I’ve been painting nearly every day for over thirteen years. But I still get stuck and frustrated.

What’s helped me the most is taking progress photos of my paintings. This way I can see what I’ve done wrong and what I’ve done right, so I’m not so afraid to cover up my artwork and take chances.

So often I need to look back at my own process and remember that it took a ton of layers to get to the finished painting (which happens pretty much every time).

Having progress photos of my past paintings, helps me to understand what worked and what didn’t. Then I can use these ideas for my next piece.

Things may not turn out the same way, but at least the inspirations are in my arsenal of techniques that I can pull from whenever I get overwhelmed. It helps to stay in my comfort zone while trying something new.

Then I can be brave and paint without the pressure of everything having to be perfect, allowing me to approach my artwork with joy and happiness.

This new painting is an inspiration to play and see what happens. It’s called ‘Messenger of Courage’ (11″ x 14″ on flat canvas).

I’m so excited to share a few large paintings with you soon!

If you’ve been wanting to strengthen your unique style and learn lots of mixed media painting techniques, I’ve also put together my Serendipity 1 – Develop Your Style online class. You can get more details here.

In this video preview, I share how I begin to transform a painting I am not liking into something new, using the existing layers as a starting point as I layer my favorite mixed media supplies. In class, I share the inspiration behind each painting, so you can learn how to paint more freely and easily develop your own style.

“This course was the in depth instruction that I was really looking for to take some of the quick pieces I’d done and really develop them further. Watching Juliette work through a piece until she really felt the character develop was so helpful. Knowing that I wasn’t making any mistakes and that if something wasn’t working – just changing my tool or supply could get me right through that tough spot was so useful.”

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.