Free Art Journaling/Mixed Media/Creativity Workshops


2020 Workshop Listings 
Hi Fellow Creatives!
In an effort to encourage, inspire and try to put a smile on your face, I thought I'd share some of my in person workshops with you. I've linked to my Google Drive with the class handouts. They're my gift to you during this strange time that we are all living in. May they offer you a bit of hope, creative nurturing and encouragement. Please feel free to share. (Please do not reteach for profit but feel free to share with friends, family, kids and anyone who needs art inspiration.)

Keep in mind, these were IN PERSON workshops. I'm sharing the handouts with you. They are not fully formed ONLINE workshops but you can glean ideas and get a general sense for what the workshop is based on the handout and photos below. Plus, free.

What am I asking in return? Do something nice for someone. Send a text, make a phone call or email checking in on friends and neighbors. Be good humans. We can get through this together.

The links are embedded in each workshop title. 

PS If you post photos, please tag me so I can see what you do!

@kellytmkilmer on Instagram
@Kellykilmer on Twitter 
@Kelly Kilmer on Tumblr  
@Kelly Kilmer on Flickr 
@Kelly T.M. Kilmer on Facebook 


 
 




 
 
Who said that you could only make a book using expensive supplies? This is the ultimate class in recycling and creativity! We'll turn trash into a new journal with fun fold out pages. 
 
After we've assembled our book, we'll journey through a plethora of new techniques in painting, collage and art journaling. Think you've seen it all? Eager to get messy and learn something new? 
Let's spend all day on our own unique voyage through the world of paint, paper and creative exploration. 

Supply list: catalogs with thick pages and anything with thick/heavy paper that you would want to use as a journal (think old mailers, college brochures, nice catalogs and more. I will have some for you to use. Some folks like to bring their own stash to use up.), an apron, scissors, a small selection of favorite collage ephemera (think about reading this when choosing your images and papers), bone folder, cork back metal ruler, a full roll of paper towels OR old rags, permanent black ink pad (only if you have one), a container for your paint water,  1 to 2" brush to glue and paint (I like chip or bristle brushes) as well as a few, smaller, detailed brushes, a few of your favorite glue sticks (large glue sticks will last you longer), roll of waxed paper OR an old catalog or magazine to glue on (if you don't want to use all of your waxed paper for this.)



 
All of us have bought supplies that we've touched once or twice. After this workshop, you'll be looking at those supplies in new ways. Bring some of your barely used supplies (acrylics, acrylic mediums, watercolors, crayons, collage images and more) to class and I'll bring some of mine (along with a few new ones that I'm eager to share.) We'll use these supplies to learn new techniques and page ideas involving collage and mixed media.
 
Be prepared to have fun, get messy and to see your stash in new ways.
 
Think about bringing supplies to swap as well!

Supply list: your journal, an apron, scissors, a small selection of favorite collage ephemera (think about reading this when choosing your images and papers), bone folder, cork back metal ruler, a full roll of paper towels OR old rags, permanent black ink pad (only if you have one), a container for your paint water,  1 to 2" brush to glue and paint (I like chip or bristle brushes) as well as a few, smaller, detailed brushes, a few of your favorite glue sticks (large glue sticks will last you longer), roll of waxed paper OR an old catalog or magazine to glue on (if you don't want to use all of your waxed paper for this.)




 



 
Eager to experiment with canvas, acrylics and paper? In this workshop, we will combine layers of acrylic, paper and more onto canvas. We'll then cut up our canvas, rework it and transform the pages into a book (or books if you want to make smaller journals.)
 
You will learn new techniques in collage, layering with acrylics, color theory, composition, design, and much, much more. Be prepared to get messy!
 
Supply list: an apron, scissors, a small selection of favorite collage ephemera (think about reading this when choosing your images and papers), bone folder, cork back metal ruler, a full roll of paper towels OR old rags, permanent black ink pad (only if you have one), a container for your paint water,  1 to 2" brush to glue and paint (I like chip or bristle brushes) as well as a few, smaller, detailed brushes, a few of your favorite glue sticks (large glue sticks will last you longer), roll of waxed paper OR an old catalog or magazine to glue on (if you don't want to use all of your waxed paper for this.)
 



Palette Pages: Exercises in Creative Play

For the past year, I’ve been handing out a piece of scrap paper in my workshops encouraging folks to use it as a palette. A lot of the time, I’ll see folks throw it away after the workshop ends. No more!


Bring your journal to class and we’ll be working back and forth between our palette pages and our journals. Create rich, luscious, expressive layers of color and texture. Discover how to be playful with mark making and layering. Build upon what you know as you create pages and pages of one of a kind expressive journal pages.



(Yes! There are collage exercises though the samples shown don’t have collage on them.)
 
Supply list: Your Journal, paper, an apron, scissors, a small selection of favorite collage ephemera (think about reading this when choosing your images and papers), baby wipes, cork back metal ruler, a full roll of paper towels OR old rags, a container for your paint water, your favorite paint brushes, a water brush pen (OR an extra fine, detail paint brush *ONLY* IF you have one),  a few of your favorite LARGE glue sticks (please trust me when I say that large glue sticks will last you longer. I always have two or three 40 gram glue sticks in my journal bag and that's more than enough for a long weekend. You WILL go through the smaller glue sticks in MINUTES), roll of waxed paper OR an old catalog or magazine to glue on (if you don't want to use all of your waxed paper for this.)






Every journal that I make, I try to make in a way that is different than the ones I've made before. I love altering books and transforming them into something new. In this unique and personal art journal workshop, we'll take one of my favorite structures to create a unique journal made from found books. Learn color, composition, layering and more as you create truly original pages unlike any other. 


Supply list: If you have journal pages that you haven't finished, ephemera you've been hanging onto or favorite hardcover books that you want to use as "pages", please bring them. I will have hardcover books for you to use but some folks like to have some of their own to work with. You will not need more than four to five hardcover books (again, I will have books for you to choose from.) You will also need: an apron, scissors, a small selection of favorite collage ephemera (think about reading this when choosing your images and papers), cork back metal ruler, a full roll of paper towels OR old rags, permanent black ink pad (only if you have one), a container for your paint water,  1 to 2" brush to glue and paint (I like chip or bristle brushes) as well as a few, smaller, detailed brushes,  a few of your favorite glue sticks (please trust me when I say that large glue sticks will last you longer. I always have two or three 40 gram glue sticks in my journal bag and that's more than enough for a long weekend. You WILL go through the smaller glue sticks in MINUTES), roll of waxed paper OR an old catalog or magazine to glue on (if you don't want to use all of your waxed paper for this.)

 





Many of you know that limiting your color palette is one of my favorite ways to explore ideas in my journal. I've found over the last year that by limiting not only my choices in color but how and where I apply it, I can push my pages (and my work) in a new direction.
In this new workshop, we'll explore a variety of different (and new to us) color palettes. Learn how artists make the choices that they do and how one tweak of a color combined with a second color can make your work vibrate and feel alive.

Bring your journal (or favorite paper) to class and be prepared to get messy and play with color!
Please note that the ideas we are exploring also translate to other art mediums and fields.
Supply List: your journal, an apron, scissors, a small selection of favorite collage ephemera (think about reading this when choosing your images and papers), cork back metal ruler, a full roll of paper towels OR old rags, any favorite mark making tools (I will have some to share) a container for your paint water,  1" brush to glue and paint (I like chip or bristle brushes) as well as a few, smaller, detailed brushes, a small container to clean your brushes (an old jar, etc...), a few of your favorite glue sticks (large glue sticks will last you longer), roll of waxed paper OR an old catalog or magazine to glue on (if you don't want to use all of your waxed paper for this.)

Comments

FiveAcres said…
Thank you. What a lovely idea. I am trying to look at this mess as an opportunity to spend more time in my craft room.
Diane said…
Dear Kelly, Thank you so much! These are Incredible and you are spreading so much Light and Positivity! May it come back to you a Thousand-fold! ❤️
Maxine said…
Thank you for your kindness. May it return to you tenfold!

Thank you Kelly, what a wonderful gift. May you be blessed abundantly in the coming days and weeks.

Karen
Anonymous said…
Thank you, Kelly! ❤️😀
barbara said…
So very kind and generous of you Kelly. Thank you so much. I'm spending the past few days sorting and rearranging my art supplies in preparation of doing some serious creating during this social distancing. Last night I cut apart some of the collage sheets I purchased from you last year! Art does relieve anxiety. Take care & bless you.
Wendy said…
Thank you Kelly for sharing. Lots of inspiration and lots to keep us busy & our minds occupied.
Lynette (NZ) said…
You are amazing. thank you for this generous gift. You were one of my first teachers in art journaling. It has become a huge part of my world and a wonderful escape in challenging times xo
Debra said…
Thank you for sharing this, Kelly - so encouraging to see how the creative community is responding as we all navigate these stressful days.
Shirley said…
HI Kelly, thank you so much! I know you put a lot of work into your classes and I so appreciate the hand outs. I hope you and your family are well.

Shirley B.
Angeltown said…
Thank you!!! Much appreciated. :)
Jessica said…
Kelly, I’m a long time follower - I love your work. This generosity is amazingly healing today. I’ve held it all together so far (we live in Seattle, near that long term care center where the first large outbreak occurred in the US, I think we were one of the first to start closing things down, us and CA.), I’ve got my health, my husband and my two kiddos with me, healthy too. It hasn’t been easy so far with the distance learning. My 9.5 y/o is autistic, and while academically he’s a literally genius, he’s going to be missing the opportunities for support from his FT paraeducator. Having my 5 y/o diva underfoot, as her pre-k program shutdown voluntarily, it has been even more difficult, she never tired of social interaction, where I must retreat to center myself. (Add in that I have ADHD/Asperger’s - I’m surprised I’m not hiding in the corner of a closet somewhere.) Yesterday they announced the in-class instruction would be cancelled for the remainder of the school year. That was hard, but when her pre-k director emailed that they were choosing to do the same (they are technically child care, so it was up to them). I crumbled on the inside. My son never went to preschool, we couldn’t make it work and then his diagnosis before kinder explained a lot. It was so delightful to see my daughter thrive in preschool last year, I loved every bit of the experience. Her bday is late July, so we held her back for kindergarten, I could tell she wasn’t really for the pace so we enrolled her in their amazing pre-k program. Thank goodness, I can’t imagine her missing nearly half of kinder! I wanted her to finish out that experience, which I see has a lot of my own expectations tangled in. *sigh*

I’m rambling, as I also do. In short, tonight I felt the need to grab my paints and pens and paper and all the things and just pour all of the crumbles out of me. I searched for “art journaling classes” and set the time range to the last month. Your blog popped up on the first scroll through. I haven’t visited your site in at least a few years - it was perfect. Thank you for being a place I can put my crumbles, lol. I will definitely pay forward your kindness many many times over. Blessings, health and peace to you, my friend.
Wendy said…
Thank you for your generosity, Kelly! ❤️❤️❤️
Studio Rose said…
This is so kind of you and I will definitely pay it forward! I hope to see you at Art Unraveled 2021!
Kelly Kilmer said…
Thank you! I hope that you enjoy!
Mary Lynn said…
Hello Kelly. Thank you for your generous spirit. I love your work and would like to take a class with you in the future. I am looking at your free journally workshop and I want to know if I can print them out not for anyone else but just for my self. I do not know how to print them so please let me know. Thank you!
Emma Rayne said…
Thank you thank you thank you! You inspire me every single time I see your art and I cannot wait to do art again :) I've been on an art hiatus for almost a year, due to the fact I have nowhere to create. Now I do, so I am excited to see this post! Thank you!
Kelly Kilmer said…
Hi Mary Lynn,

You can print them out for yourself. You have to google how to print a PDF file. Thanks!

Hi Emma Rayne,

Thanks so much for the kind words! I hope that you can create in abundance now! (If it helps, I live in a very tiny apartment. I've often created from stored art supplies in my To Go Bag. A friend gifted me an easel so I've been very lucky to have that since January of last year.)Cheers!
Unknown said…
Hello🌞,
Do you have a schedule of where you'll be teaching next?
Very sincerely,
Marcy
Kelly said…
Hi Marcy, I do not have any in person workshops scheduled any time soon. However, I do have something planned for online workshops very, very soon. Thank you.

Popular Posts