Oftentimes when I’m stuck with my art, I look back at the progress photos from a past painting. Most of the time, my character looks nothing like it did when I started. It takes lots of beautiful mistakes and so many ugly stages before I can even begin to figure out the best posture, profile and facial gestures. Yet as I create, my mind tells... Continue reading

Whenever I start a new painting, I have to cover up the white space. This helps me loosen up before I begin my character. My characters begin with the eyes, but they’re always the hardest part to paint. It takes a lot of mistakes and layers before they even begin to resonate with my heart. I start with a few fingerprint dots, then add more... Continue reading

Do you find it difficult to be loose in your art? I do (all the time). While I know every painting has an ugly stage, I still get stuck. I’ve found that when I don’t experiment, my characters lose their initial light and spontaneity… and I stop having fun. If you’re looking to be looser in your art, keep it simple: use up some of... Continue reading

For years I stopped painting. All of my early artwork ended up in the basement or trash, so I thought, “What good is it to paint?” I never thought anyone would want to see my work. I went to college to study biology, but I couldn’t stay away from the art room. I couldn’t help myself from painting on everything and anything. I found a... Continue reading

I’ve been painting nearly every day for over thirteen years. But I still get stuck and frustrated. What’s helped me the most is taking progress photos of my paintings. This way I can see what I’ve done wrong and what I’ve done right, so I’m not so afraid to cover up my artwork and take chances. So often I need to look back at my... Continue reading

Whenever I’m stuck with my art, I’ll add bright pops of color. It’s usually the eyes and face I don’t like, but it’s super scary to paint over them. I’m always afraid I won’t be able to recreate what’s already there. But I’ve learned, if I’m not liking my art, I have to cover it up. For this new painting I dripped a few drops... Continue reading

Do you ever struggle to be free in your art? I do (all of the time). When I take a chance and feel like I’ve completely messed up a painting, I stop having fun. Sometimes I find myself trying to do the same thing over and over, just so I don’t make a mistake. I get so attached to having a finished painting, that I... Continue reading

Lately, I’ve been experimenting with my favorite art supplies and colors in new ways. For a while now I’ve been in love with acrylic inks in turquoise, cobalt blue and prussian blue. I’ll drip the inks in my backgrounds and, as I smudge out my acrylic paint, I’ll go over the drip and get this gorgeous feathered effect. This happened by accident once and now... Continue reading

When I’m stuck with my art, I go back to painting backgrounds or whimsical animals. I’ll get out a few blank canvases and squeeze three acrylic paint colors right onto the surface (neon red, pink and white). Then I might drip some acrylic ink (neon yellow and green) and pour water on top to see what happens. This gets me out of my head so... Continue reading