Happy Thanksgiving 2022!

I hope you all have had the pleasure of great food with people you love this week! I got to do two wonderful first time things with my Turkey Day this year!

I started out the day by run/walking in my very first 5k (or anything similar) at the Marietta, GA ‘Gobble Jog’ with my partner Alan and our friend Justin. This was the jog’s 20th year and practically the whole town comes out for it, some even in turkey themed headgear and costumes!

The run benefits a really comprehensive homeless shelter/resource center so it felt really special to start a day of gratitude by helping others. Plus burning some extra calories before a day of edible extravagance seems like a wise move - ha!

When we reached the finish line they happened to be playing ‘Shake Senora’ by Harry Belafonte so of course we had to dance our way across!

Then we went back to Alan’s house to prepare for Thanksgiving at his brother’s house - my first one with his family!! Yayy!

I made pumpkin pie and whipped cream totally from scratch; I even pureed a real pumpkin and made a wheat-free crust too! While cooking up all these delectables I had a great time sharing the kitchen with Alan’s daughter, Maris, who made an excellent casserole and artichoke dip - her first time contributing to Thanksgiving dinner, how sweet!

However, I’m slightly kicking myself because I totally forgot to get any pics with Alan’s family, but trust me, the spread was as marvelous as the company!

Happy Thanksgiving folks! I am so grateful for your care and attention on my art journey every single day - sending lots of love!! :):):)

11.25.2022

Testing New Oil Paints :: Paul Rubens Art

I was recently asked to review a set of oil paints from a relatively new art company, Paul Rubens Art. I had never heard of them, and I’m assuming you probably hadn’t either, so I was excited to test them out for both of us and see how well they stand up to some of the more familiar brands I have in my paint box.

Upon first opening the set of 18 colors I was pleasantly surprised to see the actual paint swatches on the tubes. That’s usually a sign of real care taken when preparing the paints because the label is not generalizing the color, instead it’s showing a sample of that specific batch, making it all the more accurate when choosing what paint to buy or use.

You can watch the initial unboxing here…

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Large bright tubes of fresh oil paint sure are inviting! Now let’s bust them open and see how they fare…

First Impressions..

First impressions are that they are very uniform in consistency and texture. Often oil paints vary in consistency due to the variety of minerals and their chemical makeups represented in different colors. Usually artists simply make up for the inconsistencies by using a medium such as linseed or walnut oil to get the paint to their own preferred thickness as they mix their colors.

I have used quality brands before though that were more consistent in their viscosity that I believe was just accounted and adjusted for during the manufacturing process to be more easily used and mixed by the artist right out of the tube. One of my all time favorite brands literally never needs medium mix in it.

In a nutshell, consistent viscosity could be a positive or a negative, depending on how ‘oiled out’ the pigment is in order to reach the desired flow right from the tube, as well as the preference of each artist. Some artists like more control and others just like to be able to mix effortlessly without needing to work the pigment.

Now getting into them..

The Cadmium Red and Lemon Yellow both had a very smooth flow and were easily spreadable with good opacity on the canvas.

The Permanent Purple was a little dark right off the bat, but adding varying degrees of Titanium White produced nicely sumptuous tones, which is a plus considering how difficult purple can be to make by mixing red and blue (oddly way harder than you’d think, to those who haven’t tried it!).

I would also say that the brightness and the ease with which the various paints mixed was very appealing - they are like painting with something you might find in Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory! The red and yellow mixed well into a vivid orange, and I was able to make some nice ombre transitions quite easily with those and from the Cad Red to a Yellow Green.

Now for the real test!

Next I decided to test the Paul Rubens sets against some of the brands I have in my arsenal that are a bit pricier and probably more familiar to you to see how they hold up. Most of them actually did quite well and had no noticeable discrepancies!

The only con I found was that a few of the colors, like the Cadmium Blue and Burnt Umber, were a little less intense pigment wise. They came out of the tube in vivid colors, but did not exhibit quite full capacity when spread over the canvas. As I tried to lay on a substantial layer, the brush would scrape away the paint and reveal the white of the canvas coming through a bit. If you are someone who paints with a really thick application then this would likely not be an issue for you but for someone like me who tends to blend relatively thin layers, I would feel the need for an underpainting.

I would also say that as a person who paints people quite often, I would also like to see at least one more brown in the collection. I most often use ochre yellow, burnt sienna and raw umber. This set has a good Ochre Yellow, but the Burnt Umber fell a little flat for me. I think having both a raw umber and burnt sienna is important because then you have both a warm dark brown as well as a cool dark brown that are both seen often in skin tones. But of course no paint set will have every single color an artist wants, so it doesn’t necessarily make a set undesirable that you may need to add a few colors once you figure out exactly what you need, just like when you become better at anything and learn how the equipment works more precisely and what benefits your personal skills the best.

Otherwise, I think it’s a pretty good spread of colors. Especially if you are interested in painting landscapes or nature scenes of any kind as there are a lot of blue and green hues especially.

So would I recommend this set??

I honestly think as a beginner set it’s quite good, especially for the price. Paul Rubens paints are vivid and there is enough variety that a new oil painter would be able to render many different subjects before needing to make their collection more robust. Some students get all flummoxed up with how much medium to use and since these are quite smooth already a newbie wouldn’t really have to worry about adding any themselves. They do feel better quality than some of the ‘student grade’ oil paints I’ve sadly experienced in my youth, and if a student brought this set into one of my ‘Introduction to Oil Painting’ classes I would be just fine with them using these all semester.

As far as for professionals, I think a few of the pigments would be noticeably different than pricier, more established brands. But honestly, advanced artists don’t really tend to buy sets of paint because they know exactly which colors they need and are usually just replacing single tubes when they go to the art store.

Paul Rubens has so generously shared with you….

Here is the link for Paul Rubens oil paints on Amazon. They are actually having a Black Friday Sale this weekend starting today (Thursday) and going until Monday Nov 28th where this set is a whopping 20% off! Not bad for perhaps an Xmas gift for that young artist you know who is dying to try oils but doesn’t know where to start (goes great with my ‘Complete Guide to Oil Painting’ video series too!)

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I have been compensated for this review but the product link is not an affiliate link. Hope you learned a lot today! Happy holidays!

11.24.2022

Audience Choice Winners :: Autumn Paintings in Gouache

Yayy I’m so excited to be sharing the Audience Choice Autumn Paintings winners with you today! Sooo many folks chimed in to vote here, through my newsletter, and on Instagram and YouTube - I was truly floored!

I have been really feeing the cozy, colorful fall vibes hard this year and I think you all chose two photos that exemplify that superbly!

So without further adieu, the winners are…

If you’re not already, subscribe to my YouTube channel while you’re up there and/or make sure you are following along on my Instagram because I will certainly be doing ‘audience choice’ artwork again since I got such a huge response from this one!

Here are the winning photos:

And here are the final paintings! Yay!

They are actually bigger here than in my sketchbook, kind of fun to see all that detail up close!

Thanks again everyone who contributed! Y’all gave a great response and I can’t wait til the next go round! Happy Autumn!

11.23.2022

Sneak Peek at the Autumn Painting Winners...

Ugh it’s so hard not to share progress shots of this first tiny autumn landscape! 😬😆🥹😋 So I decided just to tease this extreme closeup of one corner of it finished.. but maybe it’s not super obvious which one it is?? 🫣🤫🍂🍂

A big thank you to all who voted!! I’m literally having so much fun trying to paint these the best I can so y’all will be psyched to help choose my art in the future too!

I think this one has turned out great! You like the little multicolored trees on the muddy shore? It’s a lot of tiny specifically directional brushstrokes that help the textures look so different 🙌🤎🧡💛💚💙

Now if you just simply cannot wait until next week to see the finished paintings on my YouTube channel, then make sure to subscribe to my newsletter (and check your inbox this afternoon if you already are!) because I’m showing this piece to those folks today as a special treat, just ‘cause I like to share art there first with my biggest supporters

Ask an Artist 10 :: College Student Edition

Whether or not you're going or have been to art college, many new artists have the same general questions so today I wanted to answer three that my own students have asked me regularly over my first two years of teaching at a collegiate level. It has felt really good to be able to impart a little solid advice onto the bright young minds I have the pleasure of being around weekly, and I wanted to pass just a few gems onto you that can apply to pretty much anyone seeking a creative career path.

If you find some insight today, check out the full 'Ask an Artist' playlist for all kinds of simple yet actionable advice going all the way back to my days in Hawai'i.

Top Three Questions My College Students Ask..

1. Do I have to invest in fine art materials or is it ok to just buy the student (or big box) grade? Honestly, unless you have read really great reviews otherwise, you should avoid the cheap super low grade/ big box brand art supplies. They are so poorly made (think low pigment, scratchy chalk or charcoal/ plastic-y pencils, etc) that they literally hinder your ability to make quality artwork. And if you are able to pull something decent out of them - you would have certainly done better with better supplies. Art supplies you purchase in college or early on can sometimes last you a long time so better to spend a little bit more on some medium-low brands than than the bottom of the barrel.

2. What should I do first once I graduate? If you can possibley set up something in a creative career before having graduated, then awesome! But that certainly is not the case for all, soo.. before all else, just make sure you have a job that covers your bare bills (even if it’s not in the ‘arts field’ of your dreams yet) in no more than about 30 hours a week so you still have the time and energy to pursue artistic ventures in town and online that will put you closer to your ultimate goals. Don’t worry if a job (or even volunteer position) in the arts is too small when starting off, just do you very best and opportunities will grow!

3. What’s the best general advice for getting clients or employment as a professional artist? You need to be not only skilled as an artist, but skilled as people-person. Enthusiasm counts!! You need to show your clients that you share their vision and can’t wait to work on their commission. You need to show your boss that you are excited about the next big project and can’t wait to brainstorm ideas and show up with all your best work. And definitely, always have your work finished on time, on budget, and on point. Let the folks around you see that you are not only a highly trained artist, but are fun easy, and enjoyable to work with, and you will be practically guaranteed enough work to keep you full!

11.6.2022

Choose My Next Paintings - YOU Decide!

Hey artists, want to have input on some beautiful autumn paintings for me to create??

⚡️For the next 24 hours I am running a poll where YOU get to decide the two autumn paintings I paint in gouache in my new sketchbook. I took these photos on a recent hike here in Tennessee and the colors were just so glowing in each one I'm having a hard time choosing myself which ones to recreate🍂

I’m running the poll on YouTube (on my Community Tab) and Instagram (in my Stories and Reels), but you can also vote just by commenting on this blog post below - whichever way you prefer!

Your choices are…

Now vote below and tune into my Mid November YouTube video to see which two pictures got turned into gouache landscapes in my supa cute new blue sketchbook! Yay!

Yay, thanks! I can’t wait to see what y’all decide!

11.5.2022

3D Skull Reliquary Trio

It's certainly that 'dead but lively' time of year.. but who am I kidding? Every time of year is perfect for skull painting!!

Do you remember the Skull Trio I created back in 2020?

Well I had a blast creating them and obviously you all enjoyed them too because all three of them sold immediately and I sold a bunch of prints as well. Folks are still taking the Skillshare workshop I created sharing how to paint them too!

So in the spooky season spirit, I'm bringing back a favorite theme…

This series of skulls is quite different from the last one for a few reasons. Firstly they are much brighter in color. They come in three different sizes and positions, and they are painted in a diamond orientation rather than square. ( I feel like these ones are almost friendlier too in some way... or maybe that's just me being a weirdo - ha!)

The new skulls still have a great variety of dead things and dried plants, and of course, that lovely sparkly gold leaf within the acrylic resin. The 'expressions' on them definitely get a bit lively too.

After I finished filming this video I came up with the idea of calling these 3D bone depictions a 'Reliquary' series. If you're not familiar with the term, a reliquary is a fancy container for holding a relic (which is a physical piece of a holy person or saint). Even though these don't represent actual saints or what not from any religion, I still like the idea of conceptualizing the bones as special, holy, or sacred.

This is the smallest at 6” square and includes a stink bug exoskeleton, real dries plants and flowers and gold leaf flecks.

This is the middle size one measuring 8” square and includes real butterfly wings and plenty of dried plants and just a hint of gold leaf.

And the biggest one measures 10” square, has a stink bug, wasp, and a lizard skeleton. He’s got dried petals and leaves and features holographic rainbows beaming from the top of the skull. I think of this one as almost like a smiling deity :)

For a limited time…

I have prints available of this skull set as well as the last skull set from 2020. Each high quality giclee print will be hand embellished with gold leaf, and be signed and numbered. I even wrap them in acetate with cardboard so they are ready to display right out of the package.

PS Do you love my Halloween costume this year??? Ha!

10.18.2022

Drawing From My First Pregnant Model

What a treat beyond treats to be able to draw the female form during one of its most glorious and transformative times!

Our lovely model-with-child Luna actually came in for three of my anatomy classes and I was sure to let my students know what a special, possibly once in a lifetime, opportunity this was. We all really enjoyed creating beautiful, soft, curvilinear works on those days.

This first one was when Luna was five months pregnant…

And these other three were when she was fully seven months along - wow!

I wish we could have Luna and her tiny miracle back again, but alas she has moved out of the state. I feel so fortunate to have had her come in and I really hope I am afforded such a special opportunity again one day!

Here are a few of my students’ drawings too. Some of these are from folks who have only had a few weeks of figure drawing practice.. aren’t they so skilled?!??

10.15.2022

Anatomical Skull Glow Up

Do you remember that trio of skulls I did a while back? They were some of my most popular prints n paintings and I really loved creating them, so I’ve often kicked around the idea of making more.

Somewhat spontaneously I acquired an anatomical skull just slightly smaller than in real life to use as a reference for more skull paintings. The material and accuracy was great, but I wasn’t really a fan of the color.

So I decided to give a glow up by actually making it look much older - ha!

I wanted the skull to have that antiquated, slightly mildewing, authentic bone aesthetic to try and mimic the real deal. It was my first time trying to age an object like that and it actually turned out better than I was expecting - Yay!

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First I plugged up the sockets with cotton balls so they wouldn’t get too light colored inside. Then I sprayed a nice double layer of white primer, which was perfect for adhering the acrylic paint with a sponge.

It was a remarkably easy process and only took about 90 minutes - super fun and satisfying!

What an improvement, don’tcha think?!?

Before…

After

Stayed tuned for some more skull paintings coming soon, just in time for spooky season! Take a peek at the preparatory drawings for now 🙌

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10.9.2022

How to NOT be a Starving Artist

When you think of someone as a “real artist” you probably conjure up images of the woefully-tortured-for-their-craft “starving artist” and think that even if you ‘make it’ professionally, you probably won’t necessarily be making it financially.

But that is simply not the case if you learn to live your life the right way, frugally but fruitfully :D

10 Ways Not to be a Starving Artist

1. Don’t quit your day job/ side gig/ work hustle… (at least not yet!). Make sure you can definitely pay your necessities and eat every month or you will stress yourself out of artistic motivation - and maybe even your financial stability. It’s not good to worry constantly, and honestly doing so will help you account for your time better too because it will be more valuable.

2. Cook at home + workout for free = stay healthy and out of the doctor’s office as much as possible. It is unreal how much eating out and getting gourmet coffee and paying for gym memberships and medical treatments can really add up over a month. Try to pay utmost attention to expenses that are reoccurring and unavoidable, like health and food, to make them less costly as well as more nutritious for yourself. Remember, it always cheaper and easier to prevent rather than treat any condition, so do your best to stay on top of your good health your wallet by preparing balanced meals at home, and try working out at home or in a local park as well.

3. Budget your money. Figure out ways that you can reuse items, buy used to begin with, make your own, and just plain do without various nonessentials in your life. Keep debts low, resist impulse buys and shopping as a hobby, and try tracking your money very closely for at least a few months to see where your money pitfalls pop up. Realize that following your dream of being a successful artist is worth far more than anything you can own.

4. Budget your time. Don’t give away your most valuable resource for free. Make sure you are keeping track of where your time is spent and don’t let anyone (not even your besties and family) interrupt your creative work time because that is the one thing you can never get more of and is essential for growing as an artist. Learn to use a planner and say ‘no’ to situations that may be a time suck that won’t pay you your true worth.

5. Use supplies wisely. Get the most out of all your paints and paper and markers and glue. Don’t be wasteful (or buy stuff you won’t use) and you will save a ton of money as well as help the planet. You can also learn to source supplies from other places than brand new from the art supply store. Let folks know around you know that you are more than happy to take on old art supplies, look around college campuses at the end of a semester for art supplies getting tossed, gesso your old canvases of practice works to be repainted on.. the list goes on and on.

6. No frivolous purchases. Don’t get suckered into impulse buys for art supplies, or really for anything else if you can help it. Even little $5 purchases here and there really add up. A good rule of thumb is generally not to buy new things unless you are replacing something that is all used up. It’s not going to happen over night if you are used to buying random things often, but owning less stuff will make you happier and more clear-minded, more financially stable, and more creative in ways you could have never dreamed.

7. Cancel excess subscriptions. Trust me, you don’t need to be watching a ton of TV anyway, only keep like your fave one or two streaming apps and toss the rest. Get rid of any reoccurring monthly or quarterly automatic purchases like theme or art boxes. They are super wasteful in literally every sense of the word. See if anything else you get delivered automatically isn’t piling up and can be paused or just stopped all together.

8. Find local free events and openings. I am someone who fully believes that there are interesting and fun things happening within 30 minutes of practically everywhere in this country. Put your finger on the pulse of city or town wide events, art openings, street fairs, cultural events.. there are so many fun lil happenings constantly going on if you just pay attention! Some visiting exhibits or events that cost more will often take volunteers to help out in order to see it then and usually get your own tickets for another day.

9. Learn to barter. You can trade soooo much for your original artwork! Local restaurants may trade meals or a bar tab, fellow artists will trade just for fun or for gifts for others, and certainly folks who offer services like bodywork or classes love to trade their knowledge and skills.

10. You need to have a positive mindset. Be happy to live within your means and without excess. Be thrilled to reuse, fix, or buy used many of your household objects. Realize that expensive brand names that are only sought after due to recognizability and hype rather than for actual quality are truly empty possessions and not worth wasting money on. Be literally ecstatic to find low cost and creative alternatives to so many of life’s desires and expenses. Learn to love frugality!

10.9.2022