If I paint over something again and again, I know I’ve stopped having fun.

I’m usually trying to paint an idea I’ve got in my head and wanting to make my painting perfect.

It always takes trying, again and again, to get to a place where I can finally let go and allow a painting to come together ❤️

The other day, I was working on a large painting and totally got stuck.

So I started a few smaller paintings like this one (she’s called ‘Bring Your Light,’ 11” x 14” on canvas)... click here to visit my shop (originals, prints and books).

I lined up a bunch of blank canvases on the floor and started to layer – I dripped inks, splodged on acrylic paint and watched the colors merge.

Painting these first layers totally took the pressure off, so all I needed to do was enjoy the process.

Sometimes when I look at my finished paintings I might remember all of the layers underneath, but I often forget that I was also painting many pieces at once and that each of those pieces went through their own ugly stages.

It helps to look back at progress photos or videos of my past paintings. Then I’m reminded of all of the work, stories and layers that went into each painting, especially the eyes and faces.

I’ve always loved creating detail and definition in my characters with black outlines.

But it’s always been tricky to find something that’ll go over all of my mixed media layers. When I first started painting, I even tried a black Sharpie marker, which I did like the look of, but once I added my top coat, the lines smudged and completely ruined my finished painting (so frustrating… don’t make this same mistake!).

I tried so many different pens and inks, but they either looked too painted on or the lines just didn’t stand out. So now I’m most often using a black water-soluble pencil.

This way I can bleed out my lines and smudge them intentionally, then go back in and add more definition (the Stabilo brand Marks All Coloring Pencil is my favorite right now).

In this video preview from my Happy Painting Mini Course you’ll see how I create a portrait using just a few supplies and a water-soluble pencil in my sketchbook. This is a project you can do in just a few minutes, so you can still paint, even if you don’t have a lot of space or time.

“You’ve really inspired me in the VERY FUN CLASS of Happy Painting. I’ve gone from cut and paste to fearless, throwing paint on paper and actually painting and trusting in the process. I’ve been actually creating little beings.” -Nancy Rose

“I had always felt that need for perfection the first time around and it led to so much frustration and thrown away pieces that weren’t just right. Seeing your process of letting the piece become what it wants to become instead of trying to force it into what you want it to be was an epiphany to me! Thank you for teaching us your style and letting us see the mistakes along the way.” -Shannon Beesley

Click here to Learn More About My Happy Painting Mini Course.

Happy Painting!

xo Juliette Crane

P.S. Click here to Join My Free Painting Workshop

P.P.S. Want to learn more about painting faces? I’ve put together my FACES – Mxed Media Portraits class to help you paint faces with more freedom.

You can learn more about my FACES – Mxed Media Portraits class right here.