Free Art Craft and DIY Jewelry Making Tutorials

Welcome to the free tutorial section featuring watercolor and art supply basics, along with advanced painting tips for artists. Plus a variety of craft projects featuring alcohol inks, rubber stamping, polymer clay, DIY jewelry making and more.

*This page is currently under construction, as I move older tutorials to this modern platform (from my original 2004 website www.TheEnchantedGallery.com). It may temporarily have incomplete pages or older products that are no longer manufactured. Looking for something from the old site, but haven't been able to find it? Feel free to contact me at enchantedgallery@gmail.com and I'll be happy to help :)

DIY jewelry and craft project tutorials using alcohol inks, rubber stamps or push molds for polymer clay:

Alcohol ink color charts, decorating non-porous surfaces like domino game tiles, acrylic charms for jewelry, magnets, tiles for household decor and more! Features Ranger Ink / Tim Holtz brand ink projects, example art, sealing suggestions etc.

Ways to color your rubber stamped images or drawings using ink pads and craft coloring supplies. This coloring tutorial page explains different types of ink pads and an overview of many common craft coloring products and their uses. Coloring with different ink products, Copic markers, the best white or black ink for stamping, metallic effects with embossing powders, mica etc.

How to use flexible push molds. My handmade molds are made from a silicone rubber putty and work best with smooth particle clay that can accept fine details, such as polymer clay including most bake-able Sculpey or Premo clays, and even air dry clay, porcelain, metal clay (PMC) etc. While I do not recommend use with liquids, like soap and resin (since my molds have uneven edges and curved backs) it is possible to use these mediums with care for thin cameo inclusions/toppers.

Using rubber stamps on domino game tiles. Learn about coloring options for slick non-porous surfaces, recycling old game pieces for crafty home decor, event jewelry, magnets and ornaments.

Using domino size (1" x 2" standard or mini travel set) rubber stamps on projects other than game tiles. Get the most from your small size stamps by using them on a variety of projects including stamping on glass to make faux dichroic pendants, on paper for articulated paper dolls, and wood for pin-back brooches etc.

How to make paper dolls. Free printable templates for paper art dolls, example art using decorative or rubber stamped paper. Brads and eyelets for articulating movement. A great family project for crafting with your kids.

Dollhouse, miniature food, tiny craft projects for embellishing toys. Easy to make polymer clay miniature bread and flower-soft bouquet of flowers in a small vase for a 1:12 scale dollhouse.

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Traditional art, drawing and painting tutorials:

News: product reviews, and announcements that do not easily fit into an existing page / section are sometimes added to be blog. See some examples of my art supply reviews and demonstration paintings, in my video reviews on a blog-style feed.

Five marbling and swirl pattern techniques for mixed media, acrylic and marbling fluids. 1) Shaving cream acrylic paint transfers. 2) Using marbling inks floating on water for paper or fabric dipping. 3) Thick acrylic paint on canvas or wood swirled with stir stick or comb. 4) Thick acrylic paint on canvas or wood applied by pouring or dripping techniques. 5) Distress Paint technique by Tim Holtz: Paint applied to a non-stick craft sheet, water misted and paper dipped into it. Compares the Distress paint product against other acrylic and ink mediums on the market. This section also contains a tutorial on how to use a monoprinting press (gel plate) as well as an alternative to time consuming image transfers using packaging tape.

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In Progress Art and Painting Tutorials:

The following topics are being worked on for future tutorials. Have a suggestion? Please feel free to use the contact form and let me know your thoughts!

1) Guide to the best watercolor paint sets by category, including low to high price and bargain/kids paint to students to professional artists quality.

2) Getting started with watercolor painting - suggested paper, pens, inks, basic mixing colors or starting set for serious beginner artists.

3) Color theory - understanding the primary colors for painting. Examine the old-school RYB color wheel vs CMYK printer style color mixing. Split primary color mixing options, where both warm red, warm yellow, warm blue and cool red (magenta), cool yellow, and cool blue (cyan) are used for the most broad color mixing. Complimentary colors and how to choose colors for your art, for dramatic impact, that may not directly reflect realism.

4) Layering and glazing with watercolor. Explore cell-shading, smooth-edge gradient blending, staining colors and how paper can cause colors to lift up and erase.

5) How to make your own watercolor paint. DIY mixing of pigment powders including mica metallics such as Pearl-Ex and Perfect Pearls brands into fluid or dry-pans for travel palettes.

Note: this page contains affiliate links. All product opinions are my own. I am committed to honest reviews showcasing both the pros and cons of each product. I have not received payment from any brand for a review. I earn a commission from sales made through this web page's clickable banners or links to Amazon, Arteza, Scrapbook, Jackson's or Blick Art Materials websites.