So, how do you know so much about painting anyway?

From my professional experience as a scenic artist for TV, commercial art projects, children's theater set design and my personal painting life. I've been at it for over twenty years now, so I've got a few tricks up my sleeve.

What's your teaching style like?

I like to leave room for your creativity along the way and am always excited to share my tricks.

To help things make sense more easily, I teach from a framework I call the Skillset Toolkit. It's all the essentials that most painters need to know.

Each Skillset has several elements to learn, and we tackle them in different ways so you get a good handle on everything. Since these are essentials, they build on each other, and overlap. Mindset tricks are woven in there too, since it's huge for staying motivated and inspired in the first place!

Why the name "Painterish"?

It's a word that can refer to art being painterly in style--as well a person having the characteristics of a painter. I like that. 

Why do you only teach acrylics?

I only I teach what I know really well. I'm so glad I chose acrylics as my main medium because you can get all the color, depth, and dimensionality you want--and with glazes and mediums, it's pretty much limitless.

Who is Painterish for?

Painterish is for beginners just getting started--and experienced painters who want to get better a lot quicker than just learning on their own.

Why shouldn't I just DIY learning to paint? 

Getting help with the essentials will cut out a lot of confusion and frustration-- and save so much time. It'll also add much needed clarity when you're trying to figure out how to finish a painting--or even the best way to get started.

It's more a question of why wouldn't you want to get help? The journey is still yours, a teacher just makes more possible--sooner, and helps you see what you've likely been missing.

What do you know now that you wish you'd known when you started painting?

Aside from any specific skills, I think the biggest thing is that all experience counts. Even when you think you totally failed with a painting--it still helped you get better. When you look at it a little later on, you can see what the problems with it are (and the solutions!) that you couldn't before.

That's your proof that it was worth it, even though you didn't know it at the time! I used to be really hard on myself if I couldn't paint something well enough, but now I'm glad for all those bumps in the road, because now I know that I learned a lot from every one of them!

How do I figure out what my painting style should be?

I think of us generally as like "Prospectors" or "Planners". We all have both traits, but "Prospectors" like to dive right in and discover the painting right on the canvas. "Planners", you guessed it, they like to know what's happening before they start. You'll figure out through practice what you like/don't like, and where you need to override a natural tendency (that could turn into a habit you don't want), and where to stick with it.

Lots of things start to reveal your natural style--but in the early days it's more like a tendency to notice. Things like colors you use without thinking much about it, the way you load your brush--the brushes themselves, and the kinds of paints you decide to work with. Be aware of those choices, play around with changes--see what you like, and it'll be clear sooner than you think!

Let's stay in touch!

I'd love to hear more about you and where you are in your painting journey...

The best way to share that is to become a Painterish Insider. Just click the button and add your name and email. I send helpful and inspiring emails about this whole painting thing. Because even though we haven't met, we both love painting, and that means we have a lot in common :  )

What are glazes?

This just means paint that's mixed with a clear glazing medium so it's not opague/solid color). It really lets you layer on the details. The glazing medium can be flat, satin or gloss.