​Get ready for our upcoming group show, featuring work from a variety of artists inspired by our 2023 Book Club pick, The Mind of Plants!
 
The hefty anthology includes a number of plants, from coffee to passionflower to cannabis and white pine! What did each artist end up choosing? What ended up on their canvases and paper?
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Join us at the opening reception July 20th, from 6-9pm, to find out! The show will be up through August 16th. RSVP on Facebook or Meetup!

​Wednesday, July 12th, 6:00pm: Join Max (we have a new, different Max-with-one-x now! yes, it's very confusing!) at Community Craft Night and learn now to do suminagashi, the art of marbling paper! Transform a boring sheet with inks and dyes for use in art, scrapbooking, or whatever else you wanna use it for!
 
Thursday, July 13th, 11:00am: Join the og Maxx-with-two-x's for Botanical Watercolors! What specimen will there be to paint this week? 🌷
 
Saturday, July 15th, noon: Want to get good at making knots? 😏 Get started with Macrame Air Plant Hangers! Get the basics down and bring home a nice home for your fav plant, too!
 
Sunday, July 16th, noon: Got a creative teen who has a bunch of art questions or who may just want some company while they work on a project? Send them to our Summer Open Studio!
 
Saturday & Sunday, July 15-16th, noon-6pm: Come to Midsummer Market after those aforementioned classes and sessions and check out all these awesome local artists!
 
Monday, July 17th, 11:00am: After a busy weekend, take the start of the week nice and easy with Botanical Sketching!
 
Peek ahead! We've still got space in a few upcoming multi-class summer camp for grown-ups and we just added a fun team up event with our neighbours at Monster! Will you have the cooler project or will your kid??

Among other things, the classic Seattle to Portland bike ride is also this weekend, but crazy distance riding isn't the only sort of biking out there, and it's definitely not just for sporty dudebros! Get inspired with these two issues of Rachel Krause's Velo Vixen! 
 
These are thoughtful, useful, well-edited compilation of essays, stories, and images in classic zine cut and paste style. Contributions include essays with names like “rage on!” and “why bikes > sex,” a visual tutorial for converting a child trailer to a cargo hauler, statements by a bunch of different women about what they feel like before and after a bike ride, and tons of inspiring vintage images of women on two wheels.

Put off the hot dogs and skip the explosives, it's time to get organized! Instead of setting the state on fire during optimal wildfire conditions, light the fire under elected officials' asses! Stop by the store TODAY, July 4th, to write postcards to your electeds! 🔥

📫 Or, get registered to vote. We provide the postcards, supplies, registrations and postage.
🖨️ Contribute to or create your own zine. We'll print and distribute.
🫂 Or just hang out among local artists that support everyone's right to be who they are and to choose their time to (or not to) parent/birth.

​July 10: Deadline for Mind of Plants group show submissions!

July 15-16: Midsummer Market! The date is saved right? Vendor applications are closed! We'll post the full list of vendors soon, but in the meantime you can keep an eye on Bal-Art's Instagram account or the Facebook event page for daily spotlights! Plan out your shopping list!

TODAY, July 4th, noon - 6:00pm: Channel anger and indignation into political action. Come register to vote, write letters, and make zines! F#$! the Fourth!

T̶O̶N̶I̶G̶H̶T̶, J̶u̶l̶y̶ 4̶t̶h̶, 6̶:̶0̶0̶p̶m̶:̶ H̶a̶n̶g̶ o̶u̶t̶ a̶t̶ H̶a̶t̶t̶i̶e̶'s̶ H̶a̶t̶ w̶i̶t̶h̶ y̶o̶u̶r̶ f̶e̶l̶l̶o̶w̶ a̶r̶t̶i̶s̶t̶s̶ f̶o̶r̶ s̶o̶m̶e̶ c̶h̶i̶l̶l̶ d̶r̶a̶w̶i̶n̶g̶ t̶i̶m̶e̶ a̶t̶ B̶a̶l̶l̶a̶r̶d̶ S̶k̶e̶t̶c̶h̶ T̶e̶a̶m̶!̶  Whoops, Hattie's closes at 3pm today. Enjoy your evening!

Wednesday, July 5th, 6:00pm: Still got some woes to work out? Bring your fiber projects and tell us about them at Stitch n' Bitch! This is a free meetup, but you can pay-what-you-want to support our community programs!

Saturday, July 8th, 10:00am: L̶e̶a̶r̶n̶ h̶o̶w̶ t̶o̶ c̶r̶e̶a̶t̶e̶ d̶e̶s̶i̶g̶n̶s̶ f̶o̶r̶ R̶i̶s̶o̶g̶r̶a̶p̶h̶ p̶r̶i̶n̶t̶i̶n̶g̶ w̶i̶t̶h̶o̶u̶t̶ g̶o̶i̶n̶g̶ d̶i̶g̶i̶t̶a̶l̶. Y̶o̶u̶'l̶l̶ c̶r̶e̶a̶t̶e̶ a̶ o̶n̶e̶-̶p̶a̶g̶e̶ d̶e̶s̶i̶g̶n̶ f̶o̶r̶ t̶w̶o̶ o̶f̶ t̶h̶e̶ a̶v̶a̶i̶l̶a̶b̶l̶e̶ i̶n̶k̶s̶ f̶o̶r̶ o̶u̶r̶ R̶i̶s̶o̶g̶r̶a̶p̶h̶ m̶a̶c̶h̶i̶n̶e̶s̶. Sold out! This class occurs every-other-month, so get in on the next one!

Monday, July 10th, 11:00am: Get a relaxing but productive start to your week going with Botanical Sketching!

​Summer is in high gear! We've got a bunch of multi-class summer camp for grown-ups coming up! These are a great way to get deep quickly in a particular topic or medium. Whether you're a beginner looking to get started or someone familiar with a subject but want to go deeper, we've got you covered! 🌞

Discover the world of stickforms with this COMPLETE COLLECTION! Follow Stick guy as he gets to know Stickland and its strange denizens, like Tricycle, The Great Spirit of Sage, and others!

This volume includes all the single-page STICK GUY COMICS, plus a variety of short stories. Indie publishing at its finest, collecting years of work!

​Wednesday, June 28, 6:00pm: Join Gayle for this month's out-of-this-world Paint n' Sip at Ballard Beer Co!

Thursday, June 29, 11:00am: What beautiful specimen will there be at Botanical Watercolors this week? S̶i̶g̶n̶ u̶p̶ a̶n̶d̶ f̶i̶n̶d̶ o̶u̶t̶!̶ What? Sold out?? Guess you'll have to try for next week! 😮

Friday, June 30, noon: Learn the joy of carving your own block and printing with it at this month's Block Printing Workshop!

Friday, June 30, 6:00pm: Close out Pride Month with some chill art time with ya fellow queers at QU-ART! This is a free meetup, but you can pay-what-you-want to support our community programs!

Saturday, July 1, noon: M̶a̶k̶e̶ a̶ p̶a̶i̶r̶ o̶f̶ a̶w̶e̶s̶o̶m̶e̶ e̶a̶r̶r̶i̶n̶g̶s̶ b̶y̶ N̶e̶e̶d̶l̶e̶-̶F̶e̶l̶t̶i̶n̶g̶ t̶h̶e̶m̶!̶ Sold out!

Saturday, July 1, 2:30pm: Want to learn how to make your own sketchbooks or do some fancy binding work on your next zine? Come to our Book Binding Workshop!

Monday, July 3, 11:00am: Bask in the late morning sun and take some of that beautiful with you with Botanical Sketching!

Winner of the 2019 Ignatz Award for Outstanding Anthology, We're Still Here is the first book of its kind. 

​Featuring the work of over 50 transgender and nonbinary creators, this groundbreaking anthology tells authentic stories of trans experience that are by turns serious, silly, informative, and strange.

Check your email for tracking or maybe even your real mailbox if you're near! This month's subscription boxes are going out today! 

Not in on the fun? Sign up before you forget to get in on the next round of packages! They ship on the 20th of each month, and you can choose between an art box, a zine/comix box, or a deluxe box with both! You can even buy a one-off box without a subscription to see if you like it!

Congrats to Marie for completing her residency and FILLING THE WHOLE WALL! These huge pieces have such a power presence at the front of the store, so be sure to swing by and see it in person if you can!
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The International Examiner put out a really awesome article about Marie and her show, and the print edition will include photos from the reception as well! You should be able to pick up a copy in your neighborhood!

TONIGHT, June 20, 6:00pm: Ballard Sketch Team meets at Hattie's Hat for an always-fun hang out! All welcome!

Saturday, June 24, 11:apm: Love creepy crawlies? Want to learn to love creepy crawlies? Join RJ this Saturday to draw some bugs! 🪲

Monday, June 26, 11:00am: Meet Maxx at Ballard Locks for another fun session of Botanical Sketching! This gloomy Juneuary weather is suppose to clear up by then... 🌺

😎JUST SCHEDULED! 🥾We added another session of the multi-day Procreate Boot Camp! Come learn the art of iPad's most popular art app, August 7-10!

​​Teens out of school for the summer? Want them to channel all that youthful energy into something creative? We're hosting Teen Open Studio on Sundays through the summer!

These aren't structured classes, but teens are encouraged to bring projects to work on or art questions to ask. These sessions are pay-what-you're-able, with all proceeds supporting our ongoing teen programs. ♥

As our 2023 Artist Residency draws to a close, we're thrilled to share the amazing work Marie has been working on over the last several months. 
​
Gendai Hyakki Yagyo: Modern Day Demon Parade is a new take on the old Japanese folktales -- taking current events and reimagining them as ghost stories told from the future to imagine how ghosts of the past are navigating in our current world. 

We hope you'll join us THIS THURSDAY, June 15th, from 6-9pm for the opening reception!

​We're trying to drain our drum of bright red riso ink! Get 40 red-only riso prints for just $20 while the ink lasts!

More color swatches and a 4-color template were recently added to our Riso Printing info page too, so check it out!

TONIGHT, June 13, 7:15pm: It's group critique time for our Mind of Plants Group Show! Bring in your ideas, sketches, and works in progress, and see what everyone else is doing for the show!

Wednesday, June 14, 6:00pm: Come hang at Community Craft Night and decorate a silk scarf to your liking! Make an awesome addition to your wardrobe or something nice to gift!

Thursday, June 15, 6:00pm: It's the Opening Reception for our Artist in Residence, Marie Okuma Johnston's show!

Saturday, June 17, 2:00pm: Learn how to pronounce gouache and other secret knowledge at All About Gouache!

Don't forget about those upcoming Summer Camps (for grown-ups!)! Spots are limited, so mark off those dates and get in on them soon!

​It's almost that time of the month! Subscription boxes go out on the 20th, so sign-up soon if you want something to look forward to before the end of the month!

We've moved subscription box sign-ups to our online store for easier checkout and subscription management -- you can now also get a one-off box! -- but existing subs are still valid in the existing system, no worries. ♥

Cinema Sewer was a movie magazine published by Robin Bougie annually or biannually from 1997-2021, covering classic films of adult, horror, and exploitation genres. Its long run has ended, but that doesn't mean you can't still enjoy those back issues! So much horrific history to be had!

TONIGHT, June 6, 6:00pm: 6/6 at 6pm! Ballard Sketch Team sketches again! All welcome!
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Wednesday, June 7, 6:00pm: Bring your in-progress fiber projects and settle in for Stitch n' Bitch, the very finest of productive complaining sessions!

Thursday, June 8, 11:00am: Gaze upon our fine floral specimen of the week and skill up your Botanical Watercolors!

Thursday, June 8, 6:00pm: Get those proud ink stains on your hands as you dive into some tried, true, and inspiring inking techniques while Inking With Maxx!

Saturday's Risograph Design for Procreate is SOLD OUT, but you can hop on August's session of this bimonthly class!

We've also just scheduled a Watercolor Summer Camp! Our multi-session summer camp series are going fast, so don't wait if you see one you like!

A recent Botanical Watercolors class featuring beautiful orange peonies! ​

Don't forget! Submissions are due on July 10th for The Mind of Plants group show! 

If you have some work in progress, bring it to the Peer Review & Critique session next Tuesday!

New in are a bunch of Speedball dip pen and nib sets and cool gold leafing supplies and resources!

We've also restocked various sizes of Fluid Watercolor Blocks and lots of drawing pads/sketchbooks, including artist favs Handbook Journal Co and Kona Gray!

Psst, we're gonna start posting our weekly newsletters here on the blog, so those of you who use RSS can get them too! If you'd rather get these in your email, you can sign up here!

There's no reason children should have all the fun! Grown-ups can get their hands dirty and finger prints all over their clothes too at one of our multi-day "camps"!
 
Learn a new medium, a new skill, or explore an old favorite in-depth while making some new friends! And go home each day to sleep in your own bed. ;) Just the good part of camp. No bed bugs!

​Paint & Sip this month is canceled, but it's returning to last WEDNESDAYS next month, so save the date for June 28th!
 
Thursday, June 1, 6:00pm: Part one of our two-day Reduction Block Printing class! Plan out an awesome, limited edition, multi-layer print!
 
Friday, June 2, 6:00pm: Part two of Reduction Block Printing! Carve away at that precious block! You'll never print that previous layer again!
 
Saturday, June 3, 5:00pm:Grab your laptop and learn how to Clean & Color scanned or photographed artwork in Photoshop!
 
This might look like a light week, but we excluded sold out classes! Don't miss something that sounds cool, plan and look ahead!

​Pride Month is nigh! 🌈🌈🌈 Push/Pull is full of queer weirdos and we're proud to support many more queer weirdos!
 
Pick up one of these amazing queer coloring books from Stacked Deck Press, a publisher specializing in comics, coloring books, and prose of LGBTQAIU+ interest! Choose from Butch Lesbians over the years or an assortment of Trans and Queer heroes! 
 
SDP also has a number of award-winning queer anthologies that are definitely work checking out!