Art School
Art lessons for the traveler.
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Creative Wanderlust Prompts: Add Creativity to Your Everyday
I’ve been wanting to provide inspiration through creative prompts for a long while now – for not only myself, but also the creative, wanderlust fueled community around me! I am always inspired by artsy prompts, writing prompts, 100 day projects, etc., but haven’t found a prompt list to satisfy my endless curiosity for exploring not only the world (hello, wanderlust!) but also varied creative mediums! So, in my desire to try new things and strengthen our creative community, I thought it would be fun to publish a weekly Creative Wanderlust Prompt list. Each list will provide inspiration for people like you and me to explore a wanderlust topic through multiple creative…
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Creative Prompt: Learn How to Draw and Watercolor Holiday Images
I’ve been a busy elf creating a bunch of new how-to videos over on my You Tube channel. There are 10 new quick process videos showing you how to draw simple holiday icons, perfect for embellishing your holiday cards, gift tags, bullet journal or holiday craft. To follow along, simple pause the video along the way as you draw the holiday item yourself! How to Draw and Watercolor a Candy Cane How to Draw and Watercolor a Partridge Bird How to Draw and Watercolor a Teddy Bear How to Draw and Watercolor a Holly How to Draw and Watercolor a Stocking How to Draw and Watercolor a Letter to Santa How to Draw and…
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Creative Prompt: Take a Seat at the Kids Table
It’s that time of year, the extended holiday time where we sit down as a family and share delicious food, stories, and gratitude… Oh wait, before I go any further, time to edit the above… For many, many Thanksgivings and holidays, we didn’t always sit together at one big table as an extended family. We had a “kids’ table.” Even when I was a little girl, there was a kids’ table at Thanksgiving. Back then, it felt like being put in the penalty box, like this is where the misfits go, as they can’t conduct an adult conversation and/or just aren’t interesting enough. Once I had kids of my own, I…
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Creative Journal Prompt: 4th of July Collection
For many Americans, the 4th of July holiday usually entails some type of gathering with family and friends, some type of food and of course, fireworks. I am definitely no different than most Americans! For decades, I have enjoyed the fourth up in my favorite spot, Lake Tahoe, with my whole family. We always spend the day out in the sun, swimming in the lake (and much warmer pool,) and playing games in and out of the water. As the sun begins to set, the BBQ is lit and our long, loud family dinner (always with corn on the cob) begins. We get so engrossed in conversation, that many times…
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Creative Journal Prompt: Ice Cream Flavors of the Season
One of my favorite things to do when I walk into an ice cream shop is to peruse all the different flavors. Although I usually go for the same kinds every time (hello cookie dough, cookie crumbs, caramel & coffee), I just love seeing all the different concoctions. I mean, how fun would it be to be an ice cream flavor designer? I’m kicking off my summer, with a super fun prompt to get you inspired, but if you’d like, you could do this prompt at any time of year, I mean, who wouldn’t want to hear about your spooky Halloween ice creams, or your romantic Valentine ice cream assortment?…
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Learn How to Start a Creative Journal
I’ve been keeping some type of journal for well over 35 years. My journals come in all shapes and sizes and can contain all sorts of expressions – drawing, paintings, collages, lists/notes, stories, travel diary, photos and so much more. Given this wide range of ideas that I put in my journal, I think the best name for them are creative journals! I find so many benefits from keeping a creative journal. They are all a slice in time in my life, whether it’s rambling notes from a road trip or sketches from my day at home, each page floods my mind with memories of times spent writing or drawing…
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My Favorite Art Supplies
Often I’m asked what art supplies I use when I illustrate. I won’t lie, I do have quite an arsenal of supplies, as I love to try new products and learn new mediums, but inherently I do fall back on certain brands and tools. Below is a list of some of my favorite, tried and true art supplies. Water Color Sets I love Sakura’s Koi Water Color sets. I love it so much I own several of them! I own the 12 color set, the 24 color set and the 72 color set! The 24 color set is really my go-to kit. It has a wide range of colors that…
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Creative Travel: Capturing the Look of a Neighborhood – A Walk Down Grand Ave, South San Francisco (incl Free Printable Coloring Page)
Trying to capture a neighborhood or location with a few simple drawings can sometimes feel like a daunting task! Take any given neighborhood, from residential to downtown and it’s easy to become overwhelmed by the many things to see; different building styles, different colors, different types of nature, etc. In a recent online class I hosted with South San Francisco Library, I boiled down this problem and created a simple recipe to help you capture your own neighborhood! Recipe to Capture a Neighborhood = Common Elements + Nature + Unique Elements + Oddities Using this recipe, I headed to downtown South San Francisco’s Grand Avenue to see what I could…
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At Home Creative Adventures: Be a Naturalist for a Day (plus Free Printable Journal)
Nature is all around us, whether it is in your backyard, in a park, in the country, or even on your balcony in the city! Be a naturalist for a day and head outside to observe the world around you. Draw sketches and color them in if you’d like. Make sure to jot notes down as you go along and record your findings. Below is the free printable journal. Click the image and print it out. Fold it into a journal and head out the door! Here is a process video of my morning being a naturalist in my garden. As always, I’d love to see what you create! Feel…
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At Home Creative Adventures: Create a Landscape Painting Inspired by Van Gogh
Needing some culture or creative inspiration, but not wanting to leave the house? Museums around the world offer virtual tours of their collection to offer you colorful inspiration for days! Today, I virtually traveled to Amsterdam, Netherlands and visited the Van Gogh Museum. I have always admired Van Gogh’s work. His bright colors and exuberant brush strokes just bring me joy! In this creative exercise, head to the the Van Gogh Museum online and browse the amazing work. Find a painting that resonates with you and get inspired! Inspiration vs. Copying Painting from inspiration does not mean copying. I encourage you to make the painting your own. Perhaps you use…