Can Cheap PRANG Watercolors Create Professional-Looking Art? My Kingfisher Experiment 🎨
What happens when you take basic children's watercolors and try to paint in your professional style? I grabbed my PRANG paints and set out to create a loose, expressive kingfisher painting - and the results surprised me! Join me as I share the techniques that transformed these simple supplies into something special.
Painting a Loose Watercolor Iris: My Journey from "Trash Bin" to Prismatic Beauty 🌸
What started as a painting I was ready to throw away became one of my favorite iris studies. Join me as I share the techniques, happy accidents, and mindset shifts that transformed this loose watercolor iris from disaster to delight, using just a few key colors and some unconventional measuring tricks.
Painting Fuchsias and a Hummingbird: My First Adventure with Brush Pens and Water Brushes
After letting brush pens sit unused in my cabinet for ages, I finally decided to dust them off for an experimental painting session. Using only the materials from one Chroma set – brush pens and water brushes I'd never tried before – I tackled fuchsia flowers and a hummingbird. What started as a scratchy, messy process turned into a beautiful lesson about embracing unpredictability and creating motion in watercolor-style paintings.
Painting a Coffee Shop Carnation: My Watercolor Journey from Inspiration to Completion
Sometimes inspiration strikes in the most ordinary places. While working at a local coffee shop, I spotted a beautiful carnation bouquet that demanded to be painted. In this tutorial, I'll show you how I captured its ruffly texture using plastic wrap, navigated color mixing challenges, and made artistic choices that transformed a simple reference into something uniquely mine.
Painting a Robin with a Cherry: My Loose Watercolor Approach
When an American robin landed on my deck with a cherry in its beak, I knew I had found my next painting subject. In this tutorial, I'll show you how I captured this charming moment using loose watercolor techniques, building the entire piece from a single eye and creating a dreamy, atmospheric scene that tells a story.
Painting a Barred Owl: A Watercolor Study Inspired by My Daughter's Midnight Visitor
When a barred owl decided to make itself at home outside my daughter's bedroom window, it became the perfect inspiration for exploring watercolor wildlife techniques. Join me as I share the intimate process of capturing this magnificent nocturnal visitor using just three earth tones and a whole lot of patience.
Painting Crocosmia: My Journey Comparing Flat vs Round Brushes
Join me in my studio as I explore the beautiful crocosmia flowers blooming throughout the Pacific Northwest. In this hands-on comparison, I'll show you how flat and round brushes create entirely different painting experiences when capturing these vibrant red-to-yellow blooms, and share the surprising insights I discovered along the way.
Earthy Forest Study: Painting Mushrooms and Moss with Limited Palette Magic 🍄
There's something deeply satisfying about capturing the quiet beauty of forest floor fungi and moss. Join me as I explore the textural contrasts and earthy color harmony of mushrooms emerging from their mossy home, using a beautifully limited palette and some clever lifting techniques that turn student-grade paper into an advantage.
Painting a Glowing Rose: My 30-Minute Negative Watercolor Adventure 🌹
Sometimes the best art happens when you least expect it! Join me for an impromptu 30-minute watercolor session where I explored negative painting techniques to create what my sister perfectly described as a "spicy" rose. Using quinacridone pigments and wet-on-wet methods, this quick painting became a delightful reminder that stepping outside our comfort zones can lead to beautiful discoveries.
Paint Explosive Watercolor Sunflowers in Under 30 Minutes: A Mood-Boosting Art Tutorial
Feeling in a creative funk? I’ll show you how to paint explosive, joy-filled watercolor sunflowers in under 30 minutes. Using vibrant Daniel Smith colors and loose, energetic techniques, this tutorial proves you don't need hours or perfect conditions to create art that lifts your spirits. Learn to paint sunflowers that "punch you in the face with joy" using simple wet-on-wet techniques, salt texturing, and a fearless approach to color.