Do you find it difficult to be loose in your art? I do (a lot). A few days ago I was painting and I started to feel like all of my characters were looking too painted on. You know, like the girl looked like I’d cut her out and pasted her on top of an abstract background. I just couldn’t loosen up. There was no... Continue reading

Whenever I’m stuck with my art, I don’t let myself look at any other artwork. If I do, I start to compare myself to everyone else and waste so much time “getting inspired” that I don’t even get back into the studio. Instead I play with water-soluble oil pastels in one of my coloring books or paint backgrounds to let go. That way, when I... Continue reading

When I’m struggling to be loose in my art, I take a step away. This makes me stop and look around, so I’m not so focused on painting something perfect. Then I can get out of my head and paint from my heart, which always makes my artwork more appealing. My entire process is all about play. But the other day I was painting at... Continue reading

Whenever I get super critical of my paintings, I know it’s tme to take a step away. Then I can remember that I always go through these phases with my artwork. Sometimes, when I’m lucky, my creativity feels like it’s flowing and I can follow my intuition. But other times, I hate anything I create and just want to cover it up. Instead of letting... Continue reading

When I’m at a creative block, I’ll come up with a million reasons why I can’t or shouldn’t paint. This often happens when I’m trying something new. I’ll be creating a character that looks too weird and all I want to do is cover it up so no one else will ever see it. To get through this block, I go back and forth between... Continue reading

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