Do you struggle to be loose in your art? I do (all the time).

I take photos of my process to remind myself there’s always an ugly stage.

But recently I’ve also liked taking photos at stages of a painting where I’m happy with it, but still feel it’s not finished.

That reminds me that it’s okay to let go and paint over something I like to get to something I love.

I use all sorts of supplies in my work, but for my faces I mostly use black water-soluble pencil, paint pen, acrylic inks and acrylic paints (I especially love quinacridone nickel azo gold, green gold or cobalt teal for eyes).

Once a painting has completely dried, I use an archival spray varnish to protect the artwork. Then, if I want a more encaustic look, I’ll add a layer of Dorlands Wax.

But I always use the spray first to protect and keep my art supplies from smudging like they do when you brush on a top coat (a spray pastel fixatif while working also helps keep any soft pastels or pencil in place).

You’ll see how I use some of my favorite colors and supplies to paint whimsical animals in the Whimsical Animals video sneak peek below (early registration is open this weekend… just use code WHIMSICAL).

In this video sneak peek you’ll see how I cover up the white space with lots of layers, adding my favorite supplies, then find my character, using simple shapes.

If you’ve been wanting to take an art class, my online Whimsical Animals workshop is a super fun place to start. You’ll learn to paint owls, rabbits, bears, lions and so much more.

I’ll also share many projects you can do in under fifteen minutes with just a few supplies, so even if you never have enough time or space, you can still get creative and paint.

Click here to learn more about Whimsical Animals class.

Happy painting!
xo Juliette

P.S. Click HERE to join me for a Free Painting Workshop and learn my favorite supplies and ways to be loose in your art.