Lately, I’ve been struggling 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, left me feeling completely blocked and uninspired.

So, I went back to painting imaginary creatures.

With these imaginary creatures I’m reminded – there is no right or wrong way when it comes to creating. Anything is possible (of course, but I always forget this as I paint).

I imagine these creatures as if they were stuffed animals – there for you whenever you need a hug.

At first, I found myself trying to fit each character into a box – saying this one is a cat, this one is a fox. But then, again, I stopped having fun with my artwork.

I wanted to add bug antennas to my cat and all sorts of long, wispy eyelashes, rainbow ears and whiskers. So I let myself add whatever my heart desired – using layers of oil paintsticks, paint pens and inks in my favorite colors. I also went back to creating dots with water-soluble oil pastels to get myself feeling confident again.

Going back to playing with my favorite supplies and allowing myself the freedom to make mistakes, got me having fun again. And from there, I felt more inspired… not just with my paintings, but in my everyday.

Happy painting!
xo, Juliette

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