I’m taking you behind the scenes, and rounding up some questions I get asked ALL THE TIME! I’m talking Secret Time, Bert Kreischer Style.

I believe the word we’re looking for is, ANYWAY…

Let’s dive right in!

I’m no Regina George of the art world (that is to say, my inbox isn’t overflowing with people wanting to be me and ask me questions!) BUT I do get some pretty fun ones, and I thought it would be fun to round ‘em up to share with you!

How often do you clean your brushes?

HA. This is too funny.  SECRET TIME–I really don’t.  This is a no judgement zone, right?! 

The beauty of watercolor is that the pigment typically doesn’t stick to the brushes like it does with oil or acrylic. 

And to be fair, I’ve ruined quite a few brushes in my past while painting with acrylic when I simply got sidetracked by #momlife…

And while after I write this I’m going to head into the studio and do a good thorough cleaning of my brushes (HA),

merely being in water helps the paint come off because watercolor is water soluble (it thins or goes away in water).

Pretty interesting, but that’s also why watercolor runs so much when there’s a ton of water on the paper. More on that soon!

Do I rinse my brushes after I use them? Absolutely.  It’s important to rinse and reshape brushes so they dry nicely and don’t get all wonky–they last much longer this way too!

Do I do a quick clean and make sure they’re ready when I start a new project? OF COURSE! 

But in my everyday painting? Ummmm…. Typically dropping them in some clean water does the trick just fine (laugh)

How do you get inspired?

I dive into this a little deeper in this blog post where I relate inspiration to the bachelorette (yes, I went there!) but here’s the jist–

I’ve found that when I simply wait to be inspired, it may never happen. 

Look through my books, notebooks, and journals, and you’ll see sketches of ideas I’ve had that I just HAVE to write down. 

Does every idea pan out beautifully? No, but it’s part of the process. 

The winners stick around–just like the winner of the final rose hopefully!

What is imposter syndrome, and how do you deal with it?

Oh imposter syndrome, how I LOATHE thee!!

Imposter syndrome is basically the feeling that you’re not good enough and you are merely an imposter, for me, someone posing as an artist but not really good enough to be one.

It’s a daily battle, that’s for sure.  We square off just about everyday when I sit down to paint, but here’s how I kick it in the pants!

First, whatever it is—just START! 

Second—pray about it.

Third, the world needs your story, so just keep going. 

 If you’ve ever felt like this, you’re not alone. You’ve got this, and I’m cheering you on.

What’s a day in the studio like?

To be totally honest, there is no typical day in the studio because each day in the studio looks totally different.  

Some days my kids want to hang out in there with me and I get some big chunks of time to dive into my latest project or something I’ve been wanting to paint.

Other days (HA most days…) I’m painting in the pockets of the day—short semi-quiet moments where I can make a few brushstrokes at a time and return to it later. 

Most of my painting comes during nap time (which doesn’t happen everyday) or after the babes are in bed.

When I do go into my studio, my favorite part is readying my palette. 

Choosing my colors, mixing them perfectly and beautifully feels magical. 

Finding the right colors to use in each piece is an art in and of itself, and seeing the colors mix and the pigment mix with water to the “just right” consistency—OMG! Love it.

Where do you get your supplies?

FUN QUESTION! I’m truly not an expert on supplies. For years I grabbed the cheapo acrylic paint that lined the shelves of Hobby Lobby, I didn’t know gesso or varnish was a thing (gesso preps a canvas so it’s ready to be painted on, varnish seals it), and I bought the kids value pack of brushes. I mean, this is secret time, right?!

Honestly? I’ve grown a lot as an artist and the last few years I’ve ordered a lot of my supplies from a store called Jerry’s Artarama.  I like their quality (LOVE their prices), and they ship pretty quickly.  

In a pinch, I get some things from Hobby Lobby or Michaels, or if I can I love to support small shops (my watercolor palette is from Case For Making and it’s BEAUTIFUL!). 

*Not an affiliate link, just LOVE the company so much and YOU WILL TOO!

Why watercolor?

Such a fun question too–watercolor is so interesting to me. 

Before I began painting with it, I was always so worried I would mess it up!

Like, when I say I didn’t pick it up until March 2020, I’m not kidding.

It’s fickle as a medium because unlike acrylic and oil, there’s really no way to “fix” a mistake.  

Now, as I’ve grown as an artist I’ve found some ways–and have had to because of kiddos who have grabby fingers and want to be artists too (laugh), but in the beginning I was TERRIFIED of it.

Now, as I look back that’s what I love most about watercolor.  While it feels fickle, unpredictable, unknown, I know that with each stroke I’m creating something new and TOTALLY DIFFERENT because no two brushstrokes are ever the same.

It’s a pretty cool feeling.

So, what’s all this stuff about anyway?

Art is a large investment… especially original fine art.

YOU are worth the time and dedication I put into developing my process and executing it to create peace in the midst of the chaos of your home. I love serving clients with my passion for art to create the perfect painting that will last for generations to come.

Interested in seeing what your art style vibe is?! Click here.

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