I’ve always loved creating detail and definition in my characters with black outlines.

But it’s always been tricky to find something that’ll go over all of my mixed media layers.

When I first started painting my characters in 2009, I tried a black Sharpie marker, which completely smudged once I added my top coat.

I tried so many different pens and inks, but they either looked too painted on or the lines just didn’t stand out.

So now I’m most often using a black water-soluble pencil.

This way I can bleed out my lines and smudge them intentionally, then go back in and add more definition (the Stabilo brand Marks All Coloring Pencil is my favorite right now).

But sometimes I add a bit too much and everything goes a gray mess.

The other day when this happened, I was working on this new painting (she’s called ‘Blooming Light’ 11” x 14”).

I’d finally gotten her face right and was having so much fun drawing pencil wisps and squiggles in the background.

But then I dripped a bunch of acrylic inks and the color bled with the pencil and went muddy.

That’s when I had to take a step away to loosen up and let it dry.

Then I went back to this painting and covered up the background with black acrylic spray paint.
It was dark, but I added more color and loved the contrast. It all created a depth and now she reminds me of a flower blooming in the night.

Whenever I allow myself to flow with the beautiful mistakes, I paint more freely. Then I can be brave and paint without the pressure of everything having to be perfect. That’s when a whole new world opens up and creativity flows with freedom.

There’s a few more large paintings in the works that I’m excited to share with you soon.

If you’ve been wanting to paint together, but feel like you don’t have a lot of time, I’ve put together my self-paced, Happy Painting mini course, which has five instant-access projects. This online workshop is perfect for beginners or anyone looking to feel more connected and creative.

In this video preview you’ll see how I create a portrait using just a few supplies in my sketchbook. This is a project you can do in just a few minutes, so you can still paint, even if you don’t have a lot of space or time.

Click here for more details about Happy Painting.

“You’ve really inspired me in the VERY FUN CLASS of Happy Painting. I’ve gone from cut and paste to fearless, throwing paint on paper and actually painting and trusting in the process. I’ve been actually creating little beings.” -Nancy Rose

Happy Painting!

xo Juliette Crane

P.S. I’ve also put together a Free Painting Workshop to share more of my favorite techniques – from covering up the white space to finished painting… click HERE to join my Free Painting Workshop and learn how I create a painting in 30 minutes.