Category Archives: 1- Nuts: Graphic Styles

You never know when watercolor will save your life

Maybe that’s an extreme statement, but on Thursday I acquired a rotten mood that I just couldn’t shake. I had had a long, frustrating appointment in the morning, and despite being an evolved human with a regular meditation practice, I … Continue reading

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Welcome to Week 4 of “The 8 Secrets of Watercolor Success”

Secret #4 – How dark is your mix? (Or “How to Stop Wasting Paint”) See page 77 of the newly released Second Edition of Look at That! Step 1: Prewet your Palette Cover (i.e., mixing area) Really? That sounds silly. … Continue reading

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Welcome to Week 3 of “The 8 Secrets of Watercolor Success”

Secret #3 – How wet is your brush? In all of these secrets we are learning to ask three essential questions: You might have the exact right color mix, but until you also have the right amount of water in … Continue reading

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Welcome to Week 2 of “The 8 Secrets of Watercolor Success”

Last week I shared Secret #1: Give yourself the gift of creating a “Sketchbook Watercolor” habit. The next seven secrets are about how and when to add more water to your watercolor practice. Some of these simple essentials may be … Continue reading

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Part 1 of 8: The Secret of Water(color)

Right now, my favorite chapter in my new book, Look at That! – Second Edition, is Chapter 6, called “Introducing…WATER!” The key to effortless watercolor painting, surprisingly, has nothing to do with paper, or paint or brushes. Nope. The Secret … Continue reading

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The Invisible Second Edition

Oh my. All that work, and now it’s a secret. Almost. Amazon’s algorithm (which is perhaps a new swear word for me) says that as long as the FIRST Edition has sold more copies than the SECOND Edition, then only … Continue reading

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The bumpy journey from “yeah, but” to “yes, and”

It’s amazing how the mind works or doesn’t. I worked fast and furious the whole spring of 2024 to finish editing and publishing the 2nd Edition of Look at That!,** which is available now on Amazon as an eBook, a … Continue reading

Posted in Look at That- Second Edition, Musings on Life, My Story, Second Edition of Look at That!, Watercolor | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments

“Look at That!  Second Edition” is almost ready!

What a roller-coaster ride it has been! This delightful book is the high point of my entire long life, and I am so proud of it. Here’s what you can expect: Stats: This Second Edition  is twice the length of … Continue reading

Posted in 1- Nuts: Graphic Styles, 2- Bolts: Sketching Tools, Beauty, Cartoons, Design Basics, Look at That- Second Edition, My Story, Nuts & Bolts & Magic, Pen & Ink, Pencil sketching, Second Edition of Look at That!, Seeing and looking, Sketchbooks, sketching, Sketching tools, Urban Sketching (On-Site Creativity), Watercolor | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Learning to Trust Your Creative Instincts

Sometimes when I am in the middle of painting a watercolor, a voice inside nudges me to take a photo midway through. Perhaps I have hit a place of hesitation, and I want a record of what it looked like … Continue reading

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Your artistic license is mandatory.

I have heard people say, apologetically, that they took “artistic license” when they changed a scene they were trying to draw or paint. I get it, but they’re wrong to apologize. The truth is, your artistic license needs to be … Continue reading

Posted in Beauty, Books I Love, Design Basics, Seeing and looking, Watercolor | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments