Category Archives: 1- Nuts: Graphic Styles

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 →

Posted in Beauty, Look at That- Second Edition, Second Edition of Look at That!, Sketchbooks, Watercolor | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

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 →

Posted in Look at That- Second Edition, Watercolor | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

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 →

Posted in photography, Seeing and looking, Sketching tools, Watercolor | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

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

I never have to sit waiting for the pencil to start

I just spent a chunk of time trying to open a properly-saved file on my computer that, for some reason, now needs to be recovered. Couldn’t do it. That file was a blog post draft in MS Word, so instead … Continue reading →

Posted in Beauty, Musings on Life, Pencil sketching, sketching, Watercolor | Tagged , , , | 8 Comments

What does global warming have to do with watercolor? 

(Note: This isn’t a quick read, but it’s well worth your time.) Marc Taro Holmes gave me my first glimpse of this connection between art and climate change when he published his seminal work, “Apocalypse Variations” in 2019. The art in this … Continue reading →

Posted in 3- Magic: Art Epiphanies, Beauty, Look at That! book, Musings on Life, Seeing and looking, sketching, Urban Sketching (On-Site Creativity) | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Perfect Cure for Your Next Creative Stall-out

Do you ever feel like sketching, but you don’t feel like sketching? By that I mean, do you ever feel like playing with your pens and paper and watercolor toys, but you have no interest at all in finding a … Continue reading →

Posted in Beauty, Books I Love, Pen & Ink, Pencil sketching, Sketchbooks, sketching, Sketching tools, Urban Sketching (On-Site Creativity), Watercolor | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

My Ultimate Toolkit for Plein Air Watercolor Enjoyment

As promised last week, here is the story of the latest “Ultimate Plein Air Watercolor Set-up.” This time, yes, I think I’ve nailed it. Warning: If you are not a watercolor painter, or even if you are and you never … Continue reading →

Posted in Beauty, sketching, Sketching tools, Urban Sketching (On-Site Creativity), Watercolor | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments