Finding Your Artistic Style (Paint 'n Chat)

Hi folks! I’ve got a new Paint ‘n Chat video for you where I will be oil painting one of my most detailed 3D paintings ever while discussing ways that you can learn to forge your own unique iconic style. PLUS I’ve got some exciting news to share.. for the first time ever some of my most popular paintings are now available on a variety of sweet merch like all-over totes, enamel mugs, journals, and even a tropical siren beach towel! Check out all the goodies here!

Finding one's artistic style is a journey of self-discovery, patience, and exploration. Here are some steps you can take to help develop your own unique style:

1. Encourage Experimentation: Encourage yourself to experiment with different techniques, subjects, and approaches to art-making. This can include trying out various mediums, styles, and themes to see what resonates most with you. Stepping outside of your comfort zone can be so awkward it’s downright painful, but forcing yourself to try something new is the only way to grow. (Go make some bad art!)

2. Take Time for Self-Reflection: Reflect on your fave artistic influences, interests, and personal experiences. What themes or subjects do you feel drawn to? What emotions or messages do you want to convey through art? Self-reflection by sketching, journaling, or even just creating an environment where you can connect with your own thoughts without being interrupted can help you uncover aspects of your identity and vision that can inform your artistic style.

3. Study Other Artists: Study the works of other artists across different genres and time periods. This can help you identify elements and techniques to admire or find inspiring, which you can then incorporate into your own artistic practice in a unique way. Go out and look at art in person whenever possible from historic to contemporary artists.

4. Find What Sets You Apart: Try to identify what sets you apart from others. What makes your perspective or voice unique? This could be life experiences, cultural background, other interests, or unusual artistic techniques. Embracing your individuality can help develop a distinct artistic style, and can help you make your work recognizable and iconic. 

5. Practice Consistently: Developing a unique artistic style takes time and consistent practice. You must be serious about dedicating regular time to creating art and exploring different ideas and techniques. With each artwork you create, you will refine your skills, further develop your artistic identity, and come up with new ideas, likely never encountering artists’ block again. .

6. Be Open to Feedback and Critique: As hard as it can be to hear the truth sometime, if you really want to improve you must seek feedback from peers, mentors, and art professionals. Constructive criticism can help identify strengths and areas for improvement within your work, ultimately guiding you towards honing your artistic style. This is when art school or even just art classes could really come in handy.

7. Embrace Evolution: Remember that artistic style is not static and will evolve over time. Embrace experimentation and growth, and allow your style to develop organically as you continue to explore new ideas and techniques. Do not be afraid to pivot, especially if you are trying to make a living selling your art. If you are just creating for yourself and not to sell, then no worries about who likes it. But if you are trying to support yourself with an actual career, then you need to learn to listen to/read your audience and figure out what they will like and buy. That being said…

8. Stay True to Yourself: Above all, stay true to yourself and your ultimate artistic vision. Developing a unique artistic style is about expressing oneself authentically and passionately through art, rather than conforming to external expectations or trends. If you want to sell art, figure out what your audience likes as well as what is fulfilling to you. It’s not an easy career, so it’s not worth it to build it doing a style or subject you don’t enjoy.

By following these steps and remaining open to exploration and self-discovery, you can gradually develop a distinctive artistic style that reflects your individuality and creativity and will naturally set you apart from everyone else. The ultimate key is to constantly be putting out art in one form or another. If you do that, everything else will fall into place. 

Would you love a copy of ‘The Secret Garden’? How about on a tumbler or hardback notebook? Check out all my new merch here!

5.8.2025

The Great Reset

So you’ve probably noticed I haven't really been here much lately… And by lately I mean hardly ever in the last 2 years… yeah..sorry about that ... 😶

I guess in all reality I just got much busier than I was when I had first started my blog and YouTube channel, and to be honest a bit overwhelmed and demotivated....

While I've been oil painting for two decades, I really only started taking the possibility of a real career in art seriously soon after I moved to Hawai’i. And because it was so darn expensive to live out there, I could never afford to really travel or go off island so having a weekly blog post and video, monthly newsletters, constant tutorials etc. was not as hard to keep up with. But ever since moving back to the mainland and starting to teach college, the reality set in that I couldn't afford to do all of those things for such low financial return at the end of the day. Not that I didn't make some money off of YouTube and working with clients that YouTube brought, but I've never been a huge creator on that platform so it was never even close to what I needed to live on comfortably.

About two years ago I realized that I had spent a few years certainly learning a lot via my channel, and very happily helping other people, but at the expense of my own art making and really pushing myself to sell my artwork, rather than just selling my knowledge about creating art. Like I was making sure to have a YouTube video (usually a tutorial) out every single week to please the algorithm, but I was not setting aside the same amount of time or personal demands to create high-quality art every single week. I started out wanting a career as an artist so I could make art, and before I knew it I was spending 80% of my art time behind a screen in one way or another, whether it was filming, editing, writing, posting, marketing... the list goes on and on.

I also had originally wanted to have a successful YouTube channel, as any creator does when they first start out, but after I had seen so many videos of other creators getting burnt out, started feeling it myself, and realizing that I like my freedom too much to be beholden to an algorithm that I must please multiple times a week.. every week.. forever. Even folks that run daily shows on television like news anchors or late night hosts take off sometimes weeks at a time… So for YouTube to abandon channels when they've only been off for a week or two is obscene. I'm a human being and I refuse to live my life trying to please computers anymore.

I love to block print on vintage kerchiefs with my whimsical little carved blocks. Isn’t the lace divine?

Not to mention the fact that although I am deeply grateful for every single person who's ever paid attention to my artwork online, sincerely, I felt like it wasn't fulfilling me the same way that selling a piece of artwork or interacting with folks at an art show I was presenting at did, as had been the norm in my early 20s before social media took over the world.

This last year having my craft booth that includes a few oil paintings has been so exhilarating and fulfilling, not to mention that I am selling more original art on a regular basis than I ever have before. Interacting with people in person, hearing feedback, and genuinely getting excited to produce work in my style that people really want to buy, rather than only making work for myself and then crossing my fingers that it resonates for someone else too. I'm not there yet, but I feel confident that I'm moving towards a much more secure place within my art practice.

All this being said, it was never my intention to completely abandon this website or blog or my YouTube channel. I just needed some space and some real human interaction to help me remember why I was doing all of this to begin with.

So my goal going forth is to do one to two blog posts per month and one YouTube video every 6 to 8 weeks. I am not going to be doing any extra finagling to try to please algorithms, I am only going to post genuinely what I truly feel is worth sharing and what is worth my time to create. Instagram is one place that I tend to stay relatively active, so if you're on it reach out and let me know you came to see me there from this blog post, I'd love to say hi! @caleighbirdart

Oh and by the way, I started an entirely new block printing business 😳 It's going great!! Here's the new website I just created if you wanna check it out, but since this post is already long enough I'll go into more detail about it here soon.

I really do appreciate all of you who have stuck around through this quieter time, and want to send a warm welcome to the new folks that I've seen signing up even in the months when I was inactive. I want to be here for you just as you are for me, so thank you kindly 🫶

2.11.2025

How Building Art Skills Can Make You More Successful in Life

Building art skills can significantly contribute to an artist’s success in other areas of life by fostering creativity, problem-solving abilities, and learning the importance of attention to detail. The process of learning and practicing art enhances critical thinking and encourages us to think outside the box when faced with challenges.

Moreover, honing artistic skills can boost self-confidence and resilience, qualities that are essential in navigating personal and professional obstacles.

Today I want to discuss all the ways that the art skills you may not even know you have can help in you in many other areas of your life. Betchu thought messing up and having to restart a painting was all a waste of time… but I’m here to tell you it wasn’t!

Things to Remember…

• Creating art isn't just about color and composition; it's about channeling your creativity in endless ways. When you practice the art of art, you're training your mind to think outside the box, a skill that's incredibly handy when you're facing real-life puzzles.

• Creating art requires the patience of a saint. You know the drill - hours, days, even weeks of refining your piece. Well, this endurance test in the studio (and the patience you were forced to show!) is a secret weapon when it comes to tackling those long-term projects in your other pursuits.

• Ever felt like tossing your canvas out the window? Creating art teaches you the importance of resilience, especially when things don't go your way. Mountainous obstacles become mere speedbumps when you learn to dust yourself off and jump back on any issues with gusto.

• Every stroke of the brush is a chance to innovate when you're constantly exploring new techniques, styles, and subjects. In other areas of life, you'll find that innovation becomes your second nature, your key to out-of-the-box solutions.

• When you're an artist, problem-solving is your daily bread. You're constantly finding creative solutions to unexpected issues in your artwork. And when it comes to life's problems, you won’t be bound by common thought, you’ll use that artistic brain to come up with ideas no one else would have.

• Artists have a keen eye for detail. You know how that one tiny brushstroke can make or break your masterpiece. In your other pursuits, this attention to detail sets you apart as a master of precision and fine-tuning.

• You don't just see things as they are; you see them as they could be. Your artistic vision translates into the ability to envision and create a better future in any arena of life.

• Art is all about taking risks - trying new techniques, experimenting with colors, and sometimes, even starting over. This fearless approach to risk-taking becomes your ambitious mentality when seizing opportunities beyond the canvas.

In conclusion, your life isn't just a linear journey; it's a grand masterpiece waiting to be painted. The skills you acquire in your art-making journey are like your brushes, the patience and perseverance you show are your colors. . Your artistic flair is your unique composition, and the world is literally your canvas.

So, keep creating, keep innovating, and watch how these artistic skills help you create success in all areas of life!

5.14.2024

I Gold Leafed a Cicada!

I am so thrilled with how today's project went down that I am about to burst! I am literally shook with how wonderfully my most recent experiment went, and you know how psyched I get when exploring different art mediums... especially when they go well!

I have had the idea of metal leafing insects, animal bones, and dried plants for a hot minute now so when Kingboom offered this collab opportunity I was soooo ready to play!

Now I have done a fair amount of gold leafing on my oil paintings and within the resin pours so that was nothing new, but trying out different colors of leafing as well as using different specimen 'substrates' definitely was. I chose a handful of colors that I thought would go well in my nature inspired 3D paintings (Champagne Gold, Champagne Silver, Rose Gold, Emerald Green, Turquoise) and today I will share the results. Spoiler alert: they're awesome!

Grab some Kingboom metal leaf here:

https://www.amazon.com/promocode/A2CA4N2PSDLA3B

And use 15Caleigh for 15% off your entire order! Let me know in the comments how you like it!

3.14.2024

Blick Haul + Trying Relief Printing

I am so excited to visit a Blick Art store for the first time ever to pick out all kinds of new printmaking supplies!! Today I'll show you all the new supplies I got as well as my first attempt at relief printing on my own! Squeeeee!!

To any of my loyal oil paint ‘students’, do not worry - I’m not giving it all up for relief printing… I am merely interested in being able to pepper my future craft vending booth with small cards, patches, and prints that people can afford on a whim as they’re (hopefully) getting more acquainted with my paintings.

If you would like to help support my blog, purchase any art supplies through my special links - thank you!!

Blick Art Store

Here are all the supplies I used:

Lino Cutter Set with Handle

Grey Printing Block

Baren

Brayer

Caligo Washable Relief Ink

Inking Plate

'Block Printing Magic' Book

And this is a handy little relief printing starter kit you may enjoy instead of purchasing piece by piece

Happy printing!

8.5.2023

What's in YOUR Studio??

Aloha artists! Today I want to hear from you!!

I am about to move to my *forever home* of Chattanooga with my fiance - yay!! - and I would love your help setting up my new art studio. Now this house will be a rental.. but hopefully it's the last one until we buy land and actually build our own home, so I wanna make this space great for the time being!

Please leave me a comment below on some of the pros and cons of your own art studio, such as: what about your setup do you love? what do you wish to change? are there any items/storage hacks that you can't live without? are there any useful things/arrangements you use to help productivity?

My goal is to get you folks sharing ideas here with me (as well as on my Instagram @caleighbirdart and newsletter) so that I can setup an awesome new studio and share y'all's best tips with each other! This could be an explosion of great ideas for us all to share!!

It will be a few weeks til I move in, and then a few more after that to setup, but I'm hoping to have a 'results' video for you in September - stay tuned!

Thanks for contributing!!

7.23.2023

Travel Art Studio + Supplies

Do you like to bring art supplies when you travel? I love to create little works of art while on the road (or over the ocean!) to help commemorate my adventures and really cement them in my mind.

Today I want to share my compacted art supplies and how I set them up while out and about in the world, taking inspiration from all that's around me. I'm sharing what I bring, how I setup and record, and what my experience with bringing these art supplies through TSA has been.

Don't let distance from your home studio prevent you from making great art! There are only a few items that you'll be able to find or borrow wherever you land that will help complete an efficient studio space:)

My Art Supplies:

(some of these are affiliate links which help to support this channel at no extra cost to you - thank you!)

Himi Gouache

Tiny Gouache Sketchbook

Princeton Size 1 Round Brush

Da Vinci Size 2 Round Brush

Map Eraser

Washi Tape

Rechargeable Clamp Light

Phone Mount Articulating Arm

And thanks to the folks who submitted their own list of travel art supplies to be included in the video! I often ask my viewers for input thru Instagram Stories, so if you haven’t already, find me there!

7.2.2023

Do you pack travel art supplies?

Being able to pull up and open the hatch to paradise is one of the best reasons to take art supplies on the road (or thru the skies then over the road😆).

Since returning home from Hawai’i I’m working on a video for my YouTube channel about the minimal art supplies I pack to be able to create no matter where I end up. 🛖🏕️🌃🌋🏝️🏛️

🚞💺🎨 I would like to include a small segment on what other artists feel they cannot live without while traveling. Are there any art supplies you always pack with you?

👇👇let me know in the comments below and your answer may just be featured in my upcoming YouTube video!

Costa Rica Art + Travel

Oh my goodness, just as I’m taking off for another season in Hawai’i I finally have my splendoriffic Costa Rica travel vlog finished! It’s all I can do to keep up with adventures XD

My partner Alan and I spent 2 weeks traveling Costa Rica, mainly in the tiny town of Bahia Drake, where we saw soooo much wildlife we were literally blown away! When you read that Costa Rica has 5% of the world’s species, it’s an astounding figure considering just how small the country is. But when you are there that number is so tangible and awe-inspiring to be in the presence of wildlife constantly!

Here are the four tiny gouaches I created in my homemade zigzag sketchbook from some of our most favorite spots in Drake Bay. Our trip down the Sierpe River truly was an epic way to experience such a lovely, friendly, eco-minded nation!

The first painting at the top is from an amazing coastline hike we did a few times.. that view is not even an exaggeration - the jungle hike was RIGHT next to the tropical beach - I’ve never seen anything like it!

This second painting is of a bright toucan that visited the tree branch super close to the bungalow we stayed in at Bahia Drake. We saw another one on our fist hike as well, but that one was much more elusive.

This is the waterfall we hiked to on our first day. Alan’s first jungle hike was an absolute blast!

Ans finally, our fave happy hour spot with a treetop view and a pair of macaws flying by. We learned they mate for life so felt quite an affinity for them whenever we would hear or see them ;)

And this last gouache I made for Alan’s birthday of one of the beloved Scarlett Macaw couples we saw fly overhead so many times.

4.23.2023

Giant Trolls Spotted at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens!

I thought my recent visit to the Atlanta Botanical Gardens was special enough with the spectacular orchid show going on currently, but little did I know there was an entire world of whimsy to behold outside!

Sculpture artist, Thomas Dambo is becoming world renowned for his cheerful and thought-provoking large scale trolls made out of recycled wood. You can even see all the places his huge trolls are ‘living’ throughout the world in a fun interactive map, aptly named the Troll Map.

Right now there is an instillation of six trolls sprinkled throughout the walking paths of the botanical gardens, and my partner Alan and I had a truly fantastic time enjoying one of the first days of spring and happening upon them during our stroll. This one even had his hand out ready to make friends!

“Trolls: Save the Humans blends art, nature and messages of sustainability in a unique outdoor art installation. ”

— Atl Botanical Gardens Website

Dambo’s message is ultimately that trolls live for thousands of years and can see that the way many humans live cannot be sustained by the natural world long-term, so they have appeared bringing gentle reminders to treat the natural world a little more kindly… certainly a message we can all get behind! Read more about how he’s doing that here.

I really don’t know anything about Dambo’s building process other then the recycled material aspect. I assume he’s got a team helping out, and you can tell the faces and hands in particular are tightly and skillfully designed with so much dimension and personality!

Like this not-so-little fellow was supposed to be building a little garden maze out of a bucket of found pebbles (which are like hundred pound rocks to us). This pic was taken from an elevated walkway, and I just really adore the relaxed pose and the way he’s looking up with that casual smile as if we did just happen upon a sentient being doing an activity he loves. The attention to detail is really remarkable!

Now this next one hangin bird houses is not my photo. The light was hitting him in such a way that I couldn’t get a good one, but I wanted to share him anyway because I just LOVE the idea of them reaching up high to make sure the birds have a happy safe lil nest!

He was actually more in the trees than that pic shows and there were little bird houses hanging in a bunch of them surrounding him.

The last one may have been my favorite just because it plays with the Human Scale of Art that I teach my kiddos so well. The introduction of the Smart Car really just ties it into our ‘real’ world so nicely, and will never let me look at those cars the same way again!

I mean just look at how those bodies are crafted. The way the leg bends over and the positioning of the supportive arm - the proportions really check out!

Alan and I were actually lucky enough to make the acquaintence of another Dambo Troll at a super fun music fest, Hulaween 2022 (notice the costumes!), that we were even allowed to climb all over!

Hulaween is such a unique event full of dozens of interactive large scale sculptures, projections, sand castles, and lazer light shows - truly living art!

Ha! And last but not least.. I had almost forgotten about this adorable scene I fortunately captured at just the right moment.

3.26.2023