April began with much excitement, as I was contacted by Jerry’s Artarama (a well established online art supply retailer) and asked to be a brand ambassador. After accepting (and freaking out!) I promptly received a box of amazing new supplies to try out! Along with brushes and sets of both pan and tube watercolors, they also sent a set of Acryl Gouache, which I’ve never tried before.
My first project was to test out their 12 piece LUKAS 1862 watercolor pan set. I took it back to basics with a color chart in my sketchbook. Along with being very vibrant, the colors re-wet beautifully, and I couldn’t be happier to have this set! Check out the range of colors!
One of the things I was most excited to use was the Turner Acryl Gouache, and for those of you who don’t know, acryl gouache is a matte finish acrylic paint, but is creamier and acts more like watercolors when mixed with water. Basically, it’s an illustrator’s dream. I feel strongly about experimenting with different mediums and styles, because that’s when you truly start to develop your own style. So although this piece is pretty different from what I’m used to creating, it was such a great learning experience.
All of the new supplies from Jerry’s have given me a ton of inspiration to try new subjects and styles! I’ve filled up so many sketchbook pages using their products and am so very excited about this partnership!
Speaking of amazing partnerships, I also received the latest watercolor collection from The Sprout Creative, the Secret Garden Collection. I am so lucky to be a member of Vanessa’s design team and honored to test her paints. Let me tell you, she’s set the bar pretty high and this month’s collection did not disappoint! To be honest, it’s one of my favorite collections. Here’s a floral arrangement I painted to show the variety of hues this set gives:
I can’t say enough about the quality of these paints and the generosity of Vanessa. She truly puts her heart and soul into her family run business.
I also used The Sprout Creative handmade watercolors to celebrate the season premier of Game of Thrones! Here’s my take on the Three Eyed Raven:
I’ve also been getting ready for an Etsy shop update in May! I know, it’s been ages since I’ve listed new art, but it will be worth the wait! I put together some Thank You and blank note cards and I hope to list them in a 4 piece set. It took me an entire weekend to sketch and paint four separate floral scenes, scan, digitize them, and then format them for stationery. My first stationery collection is truly a labor of love and I can’t wait to make more! Here’s the first printing of one from the set:
I also have some monochrome forest pieces mounted on wood in the works! I’ve painted three of these in various color schemes, and hopefully they sell well! Keep an eye out for a shop update! There will also me an announcement made on my monthly newsletter about an exciting sale for the month of May. Be sure to sign up for my newsletter here to get the latest news about studio happenings!
Lastly, I’ll leave you with a painting of Notre Dame that I was inspired to paint after its devastating fire. The History of Art and Architecture student in me was heart broken when I watched the spire fall. I am so lucky to have been able to visit it in 2003, although I wish my disposable camera skills were better back then!
I used skills learned in a Skillshare class to get the light and shadows right. It’s a little looser in style than what I’m used to painting, but like I said earlier, it’s so important to have a well rounded education and try new styles.
There were also a lot of sketchbook pages filled in April, and May’s blog post will most likely document all of my outdoor painting excursions. I have a ton of information on how to set up a travel palette and paint plein aire (outdoor painting), and I can’t wait to share my experiences with you. You can also check out my Skillshare class “The Four Seasons: Creating Temperature and Mood with a Limited Palette” to learn how I started!
Because I had no commissions to work on this month, I took advantage of the down time by painting for fun as much as I could. I tried new subjects, styles, and mediums, and feel like I’ve grown so much as an artist in the past few weeks. Thanks for joining me on this recap! Check me out on Instagram for more photos and videos of my work, and I’ll see you next month!