Nowadays we are finding that, all too often, life just feels overwhelming. The constant bombardment from all the different media competing for our attention raises our blood pressure. We often find ourselves assaulted by noise—whether from crowds, music, traffic, or building works—and, if you’re like me, you find yourself increasingly seeking the calm of aRead more ⟶
Tag: creativity
Boost your Brain: Gentle Ways to Spark your Creativity
There are days when painting comes naturally, but more often you sit down in front of your paints and the ideas simply don’t arrive. There’s always something else to do—run the vacuum round quickly, put a load of laundry on—anything to avoid having to make a decision and get started. We’ve all been there. IRead more ⟶
It’s a New World, but Are We Being Brave?
When fake looks real and real looks fake A YouTube viewer commented recently that she wished our videos were filmed face-to-camera because she likes to know that the people she’s watching are real people. As the lyrics of one of my favorite childhood songs state* – “The idea’s sound, but how will you lift itRead more ⟶
Why REAL ART Matters in an Artificial World…
…and why I’ll never fake my watercolors! We used to worry about copying other people’s work and whether that made our own work less authentic, but now we have something much bigger to worry about — telling the difference between an artist who’s creating a real painting, and a channel which creates the false illusionRead more ⟶
Ripening Creativity: The Art of Switching Styles
Gardening can teach many life lessons, perhaps especially the arts of timing and nurturing – and today I realised that trying to grow tomatoes in less-than-ideal weather has offered me a new perspective on creativity and the artistic journey. Imagine a garden where the tomatoes, heavy with promise, cling to the vine. The weather, however,Read more ⟶
Love at First Sight?
How I Fell in Love with Acrylic Markers Sometimes all we need to get our creativity fired up is for something new to happen. What happened for me a couple of weeks ago was receiving a package from Lightwish, which contained a set of acrylic markers. Coincidentally I’d just watched a Danny Gregory video whereRead more ⟶
Everything You Need for your Christmas Paintings in one place!
Seven Hours of Non-Stop Christmas Watercolor Tutorials – in just Two Videos! Our latest LOOONG video is now up for your enjoyment! Last week we collated eleven of our most popular and fun Christmas videos from previous years into one four hour long video for your convenience and enjoyment – and today we’re bringing youRead more ⟶
10 Reasons Not to Listen to Anyone Else
Why you shouldn’t listen to me! I spend quite a lot of time – probably too much – reading other artists’ blogs and transcripts to their videos (I rarely listen to them talking, they take up too much precious time and I can read quicker than I can listen!) And one thing I would likeRead more ⟶
How to Paint in Watercolor (part 3)
Here’s Part 1 in the series: How to Paint in Watercolor (part 1) Here’s Part 2 in the series: How to Paint in Watercolor (part 2) Let’s get started! So today’s the big day and we are going to start to paint in watercolor. Or maybe you are going to start again. It’s not unusualRead more ⟶
Are you a paint junkie?
I have too many materials. Too many paints to expect to ever be able to use them all up. And I don’t think I have anywhere near as many paints as many people if the studios I’ve seen online on YouTube are anything to go by. I sometimes wonder why I and others are seeminglyRead more ⟶
Watercolor Brush Sketching Explained
Watercolor brush sketching is a technique I’ve recently developed that involves creating quick, spontaneous, and expressive artworks using watercolors and brush pens of various types. It captures the essence and impression of a subject with loose brushwork and powerful line work. It’s minimal but strong on detail, and focuses on capturing the overall mood orRead more ⟶
Sea Biscuit Meditation
I found this Sea Biscuit on the beach in the Bahamas years ago and have carefully kept it with my collection of found shells. I didn’t know it was called a Sea Biscuit and thought it was a Sand Dollar, but they are actually quite similar. I decided to paint a meditative painting of them,Read more ⟶
Don’t watch this video!
Don’t watch this video if you are looking for slick polished content with not a second of breathing space between words! Don’t watch if you want to see a performance of dazzling skill, impressive mastery of a demanding medium over a tricky subject, or a humbling demonstration of nineteen different tricks you should have knownRead more ⟶
Why do we love to paint?
Most of us say these days that we paint for relaxation, don’t we. We used to talk about our hobbies, but nowadays you rarely hear that term used, as young people love to consider their mental health, their need to relax, the pressure of life and social media, and much much more. Long gone areRead more ⟶
Gelli Printing with Watercolor Paint
I have only recently discovered Gelli plates, and even more recently started to experiment with using them for creating backgrounds and images. The whole idea of gelli plates is widely covered on YouTube almost exclusively by artists using acrylic paints, maybe various acrylic inks and similar, but I soon discovered that doesn’t mean you can’tRead more ⟶
Exploring Watercolor Animals
Adding a bit of whimsical fun to your animal paintings is a great way to make them truly special. If you’re looking for a creative card or gift idea, try adding a few whimsical animals to your work. A delightful creature can really bring a painting to life and give it a unique feel. WhetherRead more ⟶
Let’s get Abstract!
We all need more time to relax in our lives nowadays and what better way than letting the paint flow and the brush glide across the watercolor paper? In this video I’m going to talk about how to create a simple abstract without stress. In fact, the whole process is pleasurable and relaxing. What’s notRead more ⟶
Easy Landscape for Beginners
This landscape is ideal for all beginners, and for anyone wanting to move from painting flowers and leaves into the slightly more challenging field of landscape. So let’s break all the rules – of composition, color theory, and technique – and paint a luminous, evocative landscape we would all love to live in! This landscapeRead more ⟶