New Reveal and Cyber Monday Goodies!

n*Studio CJS2018 - Let's Jump!

A few years ago, I had lost some of my creative mojo.  But then I participated in Nathalie Kalbach's Creative Jumpstart event, and got my mojo back in a big way!

I am thrilled to announce that this year, I'll be participating as one of the teaching artists in Creative Jump Start (CJS) 2018.  This is its 7th year - and once again, it's run by the inimitable Nathalie Kalbach!

Here's a little preview!

I hope you'll participate in this one-of-a-kind event starting January 2018 to kick your creativity into high gear!  (Here's just some of the work I created in CJS 2016!) 


Throughout January participants get access to 31 downloadable videos from 31 featured artists.  I'm proud to be one of those artists, called “JumpStarters.” 

You'll learn techniques, discover new materials, connect with other artists and crafters and -- special for 2018 -- learn recipes not just for mixed media but also for your kitchen.

All of the teaching artists are sharing their favorite recipes - both in and outside the studio!!

I hope you'll head over to Nathalie's site for more details and to sign up!   This link has my affiliate code. I do earn a small percentage for everyone who signs up using my code.  So thank you in advance!
Here's why you should do this today!

CJS2018 will be available from November 27 (10am EST)  - November 29 (11.59pm EST) as a Cyber Monday Special for $40!  Afterwards it will be available for $45 through 12/31.  Beginning January 1, it will be $50.  So sign up today!  n*Studio CJS2018 - Let's Jump!

Cyber Monday Stencil Girl Products Sale!!!

Save 25% off all* stencils

Use code: cyber25
Monday, November 27, 2017
from midnight until 11:59 p.m. CST(Central Standard Time) USA

PLUS 10% discount when you buy 6 stencils of the same size!

NEW THIS YEAR! Choose 1 FREE large stencil for every $100 spent (after discounts are applied). You MUST specify your choice(s) by L### code in the comments section of the cart when you check out or it will be StencilGirl's choice. Sorry, no exceptions.

*Stencils only. Does not apply to DVDs, books, tools, wholesale orders, StencilClub, or gift certificates. The StencilClub exclusive monthly member discount does not apply.

         Visit Stencil Girl Products and RubberMoon Stamps to see all my designs!

If you haven't already - please connect with me here:

InLinkz.com

Your comments make me so happy and let me know you were here. I read and treasure every comment and will happily answer any questions as soon as I can.

If you are entering a GIVEAWAY, please add your email address in the event I need to contact you.

To avoid SPAM, please write it like this: jessicasporndesigns (at) gmail (dot) com

Thank You!

On Line Challenge Update

Have you been participating in any challenges in the New Year?  I find challenges a great way to jumpstart my creativity.  Last year, I leaped into Nathalie Kalbach's Creative Jumpstart with gusto, had a blast, and learned a ton.

This year, with my friend struggling in the hospital, I decided to keep it to Instagram Challenges.  Since they are free, I wouldn't feel so bad if I didn't keep up with them.

I've been keeping up with Tori Weyer's daily drawing prompts, and If Draw a Week's weekly prompts.  These have been great ways to keep me sketching and painting on a small scale.

Here are some of my posts - you can see all of them on my Instagram feed, where my handle is @jessica_sporn.

I'd love to know what you've been up to - so please share links in your comments!

         Visit Stencil Girl Products and RubberMoon Stamps to see all my designs!

If you haven't already - please connect with me here:

InLinkz.com

Your comments make me so happy and let me know you were here. I read and treasure every comment and will happily answer any questions as soon as I can.

DIY Spooky Halloween Centerpiece

Hi all -- I'm still channeling Halloween.

Recently, Sherry Canino did an awesome post for the Creative Team.  She upcycled a bottle and made it into a beautiful centerpiece.
Her post inspired this Halloween potions bottle.


This is a soy milk bottle, which I rinsed thoroughly and then decoupaged using paper towels.  This gave it a rough texture.

After it was thoroughly dry,  I painted it with black gesso.  Then I went to town, gluing random bits and pieces that I had in my stash, and also some of the embellishments I created using the stencil and an orange gelli print.

(TIP:  the gelli printed paper was stiff and was difficult to adhere onto the bottle.  So I used a handy trick I learned from Nathalie Kalbach, and sprayed it with water.  This breaks down the paper a bit, and makes it more pliable!)

After embellishing the heck out of my bottle, I decided I wanted some gold accents of the stencil motifs.  But how to position the stencil around the chains, baubles, and other items I'd glued on?

I went to one of my favorite tricks - stenciling onto tissue paper, and then adhering the stenciled paper with matte medium.  When you adhere the tissue paper, the white parts seem to melt away, and it looks like you stenciled directly onto your substrate!

Here's a quick video to show you how.

You can also watch DIY Halloween Centerpiece on YouTube.  

I hope you've enjoyed these Halloween posts.  In case you missed them, check out Halloween Tags, 

Kristin Van Valkenburgh's spooky journal page,

and Karen Gaunt's awesome Dias de los Muertos Hanging Art.

Have a wonderful Halloween!!

         Visit Stencil Girl Products and RubberMoon Stamps to see all my designs!

If you haven't already - please connect with me here:

InLinkz.com

Your comments make me so happy and let me know you were here. I read and treasure every comment and will happily answer any questions as soon as I can.

To avoid SPAM, please write it like this: jessicasporndesigns (at) gmail (dot) com

Thank You!

How I Was Shaken Up by Anselm Kiefer

This is my final Creative Jumpstart Post, and I can't thank Nathalie Kalbach enough for the inspirational ride.  For the month of January, she and the other "Jumpstarters" had me inspired, stimulated and making non-stop art.  What more could I ask from an online class?




The final Master Artist was Anselm Kiefer.  His work deeply moved and troubled me in its unblinking look at trauma, struggle and the Holocaust.   Here is how I translated all of the lessons into my own work.













Inspired by Natalya Aikens stitching project, I layered ripped book, atlas, music and gelli print pages.  I scraped crackle paste by Deco Art through a stencil designed by MaryBeth Shaw to represent a landscape and forest.

Inspired by MaryBeth, I used my fingers to rub in paint.  Inspired by Joe Rotella's lesson involving the fragility of everyday things and new beginnings, I began to doodle buds and other flora with black paint and a thin brush, using my non-dominant hand.  

As I painted those shapes, they began to look like eyes to me.  

I rotated my canvas and began to work on it vertically.  I used a mask of a girl's dress to echo Joe Rotella's gorgeous project. 

Nathalie Kalbach's lesson involved explorations in texture.  In it, she completely painted over a prior canvas and scraped layers away.  I decided to be bold and painted over and scraped away parts of my canvas, and stenciled a window and a door. 

Inspired by Wilna Furstenberg's beautiful layout, I added brush strokes meant to look like stacks of books or twigs.  Inspired by the idea of ephemera like books and pieces of cloth, I scraped fiber medium on deli paper and stained it with orange and gold colors, and used strips of that paper to build a path and stairs through my canvas.  I also stamped a Hamsa to represent hope and blessings. 

Again, I rotated the canvas, added more marks and more white for hope and light.  I used a handmade paper cast embellishment to represent the homes we leave, and the homes we find.  To anchor the peace spiritually, I added a Star of David.  

Again - THANK YOU to Nathalie Kalbach and all the wonderful artists who made Creative Jumpstart 2016 so wonderful.

What do you think of all the twists and turns this canvas took on the way to completion?  I'd love to know!

Your comments make me so happy and let me know you were here. I read and treasure every comment and will happily answer any questions as soon as I can.

If you haven't already - please connect with me here:

InLinkz.com

If you are entering a GIVEAWAY, please add your email address in the event I need to contact you.

To avoid SPAM, please write it like this: jessicasporndesigns (at) gmail (dot) com

Thank You!