I’ve been soaking up all sorts of new inspirations on my artist residency these last few weeks. And one of the things I’ve realized is that I’d fallen into a comfort zone with my artwork.

I was getting so comfortable adding fingerprints, dots and swirls to my backgrounds, that when I started to create areas with lots of solid color (inspired by the ocean and sunsets I’ve been seeing), a whole new world opened up.

I found new forms and postures for my characters and uncovered completely different styles for their eyes and faces.

How did I loosen up and step out of my comfort zone?

• I allowed myself to make mistakes.
• I followed all of my wild and crazy ideas.
• I experimented and played to figure out what I loved most. Then when I discovered a new color or supply, I used it again in my next painting.
• I stopped listening to my inner critic.

If you’re looking to loosen up and paint with more freedom, try taking photos of your paintings in-progress. This helped me realize every painting has an ugly stage and any negative self talk completely takes the fun out of creating. It makes me overwork my paintings. But once I realized this happened every time, I learned to ignore my inner critic and just let go.

Many of you have been asking when I’ll reopen registration on Whimsical Animals, so I thought I’d make this course available to you as a self-paced, online course (it’s perfect for the new year). Click HERE to learn more about Whimsical Animals class.

In this video preview from one of the painting projects in Whimsical Animals, you’ll see how I begin to add softness and develop an animals face. I use these same techniques whether I’m creating a whimsical animal or a more realistic portrait.

I hope you enjoy this video!

xo Juliette

Ps. If you’re looking to develop your style, my Serendipity 1 – Develop Your Style class just started.