Don’t Ask “How Can I Paint ___ in Watercolor?” Instead, Flip the Question
Instead, explore different watercolor effects and “textures” and ask “What does this watercolor effect remind me of? What could I use it to suggest?”
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How to Use Reference Photos More Creatively
Here are some ideas for breaking free from “the tyranny of the photo” so you can use your photo references more creatively
What Makes a Good Painting?
That pesky inner critic! I don’t know about you, but simply telling her to sit down and shut up doesn’t work for me. Oh, I can get her to leave me alone. It just doesn’t lead to paintings I’m happy with. I need my inner critic. We all need time to explore, experiment and follow…
Reflections in Calm Water
Look over my shoulder as I paint the subpaintings to help me decide how I want to paint reflections on calm water.
What is Creative Energy Journaling?
So many of us are over-busy, stressed and fully occupied with just getting a few more things crossed off our to-do lists. Deep down, we know we need a way to keep our thinking creative and flexible. We need a way to recharge and get back in touch with our dreams. But we get stuck on the “not enough time/space/skill” stumbling blocks. Creative Energy Journaling is a collection of the activities and practices I use and share with my students to keep my creative energy flowing even when life is biting me in the butt!
Creative Seeds
These “creative seeds” are a great to warm-up, de-stress or generate new ideas for paintings. Creative Seeds If you were planting a garden, you would not simply go outside and wish for ripe tomatoes tomorrow and expect to have that actually happen. You understand that you have to work the soil, maybe add humus. Rake it smooth,…
Befriending Your Inner Critic
In Creative Energy Journaling, as in any creative activity, there is the possibility of interference from your inner critic. The received wisdom is that inner critics should be silenced. Or banished. I disagree. In this post I hope to persuade you that your inner critic can help you go deeper into your creativity and be more comfortable taking creative risks.