My thoughts on brushes

Tropical birds are nature’s little fireworks — bold shapes and joyful colors.   Choose any tropical bird that inspires you: a macaw, toucan, flamingo, quetzal, sun conure, or any tropical bird. Paint it loose, detailed, tiny, abstract — your style, your way. Tropical birds are nature’s permission to use bold, bright colors. Hot pinks, electric blues,…

This week we’re painting penguins — those charming, tuxedo‑wearing wonders of the Southern Hemisphere. They’re irresistible to watch and even more fun to paint.  Their simple, rounded shapes make them perfect for loose, intuitive painting.  And honestly… they just make you smile.  Whether you paint a single penguin, a pair leaning into the wind, or a…

This week, we’re keeping it simple, fun, and surprisingly magical: Paint anything you want using only TWO colors.  That’s it — two tube colors, two pans, two watercolor pencils. You can mix them, glaze them, layer them, or let them dance side by side. ✨ Make sure to share the two colors you used when you…

This week, we’re diving into negative painting — one of my favorite ways to slow down, look closely, and let the subject appear almost like magic.  So what is negative painting? It’s painting everything around the object, instead of painting the object itself. You build the world around it — the shadows, the shapes, the spaces…

Channel Your Inner Kandinsky — Paint Circles! In honor of Kandinsky’s love for color, rhythm, and the expressive power of simple shapes, we’re painting circles… just circles. Any size, any color, any arrangement. Let your colors swirl, overlap, vibrate, and glow. Kandinsky believed the circle was the most harmonious form — a bridge between the…

This week we’re doing something playful, bold, and wonderfully freeing… a challenge inspired by the one and only Andy Geeson, our sponsor for the week. If you’ve ever watched Andy paint, you know the magic: loose marks, joyful color, and zero overthinking.  Set a timer for 5 minutes, trust your brush, and let the flowers…