Hello + Welcome to Your Free Class!

I’m so excited to share this gift with you.

Make sure to add info@juliettecrane.com to your contacts so you don’t miss any information. I’ll be sharing more inspiration in the coming weeks.

On this page, you’ll find your Free Painting Workshop, which is filled with the creative tips and experience I’ve been gathering over the years. My hope for you is that this little glimpse inside my painting process helps to fill you up, every day, with more happiness, inspiration, and joy as you connect more deeply on your own creative journey.

Now it’s time to sit back and enjoy, or even better, get out your favorite art supplies and paint with me. If you enjoy this class, there are details below about how we can keep painting together.

Happy painting!

P.S. You can find more Free Resources here. Thanks for being part of my community!

P.P.S. If you share what you create on social media I’d be delighted to see it… please use the tag #JulietteCraneFreeClass (it’d also be lovely if you mentioned @JulietteCrane as an inspiration for your creation in the first part of your description).

what students are saying

Isabelle Lafrance

So many videos and Juliette’s helpful commentary and guidance through the whole process. It really helped me loosen up while experimenting with many different media and techniques. Other classes I’ve taken just speed edit through the most important parts, while Juliette takes the time to explain what motivates her artistic process. That, for me, is the value of a class.

Louise “Beth” Rudolph

I am 64 and have always wanted to draw and paint. You show us all of the phases of the piece – the good, the bad, the ugly, and the finished wonderful face. Then we see the finished piece. Now when I struggle to get to the end of the process, I know that it’s okay to take a while to get there.

Peggy McDevitt

I learn best when I see you paint while you give information as to why your painting is working or is in need of correction. The way you work through your corrections gives me insight into my own issues and encourages me to keep going. Your videos are fun, light, colorful and always a pleasure to watch. Because of you, I enjoy painting and will try anything.

Kim Smith

Juliette’s teaching style grabbed me from the beginning and I immediately felt like I could do this. I am proud to say I have been working steadily through the class completing the weekly projects AND I am now absolutely hooked on the painting process. I am feeling so much more confident about my art.

Christy Nimehy

Juliette was wonderful at answering my questions right away. She gave me great tips for the times when I was feeling stuck, to move forward.

JaneAnn Harper

My tendency used to be to rip out the page and wad it up. Because of you, I am learning to not be so harsh on myself… to just keep building layers and see what emerges!

Lee Ann

Juliette’s instruction is very clear and her painting is very inspirational.

Dana Strickland

Juliette’s classes are soul-filling! I WISH I could express how you have changed my vision and freed my mind.

Sally Lentz

Juliette provides a great combination of technique and inspiration, as well as a fun glimpse into her inner artist and what it is like to be an artist. It is also very nice to receive feedback directly from Juliette as well as the other students in the class.

Julie Brastad

Juliette does a great job of breaking down the elements so anyone can follow and create art they can be proud of. If you are a perfectionist like me and felt stuck when creating then you will definitely enjoy her courses. Once I saw the creative process broken down and how it morphs or changes I felt much more at ease. Paint is forgiving … and once I realized that, my artistic door was open-wide open!

What Materials Will I Need?

I’m a big believer that you don’t need a lot of expensive art supplies to paint. All you really need to get started are some basic drawing and painting supplies in your favorite colors like acrylic paints, a cheap set of Crayola watercolors, a pencil, brushes and something to paint on.

Over the years, I’ve experimented with layering all sorts of traditional and nontraditional art supplies – oil paintsticks, pastels, acrylics, inks, pencil, papers, pen and so many more.

You’ll find a full supply list for this painting project below, but I definitely urge you to use whatever art supplies you might already haave to get started. The most important thing is to have fun.

There’s no right or wrong way here.

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In this 30 minute project, we’re going to start off with a little doodling exercise, using simple shapes, so you can easily paint whatever whimsical animal or character is unique to YOU. Then you’ll see me paint the first layers of my background as I share some of my favorite creative tips and techniques for covering up the white space before I add my whimsical character.

Here, I’ll be creating an owl, but feel free to create any character you desire. As you paint, take whatever techniques and embellishments you see and love most in this project and recombine them in your own way to make your artwork unique to you.

To help you get started, Click HERE to download your Simple Shapes printable PDF. It’s nice to keep these drawings beside you as you create in case you need a little extra inspiration.

Feel free to soak in the creativity and inspiration at your own pace and go back to it when you need a little direction and encouragement.

You’ll Learn:
* How I prevent my paintings from looking muddy
* How I stay loose and overcome blocks
* How I get through the ugly stage
* How I choose colors for my faces
* What I do when I am frustrated with my painting
* The benefit of making mistakes
* How to make your paintings pop

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Art Supplies

SIMPLE SHAPES EXERCISE:
* Loose paper or a sketchbook
* Sharpie, marker or pencil

MIXED MEDIA PAINTING:
* Paper: I’ll be working on 9×12″ smooth bristol paper, but this project can be created on any surface you prefer (paper, wood, canvas, etc)
* Collage Materials (tissue paper, lokta paper, maps, sheet music, book pages)
* Acrylic paints: 3-4 of your favorite colors. Plus, for faces, I use quinacridone nickel azo gold, cobalt teal, and titanium white
* Foam brush (large)
* Various brushes (small, medium and large)
* Water-soluble pencil (this is what I’m using – Stabilo Marks All Coloring Pencil in black)
* Acrylic inks (I’m using yellow orange azo by Liquitex)
* Palette knife (plastic, or an old credit card will work too)
* Paint Palette (I’m using a paper plate)
* Water bucket
* Glue: My favorite glue is Liquitex Matte Medium. Otherwise I use Golden Acrylic Gel Medium (Matte, Soft or Medium Gel) or mod podge, but I find those can sometimes dry out quickly or get clumpy.

COLORS ON MY PALETTE: (acrylic paints)
* Cobalt Teal
* Quinacridone Nickel Azo Gold (brown)
* Quinacridone Magenta
* Titanium White
* Paynes Gray
* Fluorescent Red
* Yellow Orange (I’m using Dick Blick’s Blickrylics, but you can get a similar color by combining a yellow orange azo acrylic ink by Liquitex with a cadmium yellow acrylic paint)

TOP COATS:
* To make sure my painting doesn’t yellow or fade over time, I use a spray varnish. The spray also prevents smudging and smearing (which often happens with a brush-on top coat). I like to use an archival spray varnish (like Golden’s Archival spray varnish in matte). But if you don’t need it to be archival – and last hundreds of years – Golden and Liquitex are always good brands.
* To keep water soluble pencil or pastels from smudging as I work, I also use a workable pastel spray fixative.
* If I want a more encaustic look, which I love when I’ve layered lots of collage papers, then I’ll also add a layer of Dorland’s Wax Medium on top of the varnish once its dried. This little extra step gives a beautiful matte look. It also provides depth to my painting and really makes all of my layers, which are often at different levels, appear more cohesive.

ADDITIONAL SUPPLIES (these are not essential):
* Water soluble oil pastels (I love Portfolio brand)
* Paint pens (I love Sharpie’s water-based paint pens)
* India inks
* Bleeding art tissue paper (I usually get this at Dick Blick, but I’ve also found it at Office Depot and Staples in the school supplies section)

NOTE: If you don’t have a stabilo pencil for this project, dark ink (calligraphy, acrylic or india ink), dark acrylic paint, charcoal or a black water soluble oil pastel will work too.

Want to Paint More Together?

*Step 1: Check out my weekly blog and videos. Every Friday I release a new blog post for you to enjoy.

Note: I’ve an archive of over 500 posts and videos you can checkout now on my blog Right Here.

*Step 2: If you want to go deeper – I’ve put together my Watercolor Joy Mini Course ($47) with six instant-access projects. You can get all the details here:

Click Here to Check Out The Watercolor Joy Mini Course

*Step 3: Join my FREE Sketchbook Painting Class. It’s all about loosening up, letting go, and play.

Click Here to Join My Free Sketchbook Class

*Step 4: Come connect with me on Instagram and Facebook (I post tips, sneak peeks, and more about my creative process over there).

Click Here to Connect On on Instagram and Facebook.

*Step 5: There are more mixed media projects included in The School of Happy Painting Membership, which gives you access to seven of my online classes (cancel anytime). Since you’re a part of my creative community…

You can click here to join monthly ($40/month)

You can click here to join annually ($348/year).

Sally Lentz

Juliette provides a great combination of technique and inspiration, as well as a fun glimpse into her inner artist and what it is like to be an artist.

Donna Lange

I appreciate learning techniques and applying them in my own way and Juliette’s style of teaching really facilitates this.

Jill DiMassimo

I had a fear of faces and now I can’t stop painting them.

Alison Pillette

The class group has been so fun! All the lovely comments and art from co-students has been a joy for me.

Susan Keister

Best instruction. So very detailed and easy to follow along.

My Story

For years I stopped painting. All of my artwork ended up in the basement or trash, so I thought, “What good is it to paint?” I never thought anyone would want to see my work.

I went to college to study biology, but I couldn’t stay away from the art room. I couldn’t help myself from painting on everything and anything. I found a huge sheet of paper and taped it above my bed and whenever I could, I’d work on that drawing. When it was done, I started in on a white cabinet. I drew colorful abstract scenes with colored pencils, crayons and markers. I’m sure that giant drawing and cabinet got thrown in the garbage as soon as I moved. But I learned I couldn’t not be an artist.

When I graduated, I went to work as an arts journalist, writing about the arts for newspapers and magazines. It took many different jobs as a journalist, photographer, graphic designer, floral designer, website developer and more before I finally realized the only thing I could put my heart into was being a full-time artist.

Then in the summer of 2009 I lost my job. It was the first job I ever really loved (as a landscaper). To heal my spirit, I went back to what I adored most as a child – cutting out outfits for characters and making up their stories. My sister-in-law gifted me with a few fabulous vintage wallpaper books, and I fell in love with the colors and patterns. I knew I had to do something with that gorgeous paper.

And that’ s what started all of my whimsical paintings.

Happy Painting

I could easily get overwhelmed whenever I get to a blank canvas. To make it easier on myself, I follow a few simple guidelines:

First, I begin with a background. Creating my background is all about play. I like to spread out all of my favorite art supplies and experiment, figuring out what color combinations I most adore and exploring new techniques. My only intention is to have fun covering up the white space, so there is no right or wrong way.

Next, I add my character. No matter what character I decide to create, whether it is a whimsical animal, an imaginary character, an owl or a girl, I always start with a circle for the head and a rectangle for the body.

From there, I add whatever embellishments make that character unique (bear ears and a nose, rabbit ears, a beak, wings, a see-through nose etc.). These choices are what will make your character unique to you.

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Things To Remember…

In almost every painting, I hit what I call ‘the ugly stage.’ For me, that’s a super negative point where I feel like I won’t be able to pull my painting together. But I’ve learned that hitting that ugly stage is just part of my creative process. Instead of allowing the negativity and self-doubt to take over, I remember to stop trying to paint something perfect and return to having fun.

Paint any character you want. Go back through your simple shape sketches. If there is one you really love, try recreating it for this project.

Keep playing. If you notice you’ve stopped having fun, go back to creating backgrounds, fingerpainting, coloring, or sketching. These things always help me stay loose and feel like a kid again.

Use whatever supplies, techniques and colors you like best. I have my go-to colors and supplies that I know I love the look of together.

The pencil I’m using is a Stabilo pencil which is water-soluble. To stop the pencil from running, and as a top coat, I add a spray fixative to my finished painting before applying any other top coat. You can also go over your lines with a little water and a thin brush to set the line in place.

Start building your own library of favorites. It’s easy to make a painting your own just by working with colors you love because those colors are already unique to you (and if you’re using colors you like, you’ll like the colors in your painting).

Let your layers dry. Especially as you create your background, it is important to create layers so that your artwork has depth. But if you try to add new layers while the first are still drying, you will most often end up with a muddy, frustrating mess.

I like to work on multiple paintings at once, that way, while one background or character dries, I can begin another and have it dry by the time I’m ready to move on.

When I have multiple paintings started, I like to start my character on the background that I like least. That way, I am less intimidated and not so afraid to mess up something I really like.

Remember, there is no right or wrong here. To me it is the imperfections that make artwork most beautiful.

Thank You!

I hope you’ve enjoyed everything and that you continue to visit this workshop and it helps you grow in life and as an artist.

I’d love to stay connected!

If you ever get frustrated with creating, remember it happens to me too (all the time). I often struggle to stay loose and carefree in my artwork. Sometimes I have to force myself not to outline my character and give it complete definition, especially when I’m painting my flower girls. I’ve found, just like when painting a character’s eyes, their body looks more natural when you don’t draw in or paint every line. Less is so often more. Yet keeping all of these guidelines in mind as I paint, usually leaves me feeling completely blocked and uninspired. That’s when I go back to painting owls or imaginary creatures, which remind me there is no right or wrong way when it comes to creating… anything is possible (of course, but I always forget that as I paint).

With love + gratitude,
xo Juliette

Lori Lohmeyer

Juliette shows you how to play and change and be brave with your artwork. I felt free to jump in and experiment because Juliette models that behavior in her lessons; so I knew that was the best way to find my girls and my style. It helped me embrace the idea of myself as a talented artist. I will take any course you offer, because I know you give it all and that spirit is powerful.

Anja Nowack

Sometimes I get stuck and often I wonder how I can be sure to paint something really ugly and awkward. But that’s something I’ve learnd from you: to let go, LET IT BE, to relax and to be patient.

Tasha Miller

This class has been the best experience ever! I love how Juliette teaches. I love that there are no hard & fast rules, and I love the fact that even scribbles look like art. The best thing about this course, is that I can share it with my 5 children (well, the baby is too little yet; but she loves to watch). I am a homeschooler, and my 3 girls & son cannot wait for our weekly “art classes” with Juliette.

Jessica Jidas

I especially like the fact that you embrace when you make mistakes, when things are not working, and then explain your thought process when you fix them. I have discovered that when I teach like this in my classroom, my students are quicker to embrace their own mistakes and learn how to problem solve! Thank you for teaching in this way because it’s how I learn best…by fixing my mistakes!

Dana Strickland

Juliette’s class was so inspiring the way she creates her backgrounds and her characters. She taught me to sketch (I didn’t think I could do that). I thought each time I wanted to draw something, I had to find something to copy... no way could I just put pencil to paper and come up with something. WRONG! I CAN!!!

Hello + Welcome to Your Free Class!

what students are saying

What Materials Will I Need?

Art Supplies

Want to Paint More Together?

My Story

Happy Painting

Things To Remember…

Thank You!

Ready to Paint?

Ready to Paint?