Happy Holidays! If you're overwhelmed by the excitement of art supplies going on sale this week for Black Friday, don't worry! You're not alone. To help simplify your shopping, here is a comprehensive list of all of the supplies I am currently using in my own studio, with links to find them on Amazon (but please shop local if you can). An important note: I'm really not a fan of acrylic or oil gift sets if you're planning to continue with your art in the long run. I'm talking about those paint sets that come with a million tiny tubes of paint in all colours of the rainbow. Predictably, you will quickly use up all of the anchor colours,...
Do you ever feel like you're playing a losing game when it comes to sharing your art on social media? I do. All the time. If you want to find success as an artist, the unpleasant truth is that social media is a necessary evil. Is it doable without? It's possible, but infinitely harder. I presently have a love/hate relationship with social media. I love it because it has allowed me to build my community (and write to all of you!) and is an excellent medium for teaching. Whether I'm using shorts and reels to teach concise power lessons, or long form videos on YouTube to educate on process, social media has proven to be an outstanding conduit for connecting...
Before we start this blog post, here's my latest YouTube video that breaks down the whole process of painting in oil on paper: Regardless of your subject, painting into a multimedia sketchbook is an absolute blast. Here’s the steps I like to follow to create sketchbook entries that pop from the page. Insert the drawing. You can do this directly with ballpoint pen, or you can do a light contour with graphite pencil, before layering the ballpoint pen on top. When you do add the pen, make sure that it’s waterproof. Most ballpoint pens are, but some have a gel base that will bleed when wet. I usually do a test before using a new pen in my book on...
I get asked about the ethics of using a projector or tracing a drawing a lot on YouTube and Instagram. Can we really call ourselves artists if we don’t do the entire thing freehand or by using grids? Isn’t it cheating to use technology to bypass the difficulty of the drawing stage and head straight into the painting?
I can safely say that creating and releasing my first ever digital course, Painting Flowers in Acrylic, has been one of the proudest moments of my artistic career. If you're interested in checking out the course, you can use code BLOG30 and take $30 off at checkout (don't forget the code, I want you to save!) There are hundreds of artists who have successfully completed the program, and I'd love to work with you. But even if you're just here for some free tips and advice for how to paint flowers with acrylic, I've got you covered! Painting a Flower with Acrylics If you’re interested in learning to paint more realistic flowers in acrylic, but aren’t ready to dive into the full...
