Create a Dynamic Monochromatic Ocean with Sailboat using Watercolor, Acrylic Ink, and Gravity
A boat painting of mine sold at the gallery, so naturally, I painted another one. Here's how I kept it fresh with a new blue palette, a happy accident with granulating medium, and my usual lazy shortcuts for straight lines.
Vibrant Poppy: Painting Without a Sketch (and Without a Studio)
Is the poppy red, or is it white? I painted this piece on the road, without a sketch, using negative painting to leave the question open, and picked up a few lessons about limited palettes, lifting pigment, and trusting the process along the way.
Testing Fuumuui's Macaron Set: Painting Roses at The Muse
I took a new pastel watercolor set out for a test run at my favorite waterfront coffee shop, and painted roses instead of my usual test subject. Here's what I learned about these paints along the way.
Painting "Fashionista": A Moody, Monochromatic Crow in Lunar Black
Meet "Fashionista," a moody, monochromatic crow painted for a gallery call — all drips, lifted eggs, and letting the water do most of the work.
Taking Another Crack at Shuraka: A Loose Watercolor Figure Study
I took another crack at painting Shuraka, and this time I tried something harder than a portrait: a full figure. It did not go smoothly, and I'm sharing exactly why.
Painting a Manhwa-Inspired Portrait: Gold, Loose Washes, and an Honest Lesson in Color
I set out to paint a character described as the Exalted Sun, bathed in gold and warmth, and ended up learning something about my own color choices along the way. Here's how this loose, glowing portrait study came together.
Painting a Camellia: Lifting Color, Complementary Schemes, and Not Wasting a Scrap of Paper
I painted this camellia on the back of scrap paper from an old tutorial, just to avoid wasting it, and it turned into one of my favorite lessons on lifting color, complementary color schemes, and painting light without ever painting a light source.
Testing Pastel Watercolors at the Coffee Shop
I love it when a new set of paints throws me off my usual habits. This time it was a pastel watercolor set that had me painting roses instead of my go-to iris, and learning that pretty colors don't always behave the way you'd expect.
Testing New Gear on a Drippy Meadow Landscape
This painting came out of a bit of frustration. I'd just had four failed experiments doing something completely different, and I was feeling moody about it, so I decided to redirect that energy into a meadow-inspired landscape instead.
Painting Without a Plan: An Intuitive Abstract Landscape
I thought, "Okay, let's just go crazy on a piece of paper, and if it turns out great, it turns out great, and if nothing happens, nothing happens." There was no plan here — just leftover paint, a scrap of paper, and the freedom to see what would happen.