Do you ever get stuck when you paint something new? I do (all the time).

I hold myself back when I get too uncomfortable with my artwork – usually it’s when I paint a face that looks too weird and imperfect. I want to cover it up, throw it away and start painting the same way I did before.

Oftentimes I’ll repaint the character with closed eyes – like I do for the owl in my my Free Painting Class… click HERE to get instant-access and sign up.

But instead of falling back into my comfort zone, I’ve learned to pause and take a step away. I look at what I want to cover up – maybe it’s the smudged black water soluble pencil around the eyes or the super bold neon pink paint pen on the cheeks.

Sometimes I love these imperfections, but they’re different, so my first instinct is to cover them up.

That’s when I go back to using my favorite colors and techniques and start to play. I’ll add dots of cobalt blue acrylic paint and a splatter of neon yellow pearlescent acrylic ink.

These colors and techniques make me happy. They get me back to being playful rather than feeling self-critical and tight.

I finally realized the freedom doesn’t happen unless I’m having fun and that means dancing between what’s in my comfort zone and playing. I have to experiment, paint something completely imperfect, then keep following my joy and doing more of what I love.

You’ll see some of the playful techniques I use to add color and shading to my faces in my Free Painting Class… click HERE to get instant-access and sign up.

Sending you lots of love and gratitude. I hope you have a beautiful and creative weekend!

Happy painting!
xo Juliette