My painting process is all about staying loose and free.

But for a while I was feeling like a perfectionist, especially when it came to painting eyes and faces. I needed to loosen up and have more fun with my artwork.

So I put on my favorite music and danced while painting. That worked (for a little bit). I could let go in the background and body, adding all sorts of fingerprints, paint daubs and little details. But I found my faces and features were still missing something.

After countless attempts at a painting and lots of covered up canvases, I finally recognized that I’d spent so much time trying to be loose and free, that I stopped myself from having fun.

I’d put myself into a different kind of box.

Instead of trying to be perfect, I was now trying to paint whimsically and be okay with my “beautiful mistakes.” Either way, I hit a creative block.

How did I loosen up and have fun with my paintings again?

I went back to painting whimsical animals and kept my painting simple. I sketched in my features, using mostly water soluble pencil lines rather than a ton of shading (it’s so much easier with animals).

I added more layers of my favorite art supplies in my favorite colors – prussian blue spray paint, rainbows of water-soluble oil pastels, fluorescent acrylic inks and cobalt teal acrylic paint. I let the color do the work, blending and merging inks to create swirls, laying down colors that popped beside one another if something looked too gray or dull.

I started to make a huge mess! But I finally realized the freedom doesn’t happen unless I’m having fun and that means keeping things simple by dancing between what’s in my comfort zone and playing.

To help you loosen up and have more fun with your artwork, I’m opening registration on Whimsical Animals as an instant access, self-paced online course for a limited time.

Click HERE to learn more about Whimsical Animals class.

xo Juliette

Ps. If you’d like more inspiration and insights into my creative process, plus access to my free painting workshop, click HERE to sign up for my newsletter.