Watercolor – A Direct Approach

Just when I think I’m getting the hang of watercolors… just when I’m starting to feel a bit more at … More

Buckle Up!

Yes, folks, this is my promised rant about watercolor paper. Now that I’ve been playing around with my watercolors for … More

So What Do I Do With It Now?

I had fun one evening while my husband worked on painting the walls of my studio. As he rolled paint, … More

What Went Wrong? – Part 2

Before I recount my tale of woe and share the steps I took from hopeful start to disastrous finish of … More

It Really Is a Face

After finishing up my still life, I had a little time left for painting, so I turned again to Frans … More

Making Something from Nothing

Where art is concerned, some days I probably should not get out of bed. That was how I was feeling … More

Conceptual Landscape Art – Part 2

Artists often speak of the “ugly stages” of a painting. For me, my paintings often go into that ugly stage … More

The Same — But Different

One of my favorite jokes as a child was one about two women discussing fashion. The first had just bought … More

A Bunch of Bad Apples

It’s said that it only takes one bad apple to spoil the bunch… and here I am with a whole … More

Dipping and Stippling Do NOT Mix

I’m counting this sorry-looking — and very blemished pear — as one of my cringe-worthy failures. It was an exercise in stippling … More

Why Are Eyelashes So Hard to Draw?

My Sketchtember plans — a graphite drawing each day — have changed a little bit. My first plan was to follow … More

Ink Dipping — A Catastrophic Failure

Yes, my new dip pens and nibs arrived. Yes, I got out my ink. Yes, I’ve been practicing. No, I … More

Developing New Skills – Cross Contour Lines

I love learning. It feels good to practice new drawing techniques and know that even if I’m not good at … More

Five Tone Shading

My morning drawing practice was interesting. Not too hard, but not too easy. It was centered around values — using … More

Just Cover the Canvas

Today has been a somewhat frustrating day as far as my art goes. Nothing has really worked out quite the … More

Basics Redux

Redux is not a word we hear often. To me, it’s an awkward word. It sounds funny, and exactly what does … More

Let’s Be Whacky!

First things first. Whacky is a less-common spelling of wacky. I’ve always used wacky instead of whacky, unless I’m talking about whacking somebody over the head (which … More

My Old Bugaboo

I love words, and among the words I love best is bugaboo. It’s a playful-sounding word; it’s light-hearted, and it makes … More

Starting Points

I’m approaching my paintings now in an experimental vein…and it’s proving to be interesting.

Look! Up in the Sky!

I’d love to hear from oil painters who can give me a bit of advice. How do you create those very fine lines in your paintings? What size brushes do you use? What tricks, tips, or techniques can you share to help me improve?