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.
Giving an Old Painting New Life: Reworking "Oh Deere!"
The painting was technically "done," but it had been sitting in my portfolio, unhung, waiting. So I pulled it back out. My original idea was to keep the tentacles light and atmospheric — but the concept was cool, and the execution just wasn't quite there yet.
Painting a Hardy Hibiscus with Kuretake Graphite Colors (Cool Tones, Warm Feelings)
I just got back from a mini vacation up north — cold weather, no jacket, classic me — and all I wanted was something warm. So I painted a hibiscus. With cool colors. I don't know, maybe I have a complex. But here's how it all came together using my Kuretake Graphic Colors in under 30 minutes.
How I Painted Egyptian Blue Lotuses in Under 20 Minutes (Sumi-e Inspired Watercolor)
In this painting, I set out to capture the beauty of Egyptian blue lotuses using just a few colors and a couple of brushes — and the whole thing took less than 20 minutes. Inspired by sumi-e techniques, this is all about confident, intentional strokes: paint, lift, leave it. No overworking, no blending. Here's exactly how I did it.
Testing the Undertint App While Painting a Strawberry Daifuku
I recently got an email from Justin, the developer behind an app called Undertint — and it genuinely charmed me. He built it for his wife, who is a watercolor artist struggling with color mixing ratios. I said I'd test it out, and naturally, I decided to do it by painting a strawberry daifuku. Because why not? The app is now out of beta and available in the App Store, and here's what I found.
Painting a Trio of Owls in Watercolor: A Two-Color Study in Red
For the sixth and final painting in my mini art show series, I decided to do something a little outside my comfort zone — I went red. I'm usually a blue, green, and pink kind of person, but I'd been feeling the color red lately, and I wanted to lean into it. The result? A trio of barred owls painted with just two colors on a four by six inch block of hot press paper. Here's how it all came together.
Painting a Surreal Watercolor Portrait: My Bearded Iris (Yes, It's a Pun)
What happens when you take a bearded iris flower and a bearded man and merge them into one painting? A whole lot of fun — and a pretty satisfying pun. In this post, I'm walking you through my process of creating a surreal watercolor portrait, from mixing complementary purples and yellows to painting without a sketch and just winging it with shapes, edges, and instinct.
Breaking My Own Rules: Painting a Prismatic Foxglove Mini
I'll be honest: this painting started differently than anything I've done in a while. A fountain pen sketch. Bright primary colors. A bee butt peeking out of a foxglove bell. For the fifth of my six mini paintings headed to a gallery submission, I decided to throw out my usual rules and just have fun — and what happened surprised me in the best possible way.