How do your insecurities and doubts help you evolve as an artist?

How do your insecurities and doubts help you evolve as an artist?

Journal

Recently, I’ve struggled with artistic insecurity. As I started working on the preliminary sketches for my book contract, I found myself feeling very self conscious. I started second guessing myself at every turn. Mostly, I found myself worrying that my preliminary sketches weren’t going to be good enough. Mind you, I have prepared the author … Read More

Tending the star inside your heart

Tending the star inside your heart

Journal

As a vlogger, I watch lots and lots of YouTube content. One of the channels I’m most inspired by is The Cottage Fairy. The Cottage Fairy is Paola, a young woman who lives in a cabin in Pacific Northwest. A few episodes ago, she said, “I tend the star inside my heart to keep it … Read More

What is a Creative Reset?

What is a Creative Reset?

Journal

I’m finding that many people appreciate long-form content because it’s more rich with meaning. Is this true for you, too? I was inspired to start publishing more of this kind of meaning-rich content through a process I did recently called a creative reset. I learned about the creative reset after reading about it on Dan … Read More

How to Choose Dynamic Bird Photos for Drawing and Painting

How to Choose Dynamic Bird Photos for Drawing and Painting

Tips

As a bird artist, I am constantly sifting through photo reference, looking for just the right image for my next drawing or painting. I believe that the best bird photos depict dynamic, lively poses. In this post, I share what I look for in an image and why I choose one image over another. The … Read More

How to Have a Great #Birdtober

How to Have a Great #Birdtober

Tips

While I’m pretty sure you’ve heard about #inktober, you may not be familiar with its kissing cousin, #Birdtober. #Birdtober also runs during the month of October and is rapidly growing in popularity. In this post, you’ll learn how to have a fun, productive, and great #birdtober2021! Choose your #Birdtober Prompt List (or Make Your Own) … Read More

Coping with Inadequate Photo Reference

Coping with Inadequate Photo Reference

Technique

Because I spend so much time looking for and using photo reference, I have had to learn to cope with inadequate images. Here are a three lessons I’ve learned that help me to get good results even when the photo doesn’t show everything I’d like it to. Lesson One: The more you know about bird … Read More