Lately I’ve felt a bit stuck with my paintings. I’ve had to take steps away before I overwork my characters. I’ve learned that if I’m striving to be perfect, I just end up frustrated and make a muddy mess. So instead, I start a new painting and play… that’s when owls and backgrounds are the perfect thing to paint. As you’re painting, you might want... Continue reading

If I’m feeling really frustrated with my paintings, I’ll layer at least three new colors or different supplies. This is one of the easiest ways to give depth to a paintiing as I cover up the parts I don’t like. I start in the background, mixing a little acrylic paint with acrylic ink, then scribble some water-soluble oil pastels on top. As I play, I... Continue reading

I’ve been painting nearly every day for over ten years. This has given me some time to figure out my style and flow. Yet 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... Continue reading

Lately I’ve been going back to adding collage elements in my art. I often use papers to create layers, especially when I need to cover up an area I don’t like. It’s an easy way to fill in the space and add detail. I love using origami and lokta papers that have intricate patterns and metallics (they can be found at many art stores, craft... Continue reading

My latest paintings are intended to inspire strength with softness. Since my art is a form of visual storytelling, I’m always looking for new ways to express this message. I take progress photos of my paintings to help me remember where I felt like giving up, when I thought I’d made a huge mistake and when I overworked a character (these things happen in pretty... Continue reading

Being loose and free in my art is something I’ve learned to do. Having fun and playing as I paint allows me to capture the whimsy and soul of my characters. I’m always taking photos of vast skylines, open fields and farmlands, so I often keep these landscapes in mind when covering up the white space on the first layers of a painting. I’ll squeeze... Continue reading

When I’m at a creative block, I have to turn off my inner critic and let go. But so often that’s way easier said than done. A few days ago I was painting and I started getting really negative about my art. My first thought was, “I’m bored with my paintings.” Then I thought, “All of my paintings are looking ugly or the same. I... Continue reading

My latest paintings represent freedom and femininity, so I’ve been inspired to keep my characters super loose with soft faces and wild color. I’m having so much fun dripping acrylic inks and acrylic paints and mixing them with my other favorite supplies like spray paint, liquid watercolors, water-soluble pencil, paint pens and oil paintsticks to see what happens. All of this mess making has brought... Continue reading

When I try to be loose in my art, it never works. Sometimes it seems like it’s only the happy accidents and mistakes that lead to freedom in my paintings. The other day I spilled a brand new bottle of yellow orange azo ink onto my near finished painting. The color spread all across my table, down onto the floor and seeped into pages and... Continue reading