The other day I got super stuck on a big painting on my easel.

I just couldn’t let go.

I needed to return to having fun, so I put a bunch of blank canvases on the floor and started splattering acrylic inks and liquid watercolors on top to cover up the white space. Then I dumped a bunch of water on top to see what would happen.

I made a huge mess, but was having so much fun! I forgot about trying to be perfect.

Before I started painting my whimsical characters in 2009, I’d leave all of my paintings as abstracts. I had so much fun with the color, but I didn’t know what to do next.

Now I always get started with simple shapes… and soon this woman emerged – she’s called ‘In Love’ 11” x 14” (SOLD).

It’s magic when I intuitively know what to do or when I see something in the paint. But when I don’t know what to do next (which happens all of the time), I pencil in my character using simple lines and shapes (even for the eyes).

I still have to turn off my inner-critic, reminding myself it takes lots of layers and won’t be perfect on the first try. But this way, I always have a place to begin. This totally takes the pressure off, so I can enjoy the process.

I’m almost finished with a few more small female portraits and can’t wait to share them with you!

This video is a project we create in my FACES – Mixed Media Portraits class.

It’s a project I come back to whenever I need to loosen up with eyes and faces. I hope you enjoy it!

Sometimes I can get so stuck in painting something perfectly that my faces totally look too lifeless.

Whenever I paint the eyes of my characters I feel like I can best express myself. But sometimes I just can’t get them right.

That’s when I know I need to loosen up and play.

Happy painting!
xo Juliette

P.S. If you’d like to paint more together but don’t have a lot of time, I’ve also put together my Happy Painting Mini Course, which has five-instant-access projects to get you started. Click here to Watch a Video Sneak Peek at the Happy Painting Mini Course.