My creative process revolves around staying loose, playing, and experimenting in my initial layers, then building upon them as I progress with the painting. I often find myself setting aside my brushes and focusing on finger painting.

This approach keeps me unattached to my work, preventing me from overthinking how the eyes and face should look. It allows for imperfections and beautiful mistakes.

Even after applying multiple layers, the eyes can sometimes still appear too painted-on. That’s when I go back, cover up more lines, and add additional pencil smudges at the lashes to create extra softness. This process also inspires new color combinations, postures, and features.

Painting the eyes is always the most challenging part for me. It takes numerous layers and different art supplies to get them right. However, I can never stop until they resonate with my heart.

The eyes of my characters guide me into the rest of the painting. If you’re aiming to paint open eyes with a soulful look, try using various art supplies for your layers.

I typically start with a black water-soluble pencil to sketch my initial features. Then, I smudge out the lines with a little acrylic paint or water, letting these first layers bleed out to create shading and definition.

Next, I go back in with a colored paint pen, followed by acrylic ink and more acrylic paint. Each layer involves a back-and-forth process—creating definition, intentionally messing it up to avoid perfection, and then adding more detail and definition again.

Here are three tips for developing your style, especially when painting eyes:

*Celebrate the Imperfections: Much like the imperfections in your process, celebrate those in your color choices. Sometimes, accidental blending or spontaneous additions result in unexpected beauty. Allow the colors to breathe and interact, creating a harmonious and authentic visual experience.

*Layer to Create Depth and Dimension: Building layers not only adds complexity to your characters but also enhances the depth of color. Experiment with transparent and opaque layers to create a multidimensional effect, evoking a sense of mystery and intrigue in your paintings.

*Embrace Unconventional Color Palettes: Don’t limit yourself to traditional color schemes. Experiment with unexpected combinations that evoke emotions and tell a unique story. Sometimes, the most captivating pieces arise from the bold use of colors that might not seem to naturally fit together. I will often layer green, blue, purple, and pink to get specific color hues for the eyes that are uniquely mine and unrepeatable.

Mistakes can be frustrating, but often, these beautiful accidents lead me to new techniques or my favorite paintings. It all reminds me to let go and have faith in the creative process.

Painting has always been a healing process for me, and I’m pouring my heart and soul into a beautiful new collection inspired by new beginnings that I can’t wait to share with you soon!

The invitation is to slow down, take a breath, and find calm. Grab your journal or sketchbook, play with watercolors, color in a coloring book, or just pick up a pencil and doodle. I’ve put together a New Free Painting Class to help you get started here.

I hope it brings you a little calm and helps you stay motivated and inspired!

Happy painting!

Love, Juliette