Paid-members only

November 2024: Art in times of uncertainty

Dear art friends, Last night I slept about two hours, which has become some dizzying "normal" for me since my insomnia returned the last week of October. It is a first domino (or, maybe a middle one, and I'm still finding the first?) that sends me

Paid-members only

EDI Live Class Reschedule! >> Nov 30, 12pm PT

Members only

tonight - let's paint/hang out (free)

Paid-members only

Materials guide to painting big

Paid-members only

EDI Live: Oct 19, 12pm PST (& a date change for December)

Each month, Light Tier members are invited onto a live online painting class where we'll go deeper into the month's practices and ideas. If you'd like to join in, click here. Hello Light Tier friends! Our next EDI Live will be this Saturday, Oct

Paid-members only

Monthly Guide

October 2024: Painting big

Paid-members only

September 2024: Inspiration Ecosystem Pt. 3

We're continuing a topic we began last year: looking at inspiration as a resilient ecosystem instead of a finicky lightbulb. To help further illustrate the process, I want to show you an example of how a wide array of idea seeds grew and eventually came together into a

Paid-members only

Events

EDI Live: Sept 21, 12pm PST

Each month, Light Tier members are invited onto a live online painting class where we'll go deeper into the month's practices and ideas. If you'd like to join in, click here. Hello Light Tier friends! Our next EDI Live will be this Saturday, Sept

Paid-members only

Monthly Guide

September 2024: Inspiration Ecosystem Pt. 2

Two years ago I shared a post introducing my idea of inspiration as an ecosystem, rather than a lightbulb that can turn on and off. In my experience, inspiration is complex and resilient, not fickle; it's something that thrives or wilts slowly and as the result of many

Paid-members only

Process

Using Color, pt 3: Brit's Abstract Diagrams

I wanted to show you specifically how I apply these concepts of limited palettes, blending and mixing in my open-ended abstract diagram series. I thought it might be interesting to run through some of the pieces I've made over the years and take note of color considerations that

Paid-members only

Process

Using Color, Pt 2: Blending vs Mixing

Let's talk about the difference between blending and mixing color. Here's how I'm using these terms: Blending: to create a gradient or area of mixed paint on your paper/canvas by mixing wet paint into wet paint. The goal of blending is to soften

Members only

Special Invitation: Creative Recovery Group

Paid-members only

EDI Live: Aug 24, 12pm PST

Each month, Light Tier members are invited onto a live online painting class where we'll go deeper into the month's practices and ideas. If you'd like to join in, click here. Hello Light Tier friends! Our next EDI Live will be Saturday Aug 24

Paid-members only

August 2024: Using Color, Part 1 (with video)

I love to work with a limited palette, and often recommend it to artists who are learning to paint, but choosing the colors is only the first step. There are two general approaches that we can take from there: one is to use the colors each on their own, and

Paid-members only

Materials

New Crayons (Part 2)

The Haul I recently picked up some new art supplies and I can't wait to show you. New Crayons! What could be better? One gem is this Kuretake gansai tambi Art Nouveau set. I've had the 36 color set for years – it was one of the

Paid-members only

Materials

New Crayons (Part 1)

Even though I wasn't a particularly artsy kid, the magic of a new box of crayons did not evade me. Perhaps that's why I wasn't that artsy: they looked so pretty all new and in a row that I didn't want to

Paid-members only

EDI Live: July 27, 12pm PST (+ updated Aug date)

Each month, Light Tier members are invited onto a live online painting class where we'll go deeper into the month's practices and ideas. If you'd like to join in, click here. Hello Light Tier friends! Our next EDI Live will be Saturday July 27

Members only

Monthly Guide

July 2024: Looking is Loving

Wendy MacNaughton says that drawing is a way of looking, and that looking is loving. What is being in love, but noticing someone's every detail and adoring it?

Paid-members only

selfie

Sketching from photo inspo

Last month we looked at reference photos: abstracting them, taking them, and finding them. Today I wanted to show you how the photos I used as examples have made their way into my representational sketchbook practice. These sketches are one of my favorite ways to consider the world and slow

Paid-members only

EDI Live: Tomorrow, Sat June 15, 12pm PST + updated dates

Each month, Light Tier members are invited onto a live online painting class where we'll go deeper into the month's practices and ideas. If you'd like to join in, click here. Hello Light Tier friends! Our next EDI Live will be Saturday June 15

Paid-members only

June 2024: An old friend

One reason to keep making art is the sweet moment of coming back to something you made years ago, and picking the conversation right back up. It's a way of reconnecting with yourself over time, of noticing what has changed and what hasn't, which questions have

Members only

Try It

Reference photo resources

Paid-members only

Process

How to take a good reference photo

When I shared the big folder of reference photos last month, a question came up in our EDI Live class about how to take pictures that are useful for painting – so, let's dive into that today. I love using reference photos. They make painting the world, whether representationally

Paid-members only

EDI Live: This Saturday, May 18, 12pm PST

Each month, Light Tier members are invited onto a live online painting class where we'll go deeper into the month's practices and ideas. If you'd like to join in, click here. Hello Light Tier friends! Our next EDI Live will be Saturday May 18

Paid-members only

May 2024: Using Reference Photos

I use photos to remind myself what things look like. I am not someone who can easily "draw what you see in your mind," because I can't picture much. Danielle and I have been spending all our time together for over thirteen years, but right now