Whimsical Teacups Beginners Can Paint!

Hi friends! Today I have an easy, real-time watercolor plus pen tutorial that you can draw and paint along with me.

Painting of stacked teacups, watercolors and paint pens.

Feel free to use what you have and follow along! If you don’t have acrylic paint pens you can use gel pens or skip that step. do it your way!

Supplies:

Painting of stacked teacups, watercolors and paint pens shot at an angle.

If you like these longer tutorials you will love Critique Club! You get access to over 100 real-time mixed media tutorials, monthly prompts, and the chance to upload your art for feedback from me, all for $5 a month! I post 2 new tutorials every month too and I just posted another today, but more about that tomorrow, till then Happy crafting!

More like FUN onions!

Hi friends! I had a blast painting this! My friend Tracey shared a photo she took at a farmers market last weekend and I loved it so much that I asked if I could paint it. She said yes and gave me permission to use it in a video too. It was challenging but fun. I used many different supplies and in the end, I really like how it turned out

You can find a real-time version of this lesson in Critique Club now! For only $5 a month, you get access to over 100 real-time, in-depth art tutorials (2 new tutorials added each month!), monthly art prompts, and the ability to upload your art for feedback from me. If you want to be a part of this vibrant community of artists of all levels we would love to have you!

Supplies (Affiliate links used)

Also if you want to know more about using watercolor crayons I have a workshop with lots of projects here. That’s all for today! Happy crafting!

Inspired by the humble Crayon

Hi friends! Today I am sharing a fun painting I did of crayons! I recently dug all my kid’s crayons out to see how they fared against artist-grade crayons and I thought these humble Crayolas would be a nice subject for a painting!

a watercolor painting of crayola crayons

You can find a real-time lesson for this project in Critique Club. For only $5 a month, you get access to almost 100 real-time, in-depth art tutorials (2 new tutorials added each month!), monthly art prompts, and the ability to upload your art for feedback from me. If you want to be a part of this vibrant community of artists of all levels we would love to have you!

Supplies (affiliate links used)

Here is the reference photo I took:

8 crayons artfully arranged

Reminder! 50% off Specials on Critique Club Archives through January 31!

  • 50% off launch special on the 2022 Critique Club Archive This class gives you lifetime access to all 24 art lessons posted in Critique Club during 2022. Regular price $60, with discount $30. Use coupon code 2022SAVE50 if the discount doesn’t appear automatically. Offer ends 1/31/23
  • OR You can save 50% on the entire Critique Club Archive Bundle. This gives you lifetime access to the 96 real-time art lessons posted in Critique Club from January 2019 and December 2022 all for one low price. This is a $240 value. Regular price $200, with the discount $100. Use coupon code ARCHIVE50 if the discount doesn’t appear automatically. Offer ends 1/31/23

I hope you have a great weekend and til next time happy crafting!

Inktober 2022 Recap (Livestream Tomorrow!)

Hi friends! Today I took it easy. I finished up my last Inktober drawing at about 11pm last night, right down to the wire. If you took part in the month-long art challenge hats off to you! If you have no idea what I am talking about Inktober is an art challenge started by Jake Parker to improve inking and it has grown over the years to all kinds of art media. I am going to Livestream a sketchbook flip through tomorrow if you want to find out more about any of these artworks such as mediums, inspiration, etc. The Livestream and replay can be watched in the video player below or if you want to chat live tomorrow morning at 11am ET you can watch on YouTube.

Now here is the prompt list and artwork!

And that’s a wrap of Inktober 2022! I went off script (prompt list) twice, it was a beautiful day on the 6th so I did a pastel painting at the stream instead of painting a bouquet (but the fall leaves made a colorful bouquet I think!) and on the 20th because I was doing artwork for a class I was teaching and I honestly ran out of time to create a new inktober piece. I’m happy with my work. I did more from my imagination this year which is something I’d like to work on more. If you like my art style and want to improve your alcohol marker skills I have an Alcohol Marker Workshop on launch special this month for 50% off. Click this discount link or use coupon code MARKER50 if the link doesn’t appear automatically. I hope to see you on the Livestream tomorrow and til then happy crafting!

Spooky Time is Here! (Although this raven is too cute to spook anyone)

Hi friends, I love how cute this mixed media raven turned out. I want to find an ornate frame for it and use it in my Halloween decorating.

I’m going to share a look behind the scenes of designing this painting and show you how I come up with an idea and then figure out better ways to do it when I go to teach it. If you would like to paint this live with me I will be teaching it live at Michaels online classes on October 20th at 8pm ET. You can get the full supply list and pattern here. The class is $20 and students will get a recording the day after the class.

This Thursday I have a free Micheals class all bout Derwent Pan paints and I will share tips, tricks, and techniques on using them. If you have some of these products (or similar pan paints) and want some ideas on how to make the most of them please join me. You can ask me questions while the class is live and hopefully get some good inspiration! Sign up for free here.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope to see you in one or both of those live classes! Happy crafting!

I read a spooky book and painted a spooky boat!

Hi friends, I’m not sure if everyone would find a battered old boat on a foggy lake creepy but after reading The House Across the Lake by Riley Sage I do!

A real-time narrated version of this tutorial is up now in Critique Club. Enjoy 90 real-time (more complex than youtube) art lessons with 2 new ones added every month along with creative prompts and the ability to upload your artwork for feedback for me for only $5 a month! Now on to the timelapse!

Supplies (affiliate links used)

That’s all for today! Happy crafting!

I hope you like sunflowers…

Hi friends, I bought a couple of single sunflowers at the same farm stand where I bought the bouquet I used for yesterday’s tutorial and I had to paint it!

Grab your supplies and paint along, that is, as long as you are not sick of sunflowers:)

Supplies (Affiliate links used)

That’s it for today. I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and til next time happy crafting!

I know it looks like a hampster but the owner swears it’s a gerbil!

Hi friends! I have a cute and fun project to share with your today! There was a bit of a debate over what kind of rodent this was so I asked my schoolteacher friend Jenny, who graciously let me use her photo of her classroom pet to paint from, and she said it is a yet-to-be-named gerbil. Her students will name it when they go back to school. I wonder what name they will pick?

You can find a real-time version of this tutorial in Critique Club along with 87 other long, in-depth lessons in a variety of interesting art media. I add 2 new real-time tutorials each month that is more thorough than what is posted on Youtube plus you get monthly creative prompts to get you painting when you are stuck. What’s more, you can upload your work for feedback from me. All for $5 a month. Learn more here or enroll today!

Supplies (Affiliate links used)

That’s all from me today. We will be leaving soon to move Maizy into the dorm (sniff, sniff) so it’s going to be an emotional day for us. I hope you are having a good day and til next time happy crafting!

I’m not So Sure About this Painting…

Hi friends! I will say this painting was fun to paint. I will also say that it turned out a bit chaotic in the end and one viewer on youtube came out and called it ugly and overworked so if at any point in the video you like the way it looks feel free to pause the video and just pretend that is the way I left it LOL! I might add some collage and stamping to this later because, hey, what have I got to lose? This is an “enjoy the process of painting” (which I did) so I hope you do too or at least enjoy the company while you work on something else. Onward!

Supplies (Affiliate links used)

The moral of this story is even a bad day of painting is better than not painting at all. And to tell you the truth I kinda like parts of it. Happy crafting!