Are you painting from your heart or your head?

First get rid of the expecations of what you do in the studio, and be willing to learn a lot about creativity, focus and a get ready to have some fun, consider Plein air painting.  Here easle I used is a Traveler Series Watercolor Package click here View the Beach painting demo on Youtube Online courses Join the mailing list on my Home website Instagram

Based on my "Fearless flowers" courses, in this episode, we explore when painting how to get out of your comfort zone, and grow to be more bold and dynamic. In the Fearless Flowers series, both the interactive and independent study options are available. For immediate access to any of the lessons I suggest the independent study option, full courses Single lessons Schedule of interactive courses Join my mailing list, courses, brushes and more at www.birgitoconnor.com

Today were talking about what if you’re doing a painting and use photos that someone else took as your reference material, can you use it for a show, can you sell it, can you claim it as your own? Are you using your artistic vision or copying an image? What if you took a class and are inspired by the instructor, and use their lesson and reference material, is it now yours? Is there a subject matter that you would like to hear about? Drop us a line and let us know  Online courses Join the mailing list

Pushing through the fear. Do you feel the need to always be perfect? What kind of artist do you want to be? Do you want to have the control you want over your brushstrokes, and if you don’t it can depend on the brush and the amount of water it’s holding? Are your paintings to weak and wimpy, and are you afraid of the darks? Try to relax and think of every painting as an experiment. We will be looking at a few white flower paintings and talking about the brushstrokestrokes, background and where do you want to direct the viewers eye? How to get the wobble out of the paper, try ironing it. Framing options When painting on a half sheet size painting 15"x22" the standard size frame I usually use is a standard 22"x28". The standard mat never seems to work as well so I have mine custom. You can go to your local craft store or framer for more information or custom frames, which can be pricy. I was looking online for online frame options, and the standard frame size can work but again, I'm not sure if the online mat option is as good as custom cut. I like Cheap Pete's but they don't ship the larger size frames Here are some online companies you can try, but you may want to call them before ordering. ArtoFrame Picture Frames Website  www.birgitoconnor.com Online courses Watercolor courses The course we reviewed today was from the interactive 6-week course Interactive white flower (runs in sessions)  Independent study  

Sometimes it’s difficult to get started and paint again, it can be because of some life circumstance, the holidays, or we're just not inspired.  Not everyone enjoys the isolation of the studio or is a self-motivated artist, some enjoy painting with other artists, especially watercolor. With the pandemic, many people haven’t felt creative and have been absolutely paralyzed, so what are some of the things you can do, let’s talk about it.  If you’re interested in taking an online course, or joining “Watercolor in Motion” take a look at my upcoming schedule on my website or go directly to my school 

In this episode, we discuss the approach of painting a cluster of Monarch Butterflies. We will be covering what you might think might be a failure could be an incredible abstraction, along with paper surfaces and color mingling. Online Courses Website  Monarch Butterfly Mug  Monarch Tote bag

Values help to invite the viewer into the painting, so in today's episode we are having a discussion about why they are important, to help create a push pull effect and prevent paintings from looking flat.    

In today's meeting will talk a little bit about how to get that fine spray in a painting by using an atomizer, a Kemper tool or a toothbrush. We will also discuss a value study app and talk about some of the challenges you can face when doing a plein air competition, and how all these challenges can help you grow in your creativity. Value study app Kemper spatter tool Monarch garden online course all levels Monarch Migration Full course Shop Home website

In this episode will be having a conversation about where your inspiration come from? Have you ever thought  of where you painting from in your body? Is it your head, your heart, your fingertips, wrist, arm, full body and what kind of experience is it for you? What about commissions, do you enjoy doing them or is it a chore, and how can you move away from realism into something more painterly. These are just some of the things that will be talking about  in today's episode we're going to be talking

Today Ann told us today about Ranger inks, and how much she is enjoying them, especially the distressed inks. Then our conversation took a turn into what's the difference of inks, alcohol inks and water color pigments and can alcohol inks be used in watercolor competitions. Personally, I found this fascinating information, I hope you will too. www.birgitoconnor.com Birgit's online watercolor courses Ranger inks