Every painting has an ugly stage (especially the faces).

In college, I only painted abstracts. I loved shapes and color, but I got stuck there and would just paint over everything (again and again).

Each time I thought I’d intuitively know what to paint next. But I was never attached to the painting, so I’d just keep covering it up.

Now every painting I create begins with those playful first layers of abstract color. I return to painting these first layers whenever I need to loosen up and let go.

When I started painting whimsical characters in 2009, I’d often struggle if I didn’t see something that inspired me in those first layers. Again, I got lost and didn’t know what to paint… until I learned to create my characters using simple shapes.

It’s magic when I intuitively know what to do next with a painting.

But if I don’t know what to do (which happens all of the time), I pencil in my character using simple shapes. That way, I always have a place to begin.

My faces always begin with the same color palette – a circle of titanium white mixed with a flesh tone. Then a layer of Quinacridone Nickel Azo Gold acrylic paint for shadows behind the eyes. This creates a surface with a bit of contrast so I can pencil in my initial eyes and features. I’ll often add green gold or cobalt teal to the sides of the face or above the eyes to add extra dimension. These colors are go well with one another and make your face pop.

3 Tips For Painting Colorful Faces

• Begin with a circle of titanium white mixed with a flesh tone
• Add Quinacridone Nickel Azo Gold acrylic paint (or sepia works too) for shadows behind the eyes
• Create dimension with green gold and cobalt teal at the sides of the face

If you worry about your colors going muddy and brown, I share more of my color secrets in this post.

It wasn’t until I began snapping in-progress photos of my paintings that I realized every painting has an ugly stage–that point in a painting where I feel super blocked and don’t know what to do next. Oftentimes I just want to cover up the entire painting.

This lack of confidence took the fun out of painting. But once I realized it happened to me every time, I learned to turn off my inner critic, seeing these blocks are really breakthroughs.

As you may have noticed, I focus a lot on style and being loose in my online classes, which are designed to seamlessly build upon one another, with the foundational Serendipity 1 – Develop Your Style paving the way. From there, you have the option to explore Serendipity 2 – Loosen Up In Your Art, perfect for adding more creative freedom and flow to your style, or delve into painting eyes and faces. Each class is crafted to be a stepping stone in your creative journey.

For those of you who share a passion for color and whimsy, I’m excited to share my new painting class bundle and membership…

It’s actually something many of my subscribers and students requested as my classes became one of their favorite ways to loosen up and find their own unique style.

It’s perfect if you’ve been wanting to explore various painting techniques, experiment with new mediums, loosen up, and develop your style. It offers online access to seven of my classes—a library of video and text lessons and a private community 😊

Here’s what Abi had to say about Serendipity 1- Develop Your Style (one of the seven classes included in The School of Happy Painting Membership):

“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. I really found that after this course I was able to not let negative self talk that was holding me back so often with my art get me down. Juliette is so relatable that I felt she’s been there and felt that too and she had solutions that really worked.” – Abi B.

I hope you will join me in The School of Happy Painting Membership by clicking here and let it motivate and inspire you in the new year. Happy holidays!

I can’t wait to see you in the membership!

Love, Juliette