My Creative Side
New watercolour and mixed-media art projects and inspiration for FREE.
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Creative Warm Up - Shape Party
We all need to warm up sometimes, especially when we sit at the table with all our supplies and we don’t know how to get started. This is my favourite painting and mark making exercise to get my ideas flowing…or to just play around.
Paint The Things You Find Difficult To Paint
The best advice I got from an art class was, If you find someone difficult to paint, paint it over and over again until it’s not hard anymore.
Art Project - Mountain Road
I came up with Mountain Road for my Summer Art Camp and this one was a challenge for the kids. In order to make it look 3D, you you just have to remember to continue your mountain from the outer edge of the road, not a continuation of the mountain lines.
Drawing Prompt - Pathway
A pathway sends your viewer’s eyes on a journey, so I would suggest painting or drawing this picture with an additional point of interest…or keep them guessing as to where the pathway leads.
Creative Game - Chalk Board Game
Life-Sized Chalk Board Games was a very fun idea for the kids - once they got going, the ideas started flowing. In this game, the kids create their own game where they are the pawns.
Why is a Sketchbook Practice Important?
My sketchbook practice didn’t start until the spring of 2023, when I understood that art is important for me. I need to it every day because it brings me so much joy and peace. A little book with blank pages can do so much for your art practice.
How To Use Watercolours - An Abstract Landscape
Due to the popularity of my abstract landscape paintings on social media, I thought I would create a video of how I do it.
How To Use Watercolours - Metal Surface
I don’t often paint metal surfaces, but when I do, it’s all about the highlights and shadows. Grab a scrap piece of watercolour paper or two and give this a try.
Drawing Prompt - Clouds
There’s an art to painting or drawing clouds. They seem like they should be easy, and they are if you’re going for those fun cartoony clouds, but I think the hardest part is creating something fluffy and dimensional with a few shades of a colour.
Art Project - Wildflower Pollinator
Wildflower Pollinator was created for my 10-12 year old art class who really wanted to paint flowers. It’s something I love to paint so I jumped on the chance. My style of teaching is to show a little and allow them to create their own art because I find kids have such amazing imaginations and I want them to explore their ideas.
How much time should I spend on my art?
I had a hard time with this question when I was younger. I used to think I had to work on a piece of art for weeks or months…sometimes years. I wanted to work for hours and hours, through the night even, because that sounded so romantic.
Drawing Prompt - Canoe
This photograph reminds me of Loon Lake, which is a place we love to camp at in the spring. Draw this photograph using just a pencil, marker, or try getting the paints out.
Art Project - Oh Greenhouse
Inspired by artwork by Oamul Lu, a fantastic artist that you should look up, I created this Oh Greenhouse art project for an adult art class of mine. I wanted to try the masking fluid I had just purchased to help shape the greenhouse framing. It’s also a cool way to show contrast, between the inside and the outside of the greenhouse.
How To Use Watercolours - Plants and Leaves
When I paint leaves and plants, I let the paint brush do most of the work. The technique is simple, once you get used to it.
Drawing Prompt - House In The Mountains On The Water
This photograph has all the elements I love to paint from - water, a house, tree, and mountains. If you find this too overwhelming, try just drawing or painting the house and a couple trees or just the mountains and sky. Only paint what you’re drawn to.
Art Project - What’s in the Frame?
What’s In The Frame? was designed after I took a picture of downtown Fernie with these trees framing the buildings in the background. The trees were darker, and ominous, while the town was bright and welcoming. How you frame a painting can send the viewers eyes right where you want them to and tells a greater story.
Art Project - The Curious Whale
The Curious Whale was created for my kids’ art classes soon after I worked on another whale project. It’s about a curious whale swimming up to the surface of the ocean to find out what is floating on the water.
Art Project - My Moth
My Moth is my kind of moth. I love to create my own patterns and colour combinations inspired by real objects, animals, or plant life. There are no rules in art. This one is fairly simple or you could be inspired to create a more complicated piece of art - the options are endless.
Observational Drawing Practice
Do you want to get better at seeing? Seeing is when you actually look at an object so closely, you understand all the contours, shapes, shadows, and textures that you wouldn’t see without a little training.
A Private Art Lesson in Fernie
I feel quite touched when asked to lead a private art lesson, especially with people who don’t even know me. They are putting a lot of trust in me. I always aim to offer a calm and supportive evening of art to those who are brave enough to give it a try and hope they come out of it with a bit of inspiration to keep going.