When I visited the Victoria and Albert Museum in London earlier this summer, I really enjoyed the display of women’s fashion through the centuries. I especially enjoyed looking at all the detailing and hand work on the Victorian dresses. I snapped some photos that day in the museum and later sketched some of the dresses, […]
Category: Step-by-Step
A Cute Maine Cottage Sketch
The day after Thanksgiving 2023, my mother and I took off for Florida, leaving Fred with all the leftovers from a huge turkey dinner I had cooked the day before. The two of us were tagging along on a Disney trip that my daughter had been planning for the past year. So, while the grandkids […]
World Traveler
Earlier this month, I taught a brand new workshop in Florida called “Creating Composite Sketches,” where I shared lots of great information on how to design sketches featuring multiple images on a page. I showed examples of some of my favorite composite sketches and shared helpful tips on page design, borders, lettering, and painting techniques. […]
Road Trip Ramblings (Step-by-Step)
My mother turned 90 a few weeks ago, and we celebrated with a girls’ getaway to Smith Mountain Lake, in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. My sister, daughter, and niece all joined me and my mom for four days of birthday merriment. My daughter, Sara, and mother, Saundra But we didn’t wait until we […]
New Lesson! How to Make Floral Monograms & Cards
I’m excited to announce that my new lesson on making floral monograms is finally READY! It’s taken me weeks to put this together for you. What started as a brief tutorial turned into a 41-page package filled with step-by-step instruction, actionable information, and creative inspiration. It’s a one-of-a-kind resource you won’t find anywhere else. This […]
Floral Watercolor Monograms – Part 2
In my last post, I showed you the floral monograms and cards I made for my sister and mother for Christmas. For the past several days, I’ve been putting together a tutorial for you about the process I used to create the monograms and print the cards at home. I’ve taken pictures, scanned images, edited […]
Step-by-Step Watercolor: Blackwater River Sketch
It was the final afternoon of my painting getaway at Canaan Valley and I had gone for a short hike with my friends Jane and Elaine to stretch our legs and grab one final sketch before the sun set. We found a beautiful spot beside the river, quickly set up our stools, and got out our art gear.
Hand-Embroidered Denim Jacket
You just never know what I’m going to get into next! A few days before we were to leave on vacation last month, I decided I needed a project to keep me occupied in the van during the 10-11 hour drive to Oak Island. I had a hankering to do some hand sewing and came […]
“How to Paint a Cheeseburger” + Week 6 Giveaway
Sketchbook journaling is about everyday life. It offers a way to capture moments in time and hold onto them by drawing and painting what you see and experience. And what’s a bigger part of life than food? My everyday sketchbooks and travel journals have food sketches scattered throughout their pages. Some were done at home… […]
“How to Paint a Rose” + Week 5 Giveaway
If you’re like me, you love flowers in any shape, size, or color. But there’s just something about roses that makes them special, isn’t there? Is it their heady fragrance and luscious colors? The intricacy of their form? Or maybe it’s all the memories we associate with them. No matter what the reason, there’s no […]
