Painting a Loose, Abstract Iris on the Back of a Failed Painting
A painting I was unhappy with didn’t have to go to waste. I flipped it over and used the back for a loose, drippy, abstract iris. Here’s how I let water and gravity shape the petals, and what I’d do differently next time.
Flaming Hot: Painting a Surreal Crow Throwing Up a Rainbow With Golden OPEN Acrylics
About once every six months, I pull out the acrylics and try to conquer them. This time I painted a funny, surreal crow throwing up a rainbow, complete with fire and a giant Cheeto, using slow-drying Golden OPEN Acrylics. Here's how it went and why I might finally be an acrylic convert.
Painting a Horseshoe Crab With Granulating Watercolor: A Mini Painting Experiment
After last week's granulated dragon, I wanted to push that spritz-and-flow technique further, this time with a subject chosen on purpose. Here's how I painted a prehistoric-looking horseshoe crab with just two Rockwell Art pigments, and why I think every artist needs a weird painting in their life.
When a Seascape Wash Turns Into a Dragon: A Monochromatic Watercolor Experiment
I sat down to paint a seascape using just one color, Daniel Smith Lunar Blue. But once the wash dried, I saw a nostril, then a dragon, and I had a decision to make. Here's what happened when I let the paint lead the way instead of sticking to my plan.
Painting Through a Slump: A Mixed Media Yellow Rose Experiment
When I hit a painting slump, I decided the best cure was to do something completely different: mix watercolor, gouache, and oil pastels on a small yellow rose painting. Here's what happened when I let go of my usual process and just started experimenting.
Mini Painting Season, Round Three: Pink Water Lilies With No Blue in Sight
I've painted water lilies in blue and green before, so this time I skipped blue entirely and built the whole piece around pink, brown madder, and quinacridone magenta instead. Here's how a complementary color scheme, some careful lifting, and a very unbothered cat came together in this one.
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.