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.

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.

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.

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.

Wisteria has been on my painting list since I started watercolor back in 2019. I kept putting it off — either not confident enough, or too honest with myself about my attention span. This year I finally said: it is time. And a few hours in, surrounded by the most labor-intensive painting I have done in recent memory, I looked up and thought — I did this to myself. Here is everything I learned, everything I would do differently, and why I would absolutely do it all over again.

Join me for a 15-minute magnolia blossom watercolor study that demonstrates the art of painting white flowers through negative painting. Learn how to create soft, silky petal textures using lifting techniques, contrast delicate flowers with rough bark, and build dreamy, ethereal compositions with strategic color placement. This quick study proves you don't need expensive materials or hours of time to create beautiful botanical paintings.