Hobbies Archives - CLEVERcreating

Which Drawing and Painting Tools and Materials Can We Use?

February 2, 2024February 2, 2024 by Hannie Mommers

This article is mainly a summary of drawing and painting tools and materials, not a manual on how to use them. More explanation of how you can use those for your hobby is indicated in the links.

Techniques, materials, tools, and ways of using them are highly connected. However, I have made a distinction in order to be as complete as possible.

Drawing and painting are fantastic pastimes. Especially since you can do it alone and with your children or grandchildren. Also, in painting groups or creative clubs, you can motivate and inspire each other.

7 Creative Ideas with Waste Materials to DIY or Together with the Kids

December 15, 2023December 15, 2023 by Hannie Mommers

The best waste is of course no waste, but as long as that is a utopia, there is nothing better than coming up with creative ideas with waste materials.

One of the most beautiful sayings I ever saw was: Waste is only waste if you waste it.

And once you get used to thinking in terms of reusing and not wasting stuff, a huge flow of ideas will start, I can assure you.

In this article, I list a number of ideas for inspiration or imitation.

What Are the Symbolic Values of Red and Blue?

October 16, 2023October 16, 2023 by Hannie Mommers

Years ago I was watching the elections in the States and I noticed that red and blue had a symbolic value for the political parties.

So they have in the Netherlands, but the funny thing is it has an opposite meaning. The US Democrats are blue and the Conservatives red. The Dutch right wing is blue and the left one loves red.

As I am interested in every aspect of colour, I decided to look more closely into the symbolic values of red and blue in general, not just in politics.

Making a Creative Travel Journal while Travelling Doubles the Fun

October 9, 2023October 9, 2023 by Hannie Mommers

My personal challenge of 2022/23 to make a collage (almost) daily sparks a lot of creativity and inspiration. The easiest way to work on a collage is at home where I have all my materials and tools, making it extra challenging when we go on a trip. How do I make a collage then?

Last year I solved that ‘problem’ by taking lots of pictures and either making a Canva collage or collecting small items and putting those together in an assemblage. The end result was a photo.

This time I planned to make collages in a creative travel journal, where I wanted to include more elements of a day.

What is Gelli Printing and What Makes it so Amazingly Easy?

August 25, 2023August 25, 2023 by Hannie Mommers

Gelli printing is a form of monoprinting. Each piece of work is unique and usually depends largely on chance.

A Gelli print can be created in different ways. In this article, I describe a number of pure Gelli printing methods and combinations with other techniques.

It is great fun to experiment with this technique. For me, that is the biggest charm of Gelli printing. For starting hobbyists, the advantage is that the learning curve is really low.

How to Make Money from your Hobby or Passion?

August 7, 2023August 7, 2023 by Hannie Mommers

In 20 Ideas on how to make money after retirement on another website, I offered some possibilities to earn extra cash. But what if you have no idea how and where to start to make money from your hobby? I’ll give you some ideas here.

One of the most important conditions is that you are creative in coming up with possibilities.

“But I’m not creative at all,” I hear you say. Well, that’s the first thought you should let go of. Everyone is creative, for the simple reason that you are not born with it and can develop it.

In an adaptation of Edison’s quote:
“Creativity is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration”.

Simple Printing Techniques for the Best Relaxing Hobby

July 31, 2023July 31, 2023 by Hannie Mommers

Printing is to multiply images and/or texts by making several identical prints of a master form.

Printing had everything to do with my past profession as a graphic designer and still is a joy as a relaxing activity in my present life.

In this article, I will list an overview of several techniques emphasising simple printing techniques that can easily be practised at home.

For the sake of completeness, I will also mention professional printing techniques.

Possible Mistakes in Cyanotype and Some Useful Solutions

August 18, 2023July 28, 2023 by Hannie Mommers

If you start a new hobby, you will make mistakes. That’s part of the game, also when you make cyanotypes, and it’s okay.

Some mistakes are final, but that’s “tuition money” most of the time. Other errors can either be covered up or corrected. And some mistakes have a surprising effect. Beautiful results came from accidental errors.

The most important tip is to keep a log so that you know what you did. By the way, a log is also convenient to repeat successful results.

How to Customize your WordPress Theme, 3 Advanced Tips

July 10, 2023July 10, 2023 by Hannie Mommers

Questions in the comments on a blog are always great. It’s a marvellous chance to dive deeper into something. For instance: How to customize your WordPress theme.

Catherine’s question on WordPress Tips for Beginners is how to find or change a font that a theme uses.

The answer is about fonts, but almost all other elements like colour and sizes that use CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) can be changed this way. A website I consult often about CSS is w3schools. The explanation is good and there is a lot to find.