Watercolor and Ink
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How to Draw Snowflakes on a Cozy Mug
I like having a variety of seasons, and I’m lucky enough to live in a part of the world that allows me to taste a touch of each season. This year, we are having a very winter kind of winter, much like the white winters I grew up with close to the snow belt. I think this is the first winter that rivaled my childhood winters since I moved away 20 years ago. If you’re like me, winter makes you want to hunker down, find a warm (preferably soft) blanket, and sip a hot drink. I search out and claim coziness, especially on the coldest, windiest days. But, let’s get…
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How to use Heart Drawings with a pun on a DIY Valentine
We are getting close to Valentine’s Day now. It’s the time to celebrate our special someone, but for me, it reminds me of my whole family, the laughter we share, a few sweets and a little together silliness plopped right in the middle of a cold, brown, possibly snowy winter. There are a couple of times a year when it’s absolutely necessary to get a little punny: Valentine’s Day and April Fools’ Day. Oh! And birthdays … and Father’s Day … and … okay, it’s just fun to get a little punny. We always need another laugh around here (even an eye roll and a groan will do). Yes, our…
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How to Paint a Watercolor Abstract for Thank You Cards
After a big holiday season like Christmas and New Year’s, this stationer starts thinking of Thank you cards. Just think of all of those gifts exchanged. I’m always grateful for the gifts, and I can usually say “Thank you” in person. But occasionally, I get an unexpected gift that warrants something extra. Or I just need to send a note of appreciation for all of those people who work so hard to help my kids grow up. I have numerous designs to pick from, but some of the designs feel a little feminine to send to the coach of a boys’ soccer team. The coaches I can think of wouldn’t…
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How to Paint a Recipe Card for Holiday Recipes
So, I have to admit something, just to get it out there. I have another passion … you know, more than art and design. I love food. There. I said it. I’m not a perfect cook because I don’t usually like to be confined by a recipe. It’s so hard to do what I’m told. Recipes are more like guidelines anyway … right? I do collect and use recipes, but I hardly ever cook without changing something on the list. It works for me. It’s kind of how I paint too, leaving the rules behind. Anyway, around the holidays, maybe you, like me, will find yourself with a new recipe…
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How to Draw a Christmas Tree with Watercolor and Calligraphy
Sometimes, these tutorials come together weeks ahead of time. And sometimes, they’re reinvented during the planning process. This one was both. I had a plan in October, I think, for a lovely Christmas tree tutorial. I really did like it. And I really did draw it. But it was also time-consuming. In this space, I try to keep the tutorials simple and non-threatening, so as I readied to record the process for you, I changed it. Completely. Welcome to the new Christmas tree drawing tutorial. I hope you enjoy it.
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3 Easy Christmas Drawings for Gift Tags
Hello, Christmas! Yes, it’s officially the acceptable time to celebrate and prepare for Christmas. No more “It’s too early grumbles allowed.” Our house is decked in fa la las ... since the day after Thanksgiving. Only a few things went up (ahem … were left out after photo shoots) before that. But in all honesty, I think most of November was spent creating designs and projects for Christmas. I don’t mind. It helps get me in the mood for the season. And it makes everyone a little more jolly when they start humming Christmas carols after they subconsciously hear me doing it. Where are you on the spectrum? Are you…
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Fall Drawing on Loose Watercolor
We’ll learn how to create a fall drawing on loose watercolor featuring a pumpkin in a cornfield. Use it as a backdrop for fall quotes or as the beginning of exploring more fall pumpkin drawings. It seems as though I have pumpkins on the brain this fall. I mean, I can hardly help myself. The ideas just keep coming. I blame it on the long and brilliantly colored fall we are having. The beauty is truly awe-inspiring. Yes! Too many fall ideas for tutorials and not enough fall to give them to you. So, we’ll go with another pumpkin drawing and give you one or two more fall ideas before…
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Fall Quotes, Calligraphy Styles, and Watercolor Backgrounds
We must have had the perfect mix of hot and cold, wet and dry this summer because we are having one beautifully colorful fall. We needed an amazing fall this year. I needed it as a reminder that good things exist in the midst of difficult times. Today, I want to capture some of that beauty … some of that reminder ... in color and sentiment and style, in other words, watercolor, quotes, and calligraphy. We’ll paint a watercolor background using two different methods. Then, I’ll show you three of my favorite fall quotes, each written in a different calligraphy style. After that, it’s up to you to put them…
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How to Draw Pumpkin Sketches with Fall Words
Pumpkin sketches and fall words are the perfect way to express the fall feels of the autumn season. “And all at once, summer collapsed into fall.” ~Oscar Wilde As if overnight, fall is here. And it amazes me each year that as the nights turn cold and the days become blustery, the craving for fall deliciousness comes wafting along with it. Apples. Soup. Chai (and coffee, but there is always coffee). Pumpkins … oh! the pumpkins ... Not just food though, fall makes me want to pull out my sweaters, walk through the crunchy leaves, hold onto a hot mug, and pack into a wagon for a hayride through the…
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How to Make a Flamingo Drawing with a Splash
Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve been all about pink, green and blue. Why? I had a request for some artwork, a flamingo and a dragonfly. I love drawing dragonflies, but why had I never thought about a flamingo drawing?! Might as well stay with the pink for a little while longer. So, while I was drawing flamingos in different poses and painting them in different styles, I decided that a flamingo drawing tutorial would be the perfect end to summer drawings. Shall we take one more trip to the beach? It might be the last for a while. Let's get started.
