By all means paint!

By All Means Paint!

~ Persist, find solutions, do scary things! ~

This class was originally created as part of One BadAss Art Journal 2025, hosted by Tiare Smith, and is now available as a standalone workshop. If you already enrolled in One Badass Art Journal 2025 then you have already access to this class!

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There’s a moment in every art journal page where things shift.

The colors stop working.
The composition feels off.
A layer you loved… suddenly needs to be covered.

And that’s usually the moment we stop.

We start over.
We abandon the page.
We lose momentum.

But what if that exact moment is where your most meaningful work begins?

What this workshop is about

This workshop is about continuing the process - even when it feels uncertain.

Working through doubt.
Working through imperfection.
Working through the urge to quit.

Because creative growth doesn’t happen when everything goes smoothly.
It happens when you choose to stay.

What you’ll create

In this workshop, you’ll create a layered art journal spread that evolves through:

Building colorful layers
Creating and using DIY tools (a texture plate and a custom mask)
Making bold choices - like partially covering a layer you love
Letting go of control and trusting your next step

On the opposite page, you’ll work with a quote by Vincent van Gogh:

“If you hear a voice within you say ‘you cannot paint,’ then by all means paint and that voice will be silenced.”

***

You don’t need a better idea.
You don’t need better materials.

You just need to keep going.

By all means - paint!

Supply list:

Gelli Arts® gel printing plate

Speedball brayer

Acrylic paint like Amsterdam, Liquitex or Ara Acrylics

Self adhesive craft foam (find it in the kids crafts department)

Piece of cardboard (or chipboard if you prefer)

Scissors

Duralar Matte or acetate sheet (or even a sturdy piece of paper)

Pencil

Posca markers (or any other paint markers you have on hand)

Derwent Inktense Watercolor pencils

Permanent stamping ink like Archival and/or Stazon; colors and black

Texture stamps

Eyelet tool/paper piercer

Black alcohol marker

Alphabet stamps

Adhesive tape

Sheet of book paper

Soft round brush

Jar with water

Paper towels

Copier/scrap paper

A downloadable Pdf with step-by-step instructions and many detail pictures is available in the classroom.

Featured Products

Gel Printing Unraveled - Beyond the Basics

Take your gel printing to the next level. Gel printing is playful, experimental and often unpredictable – and that’s part of the magic. But what if you could take control, refine your process and create prints that feel intentional, layered, and professional? That’s exactly what we’ll explore in Gel Printing Unraveled – Beyond the Basics. Over 6 weeks I’ll guide you through the techniques I use most in my own studio – from layering and color mastery to botanicals, transfers, and creative ways to use your finished prints. Don’t just pull random layers – learn how to print with confidence and intention.

Birgit Koopsen

$169

Image Transfers Unraveled

Take your gel printing skills to a higher level. Learning how to create image transfers opens up a whole new world of possibilities, wether you want to use them in your art journaling, travel journals, in your scrapbook, as backgrounds for your cards, as collage material or as stand alone pieces of art! In this workshop you will learn how to create magazine image transfers, the Stāzon technique (which makes image transfer printing a bit easier) and laser print transfers. You will also learn the best way to find the right combination of paint and magazines, mistakes you can make and how not to make them, how to fix little imperfections or how to use not so perfect prints, how to color your images with a variety of products and more.

Birgit Koopsen

$92.50

Play like a kid!

This workshop was originally offered as part of Life Book 2023 - if you are enrolled in Life Book 2023 then you already have access to this class!

Birgit Koopsen

$25