Your jellyfish and tree are my favorites! I love the colors you chose for the jelly, and the contrast of the super dark tree against the stark white background is phenomenal! Thank you for sharing your art with us!
Gosh I love the Groundhog, favorite is the jellyfish and oh all trees capture my heart. 💜 I have never tried Aquaboard, I only use Pastelboard for my Colored Pencil work, so they can be varnished and hang like oil paintings. So do to varnish them?
Thanks so much, Gloria! I don’t think there’s anything that would prohibit varnishing on Aquabord… I haven’t had any occasion to try it yet, though, so I’d definitely do some research beforehand!
Always inspired by the courage of artists to keep trying. I struggle to find the same color and brush strokes in a different part of my painting. Obviously I'm a beginner. I look at my paintings as a puzzle, what should this look like? What color is best? It's a challenge.
Jean, your work is so beautiful! I'm so happy to have discovered another "overthinking" artist, albeit one who uses her thinking to her advantage. This is such a rich post with so many good ideas!
Thank you so much, Felicia… that is so wonderful and gratifying to hear. I’m so happy you were able to take away a few ideas. It really is the best part about writing this newsletter. 💕
The trouble with the wood pulp paper is it doesn't behave the same way as good cotton watercolor paper. So, your painting or sketch, at least for me is hard to replicate when you decide to use the good paper even using the same technique or method you used earlier. Unfortunately most, but not all sketchbooks are wood pulp paper. I usually try to stick to pencil/pen drawings in my sketchbooks, or very little paint if I decide to use some. Knowing that they behave differently also helps. Love the paintings, and most of all have fun.
Yes, the substrate/paper absolutely impacts how water media behaves! I do use Strathmore 400 series/ Visual Journal sketchbooks, which are wood pulp. They are closer to 100% cotton cold press in my opinion, at least compared to other wood pulp sketchbooks I’ve tried. The groundhog painting was done in a Visual Journal sketchbook and, as I mentioned, it’s one of my favorites. 💕
Mindset is so tricky when creating, isn’t it? I love how you figured out a reframe that works with your brain and shared it with us, Jean. I got my first experience in a long time of enjoying the process over the product, and it made making art so much more fun. Also, I think you captured the treeness of that tree beautifully. Wishing you a speedy recovery.
Thank you so much, Kelly! Yes, process over product! I find it so funny because it's really the same brain having an argument with itself about this... and it's also MY brain. I'm hoping it'll become easier with practice. 😆
Love your work! The dolphin series is gorgeous! I've never tried India ink or Aquaboard - I'll need to explore them (especially the Aquaboard). Hope you are completely healed from your surgery too!
Thanks so much, Dawn! it’s really been my pleasure to share… not everyone wants to listen to long musings about making art, so it’s an incredibly fine thing to have a community that does! 😄
So happy to read this newsletter and see your wonderful works. You are an inspiring artist, and hopefully this message will motivate me to get back to doing more art.
“Playing” or worse, “trying to play,” is really hard when you’re also wanting to improve your art or your writing. “Experiment” is a less loaded verb. But I think you’re doing a good job, so keep going.
It’s the TRYING to play that stops me every time! I like Jean’s reframe as discovery cause curiosity gets me sucked in and before I know it I played! Success!!
I wish you a complete recovery and a year full of discoveries. I love the dolphin series. What a clever way to compare different combinations of mediums. I also loved how you explained how your brain/creativity works. I can't even call myself creative although others sometimes call me that. Oh well, as long as I'm having fun and feel I'm using "the little grey cells", I'm good.
Thank you for your sincerity and caring here, the groundhog is my favorite. I’m on this journey as well. I’m more of a fabric artist but have discovered watercolors after death of a very close friend. I’m carrying on where he left off, for myself in his honor. We once lived together Altadena, California. It all seems like a dream…
Thanks so much, Susan... I really appreciate it. 💕 I'm so, so sorry about Altadena. If we are lucky enough, we get to carry forward someone else's spark, whatever form it might take.
Brilliant art as always Jean! 👏 And thanks for showing us that how we frame/think about our work will have a big impact on our creative process and results. Glad you settled on your "discovery" schema!
Your jellyfish and tree are my favorites! I love the colors you chose for the jelly, and the contrast of the super dark tree against the stark white background is phenomenal! Thank you for sharing your art with us!
Thank you so much! 😊 This makes me incredibly happy to hear!
Gosh I love the Groundhog, favorite is the jellyfish and oh all trees capture my heart. 💜 I have never tried Aquaboard, I only use Pastelboard for my Colored Pencil work, so they can be varnished and hang like oil paintings. So do to varnish them?
Thanks so much, Gloria! I don’t think there’s anything that would prohibit varnishing on Aquabord… I haven’t had any occasion to try it yet, though, so I’d definitely do some research beforehand!
Always inspired by the courage of artists to keep trying. I struggle to find the same color and brush strokes in a different part of my painting. Obviously I'm a beginner. I look at my paintings as a puzzle, what should this look like? What color is best? It's a challenge.
Thanks so much, Becky! 💕 I think keeping a sense of challenge is so important no matter where you are in your journey.
Jean, your work is so beautiful! I'm so happy to have discovered another "overthinking" artist, albeit one who uses her thinking to her advantage. This is such a rich post with so many good ideas!
Thank you so much, Felicia… that is so wonderful and gratifying to hear. I’m so happy you were able to take away a few ideas. It really is the best part about writing this newsletter. 💕
Omg, I absolutely LOVE the groundhog! 😍
Thank you so much! 💕
The trouble with the wood pulp paper is it doesn't behave the same way as good cotton watercolor paper. So, your painting or sketch, at least for me is hard to replicate when you decide to use the good paper even using the same technique or method you used earlier. Unfortunately most, but not all sketchbooks are wood pulp paper. I usually try to stick to pencil/pen drawings in my sketchbooks, or very little paint if I decide to use some. Knowing that they behave differently also helps. Love the paintings, and most of all have fun.
Yes, the substrate/paper absolutely impacts how water media behaves! I do use Strathmore 400 series/ Visual Journal sketchbooks, which are wood pulp. They are closer to 100% cotton cold press in my opinion, at least compared to other wood pulp sketchbooks I’ve tried. The groundhog painting was done in a Visual Journal sketchbook and, as I mentioned, it’s one of my favorites. 💕
Mindset is so tricky when creating, isn’t it? I love how you figured out a reframe that works with your brain and shared it with us, Jean. I got my first experience in a long time of enjoying the process over the product, and it made making art so much more fun. Also, I think you captured the treeness of that tree beautifully. Wishing you a speedy recovery.
Thank you so much, Kelly! Yes, process over product! I find it so funny because it's really the same brain having an argument with itself about this... and it's also MY brain. I'm hoping it'll become easier with practice. 😆
Love your work! The dolphin series is gorgeous! I've never tried India ink or Aquaboard - I'll need to explore them (especially the Aquaboard). Hope you are completely healed from your surgery too!
Thanks so much, Jen! I really appreciate it. 💕 I think Aquabord is definitely worth a try, especially if you use a lot of water in your work.
I'm so enjoying your process! Interesting to read, and the results are wonderful to view. Thank you for letting us "look over your shoulder".
Thanks so much, Dawn! it’s really been my pleasure to share… not everyone wants to listen to long musings about making art, so it’s an incredibly fine thing to have a community that does! 😄
So happy to read this newsletter and see your wonderful works. You are an inspiring artist, and hopefully this message will motivate me to get back to doing more art.
Thank you! 💕 I hope you find a way to create more art… I will be cheering for you!
Discovery is a great reframe! And I love both groundhog and tree, they both have spirit. Keep discovering with as much joy as you can muster!
Thank you so much, Paula… I really appreciate your comment! 😊 I will keep on keeping on.
You are such a treat.
Haha, thank you! 😁
“Playing” or worse, “trying to play,” is really hard when you’re also wanting to improve your art or your writing. “Experiment” is a less loaded verb. But I think you’re doing a good job, so keep going.
It’s the TRYING to play that stops me every time! I like Jean’s reframe as discovery cause curiosity gets me sucked in and before I know it I played! Success!!
That’s how it’s been working for me.😄
Absolutely and thank you! I like "experiment," too... there's purpose in that word. 😊
I wish you a complete recovery and a year full of discoveries. I love the dolphin series. What a clever way to compare different combinations of mediums. I also loved how you explained how your brain/creativity works. I can't even call myself creative although others sometimes call me that. Oh well, as long as I'm having fun and feel I'm using "the little grey cells", I'm good.
Thank you, I appreciate your kind words so much! I'm sure your little grey cells are grooving to the rhythm of your own beat. 😄
Thank you for your sincerity and caring here, the groundhog is my favorite. I’m on this journey as well. I’m more of a fabric artist but have discovered watercolors after death of a very close friend. I’m carrying on where he left off, for myself in his honor. We once lived together Altadena, California. It all seems like a dream…
Thanks so much, Susan... I really appreciate it. 💕 I'm so, so sorry about Altadena. If we are lucky enough, we get to carry forward someone else's spark, whatever form it might take.
Brilliant art as always Jean! 👏 And thanks for showing us that how we frame/think about our work will have a big impact on our creative process and results. Glad you settled on your "discovery" schema!
Thank you, Baird! It really is a weird and wonderful process. I'll be sure to tell you all about my next foibles in art-making! 😆