  Then ways became available to earn a little (for some, a lot) extra money doing what I love as a bonus. That's how I see earning platforms like, Google Adsense (it took me about 4 years to earn $100) and Patreon (brand new to that one). Even though it works  out to .068 cents a day, it was still a rush receiving that deposit for doing what I enjoy. It definitely helps to encourage me to try harder and work even more. 
 
What If... When people Like, share and subscribe, as well as leaving positive comments on our pages and channels, that is a huge way to show support that I am thankful for. And these days, now having the possibility of receiving financial support to do what I love, is an added bonus making it possible to earn a living for some. 

 If it is meant to be, and I am blessed with any support, depending on what happens, my hope aside to help contribute to our living expenses, but also (my dream list)  to obtain better equipment to record quality video tutorials and vlogs as well as editing software and such. Having a means to record videos and photos in a better way, have lighting, and a microphone, proper editing software and such would mean it would be possible to create a more enjoyable viewing and listening experience. Not to mention improving our internet speed/equipment for uploading the videos for our channel. If it didn't get so frustrating trying to upload, I would post more of them. In fact, the video for this post took about 4 attempts and a total of 5-6 hours to finally get it uploaded properly. Not sure why but on average, it takes about 2-3 hours or more to upload a 10-25 minute video and we are unable to use the laptop or our smart tv while it loads.

  As well if support is received, it could fulfill my life long dream, which is to earn money on my own, working at what I love and can do, being an artist. You may already know the progressive neuromuscular disorder I was born with, Spinal Muscular Atrophy 3, has meant depending on the help of others physically and financially (like my husband's retirement pension supporting us). I shared my thoughts and experiences on that topic in the video below.
Watch the video below.
💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗
So if you want, please Watch the video right here below

 The Rennaisance
Strawberries by me, Anita Berglund
The whole Patreon thing reminds me of the Renaissance period.

Once, about twelve years ago, I was blessed with an Ontario Arts Council new works grant. It was an incredible encouragement to actually receive government funding to earn a living (for that period of time), painting! They not only provided funds for art supplies but ask you to place a value on your time. That way the council encourages art forms by basically paying an artist to make art. Otherwise most artists have to work at non-art jobs to eat and pay for shelter and expenses, meaning not much, if any time to create. It kind of mirrors the Patron days back when Michelangelo Buonarroti and Da Vinci had Patrons like the wealthy Medici banking family who wouls sponsor them to create their art. The artists had patrons. I assume that is what Patreon has modelled itself after. Thankfully, even a dollar a month helps an artist or creator. We don't have to own banks to support the arts! Once I realized all of that I began to conclude it would be ethically okay to to join Patreon. 

 Either way, I look forward to continuing creating!
Take care everyone!

 If you want head Straight to my Patreon? click here.

 Thanks for stopping by. 


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