Whenever I paint, the eyes and face have to resonate with my heart before I can go deeper into the rest of the painting.

There’s always an ugly stage, but, little by little, layer by layer, the face and shape comes together and then it feels like magic.

But sometimes I still get super stuck.

The other day when this happened, I was in the middle of this new painting (she’s called ‘Messenger Of Hope,’ 11” x 14”).

I was having so much fun playing with color in her background, but I just couldn’t get her eyes right.

So I closed them, but I had no idea what to do next.

It wasn’t until I added a bit of cobalt teal to her eyelids and forehead that she finally fit with the background.

Now she seems to be radiating peace, love and light like sunshine. I hope she inspires you too!

There’s a few more portraits I’ve been working on 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.

I love layering lots of mixed media supplies to achieve depth and dimension in my artwork.

In this video preview you’ll see how I’ve used origami papers, tissue papers, oil painsticks, pencil, pen, acrylics and inks to really make my character pop. 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.

“I had always felt that need for perfection the first time around and it led to so much frustration and thrown away pieces that weren’t just right. Seeing your process of letting the piece become what it wants to become instead of trying to force it into what you want it to be was an epiphany to me! Thank you for teaching us your style and letting us see the mistakes along the way.” -Shannon Beesley

“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.