My art is a form of visual storytelling. I take progress photos of my paintings to help me remember where I felt like giving up, when I thought I’d made a huge mistake and when I overworked a character (all of these things pretty much happen in every painting).

For this latest painting, I was inspired to combine my female characters, shape shifters and whimsical animals.

But I didn’t know that when I started. With all of my artwork, I follow an intuitive painting process.

After a few background layers in this painting (and many attempts at her eyes and face), she finally started to come out of the paint. Then I added more and more layers, using spray paint, oil paintsticks, acrylics, inks, paint pen, water soluble pencil and pastels. This gave the painting a little more definition, but she started feeling way too dark and heavy.

I kept adding color and dots, but I couldn’t find the shape. I kept fussing with the eyes (I was in love with them and felt what they were feeling, but somehow they still didn’t seem right).

Then I knew what I had to do… I had to mess it all up.

I’d the inclination to try a neon red mask (that had worked to help bring past paintings together), so I swiped a big layer of ink across the eyes. And that completely didn’t work. Although you can’t see it in these photos (I was so frustrated and needed to fix my “mistake” before it dried), the ink completely smudged the eyes and most of the features. I had to repaint the entire face, using what was left of my marks as a guide.

From there, I left the neon red like eyeshadow over her eyes which soon reminded me of the bright eyeshadow I used to wear in my early 20’s (to go with my long, glow in the dark hair extensions). And to me now, that red seems to bring together the entire painting.

Covering up what you’re not liking in your artwork, painting more intuitively and creating with more carefree brushstrokes is definitely something you can learn to do — you’ll learn how in my online art workshops. I also put together a fun Free Painting Workshop to get you started… I hope it inspires you!

Click HERE to join me for a Free Painting Workshop.

Happy painting!
xo, Juliette

Ps. If you want even more inspiration and insights into my creative process, plus behind the scenes sneak peeks + free videos that I only share in my newsletter, click HERE to sign up for my newsletter and join my free painting workshop .