I recently finished a series of three 5x7 mixed media collages. (You can grab one in my shop, if you're interested.) You can watch this overview video to see them come together: As I mention in the video, I started them for January's Book Club. This is what they looked like at the time of the Book Club recording: And here they are now: A few tips to take with you: Don't be afraid to cover things up. The layers and the texture are still there -- just in a more subtle way. Learn what things make your artwork "feel... Read more →

This month's Book Club selection was a suggestion by a viewer: Abstracts in Acrylic & Ink by Jodi Ohl. And, as it turned out, I already owned the book but had never even opened it. This is the exact reason why I started Book Club. I'm tired of collecting books. I want to actually use them! Jodi was a guest on the Adventures in Arting Podcast back in 2015. She's super talented and I really love her work. During Book Club I chat a bit about why this book wasn't a great fit for me and how I learn, but... Read more →

I'm part of an affinity group within the Cambridge Art Association. We decided to do a postcard swap with a twist. Instead of sending each other finished postcards, we're mailing half-finished postcards that the recipient can finish. Here are the postcards that I'm putting in the mail: I used my new Art Foamies foam stamps, did some image transfers, did some drawing and collaging, and just generally had fun making these little guys. I'm currently working on a Studio Vlog for Maker & Super Learner Members all about the making of these postcards as well as sharing what I get... Read more →

During this month's Member Livestream, I taught a section on mixing neutral paint colors to coordinate with your palette. I swished the colors all around on a page in my sketchbook (to show how they looked together) and ended up with this mess: Well, I took a few minutes this week to clean up the mess and turn it into a composition. And I looooove how it turned out: Simple patterns will always be on my love list. If you'd like to learn more about composition, check out the upcoming season of Design Boot Camp. Thanks for stopping by! Read more →

In 2012 (almost ten years ago), I painted this painting: It has been sitting in my stash of paintings for almost a decade. Not good enough to sell. But kind of nostalgic for me because it represents the time period where I figured out how to go from painting faces like this... ...to something that actually looked like a real human. Nonetheless, I felt like it was time to revisit the work and do a bit of analysis. So I grabbed my sketchbook. What worked? What didn't? I decided that one of the major issues was that the composition was... Read more →

In case you missed yesterday's live Book Club presentation all about the book, How to Paint Abstracts, here is the replay video. My Mom texted me after watching the livestream and said, "Each book club is like a free mini-class. Good value." Thanks, Mom! Here are a few things I made inspired by the book: As I mentioned in the livestream, I've just chosen the 2022 dates for Design Boot Camp -- both level 1 and level 2. You can check both out HERE. In November - in preparation for #CarveDecember - we will be discussing the book I wrote,... Read more →

I recently included a Kandinsky quote and painting in my weekly email newsletter (the newsletter goes out every Friday). It sent me down a bit of a Kandinsky rabbit hole. I stumbled onto a German website that I believe is for elementary school teachers. They had a fascinating lesson suggestion that I had to try for myself. STEP ONE - Laminate a design of colored tissue paper and black construction paper pieces. No need to fill the whole lamination pouch. Think about design. I used black tar paper for some of these, but it was too dimensional, so I ended... Read more →

Last night I hosted September's Book Club, all about Kateri Ewing's book, "Watercolor is for Everyone." You can watch the replay below: The supplies I used: Arches Watercolor Paper QoR Watercolors Mijello Palette Sakura CAC Watercolors Rembrandt Special Effects Watercolors Size 8 Paintbrush Here are some of the pieces that I made while working through the exercises in this book: The next Book Club is on October 13 at 2pm EST. We will be discussing Pocket Art Guides: How to Paint Abstracts. Book Club is FREE and open to all, regardless of whether or not you've read the book. Book... Read more →

Did you know that "Painted Wood Block Wall Art" is a thing? I stumbled across this etsy listing... link ...and it sent me down a rabbit hole. Here are a few other listings I found when searching "painted wood block wall art": link link link link If you're thinking what I'm thinking, then here are the supplies you need to make your own: Wood Canvases -- You can get a pack of eight 10x10 wood canvases for about $25 on Amazon. Your favorite paint or collage materials. If you're going to sell them: varnish. Personally, I have been known to... Read more →

I hosted a wonderful live online workshop a few weekends ago. It's part of a series of "Composition Classes" that I'm offering. This one was about "The Grid" and these are the three demo pieces I created during class: I looooove them! I think they're some of the best pieces that I've done in this series -- and that's not something I usually say about demo pieces. But I think there are a few reasons that they're good and they're things I want to remember: Limited palette. I've said if before. I'll say it again. I even taught a class... Read more →