Blog

I walked into my studio and told myself that I wasn't going to take [the above painting] off the easel until I had a title. And then the title came to me! [...]

Doctors practice medicine, lawyers practice law, musicians practice their instruments... and watercolor artists practice their painting skills! [...]

Come along, and I'll take you step-by-step through my process in creating the above painting (which includes a video demonstration!). [...]

What do escape routes have to do with art? Find out as I discuss what I call "escape routes" as a compositional element in watercolor painting. [...]

When an artist asks me to critique a painting, one of the first things I do is convert their image to black and white. Why? Because in my opinion, getting the values right is foundational to creating a good painting. [...]

I've been painting a lot of small faces lately — because it's fun, good practice, and because I am such a slow painter these can be completed quickly by comparison! — follow along as I explain my watercolor process. [...]

When my painting is all but finished - when I feel that the values are right and the essence of the subject has been captured- I pull out my lifting tools and get to work on creating tiny lights in strategic areas. [...]

Most artists are solitary creatures. We spend a lot of time alone in our studios immersed in the hard work of creating and experimenting. We fine-tune our skills in isolation. We have good days (success and productivity!) and bad days (when nothing seems to work). [...]

Artists paint portraits for a myriad of reasons: It might be a commission, an upcoming show, to learn a new technique, remember a loved one, or just for fun (like Portrait of a Dachshund)! [...]

An artist pays attention to details that others may overlook. [...]

Sometimes it takes a few tries to get something right. Can you relate? Allow me to take you through the ups and downs of creating the above watercolor painting, "It's a Long Story." [...]

Do you ever have one of those days - or weeks - where nothing seems to work out the way you planned? It can be frustrating, even though we know from experience that "this too will pass." Last week I was working on several small watercolor portraits... [...]

I was asked to write about painting hair. I'm not referring to the technique that a hair stylist might use for the current hair painting trends (I was clueless until I googled it - I had no idea!), but my watercolor-on-paper technique for portraits. Painting hair can be challenging for an artist. There are so many ... hairs! [...]

I thought it would be fun, and dramatic, to paint the shadows cast on my son's sunlit face. It wasn’t long before I was wondering what I had gotten myself into! [...]

Take a moment to look back to a decade ago and compare it to where you are now. Not the obvious technological or societal changes, but you personally - your style: how you dress, apply makeup (or don't), wear your hair, decorate or furnish your home, spend your free time. Or make art. [...]

A reader asked me to provide insight on the topic of shadows on sunlit skin, specifically in regard to my painting Under the Noonday Sun. She asked, "How do you decide where to put them or is it just intuitive?" [...]

Continuing the Backgrounds Should Never Be an Afterthought theme, today I will take you through a more advanced version of my intuitive process.   Something out of Nothing. I began this piece with a beautiful reference photo of Taylor against a blank wall. I had ideas for the background, so I cropped the photo leaving room to develop that empty space.     Intuitive Backgrounds.* I always begin my portrait paintings with a triad of very watery shades of yellow, rose and blue (about 10% value). I also begin painting outside the lines in order to incorporate the background from the start. It makes no difference what color [...]

A casual photo of my husband enjoying his coffee at a local diner inspired Morning Mike. The unusual and challenging composition appealed to me, as I'm always pushing myself to go beyond my usual portraits.   Today I'd like to take you through my process in creating this piece.   August 12, 2021. As always, I used a black and white reference photo, freeing me up to be creative with my color choices. After transferring the image to a prepared sheet of Arches 300 lb hot press paper, I used pushpins to secure the paper to a lightweight wooden board.*   With my size 16 Kolinsky sable round [...]

Would you like to loosen up your painting style and be more interpretive with your art? Is your goal is to create a piece of art that is uniquely yours? The first step is to find appropriate source material, which was discussed in last month's blog, Painting from Photographs: Intent.   Once you have a good reference photo and a clear idea of what you would like to express in your painting, it's time to put brush to paper!   Where to begin? Always keep your objective in mind. It may be helpful to jot down the title, message or mood you'd like to convey. Ask [...]

How do you choose source material for your next painting? Whether you work from life or from photographs, the first step in a successful painting is determining the subject matter, and in turn, planning your composition. [...]

A bit of my thought process in the making of a watercolor portrait revealed . [...]

Beginning Thoughts. Whenever I begin a watercolor portrait, I have a few ideas on where I'm going with it, but mostly I let it evolve layer-by-layer. I loved the playful expression on Taylor's face in this photo. I knew I wanted to create a fun piece, and I knew I wanted to incorporate some branches in the background.   Below, I've outlined a simplified step-by-step progression. The actual time required to complete this painting was far greater than this brief tutorial suggests!   The first wash. I began, as usual, with a very light wash of quinacridone gold, quinacridone rose, and peacock blue, randomly changing colors as [...]

Have you ever created a painting that you felt was "good" but not "great"?  Occasionally I have a watercolor painting that seems like it's finished, but there's just something it still needs...and I'm not sure what. When I get to that point in a painting, I know it's time to set the piece aside for a few days, or even a few weeks. I put it out of sight but not out of mind. My painting (Korea Veteran, above) from 2016 is a perfect example of this. Let me explain.   First, I'd like to apologize for the poor-quality cell phone photo (above). [...]

As I was thinking about how to go about answering that perplexing question, I thought I would take you through some of the steps, both mental and physical, that bring me to the conclusion that a painting is finished. Using the above original watercolor painting of my mom, I will attempt to provide the stepping-stones that brought me to the realization that this piece had indeed reached completion.   My plan: I've been wanting to paint my mother again...for sentimental reasons, I suppose, to recall happy times when I would visit her at our family home in Michigan. I wanted it to be [...]

The watercolor portrait of my son, "All in a Day's Work" was discussed in an earlier blog where I shared some ideas on how to self-critique a work-in-progress. I'd like to walk you through the steps that were taken in working this piece to completion. [...]

You have a great photograph that you've chosen to use as a reference for a painting; unfortunately, there are areas where the image is very dark and it's difficult to see details. What to do? [...]

Surrender control? Have you noticed this recurring theme in my writings? You may already have figured out that I am a bit of a control freak. Even in my art, I find it very difficult to avoid being attached to an imagined outcome. But I am getting better at letting things just happen! [...]

Do you find yourself in a hurry to finish a painting? Why? Is it because you need something new to post on Instagram or Facebook? Or is it because you are tired of working on it and just want to be done? Have you given up hope that it will turn out to be a decent piece of artwork? Do you have a deadline for a commission? (Ok, that last one is legitimate.)   I suggest that you take a deep breath, slow down, and enjoy the process. You've heard me say this before: If you don't know what to do, don't do [...]

Watercolor painting for me started out as something to fill a void in my life during a time of loss and change. During the ten years I have been painting, I've lost some very dear people in my life, as well as a beloved pet. Painting my loved ones is a form of therapy for me. A way to remember them, think about them, spend time with them. [...]