Take Your Art to a Passionate Level
What Does “Passionate” Mean to You?
This week, I had a free live webinar of how to conquer the excuses and become more passionate about art. I asked what does “passionate” mean to you and then divided it into four categories. After that, I re-phrased five excuses so that you see them from a new perspective. It may sound theoretical, but you also get ideas of how to apply these things in practice as well. I hope you will enjoy watching the recording below!
Take Your Art to a Passionate Level – The Recording of the Webinar
The Exploring Artist Begins on Sept 10 – Sign Up Now!
The Exploring Artist is a 12-week group coaching program for artists, between Sept 10 – Nov 30, 2018. This coaching is for you who wants to get clear about your artistic passion and become more open about your art, for example, share your art in social media, blog about art, sell your originals and prints, teach classes, etc.
In The Exploring Artist, you will get coaching as a part of a small and tight-knit group. I will personally help you to put your passion into words and visual insights. We will work together to discover what you want to change in your art, where you want to move forward and how to do it.
The maximum number of the participants is 12,
and the early-bird sale ends on August 19 (midnight PST), so sign up now!
Recent News and a Sketchbook Tour Full of Ideas!

My short blogging break is over and to celebrate that I have a full sketchbook to show you!
The Last Page of the Sketchbook
This morning, there was one page in my big A3-sized sketchbook that wasn’t finished. It was a very ugly one! Even if I covered it with a layer of dark colors, it didn’t please my eye at all.

But then I got an idea to highlight just some of the elements and paint a young woman on it. At the same time, I had the opportunity to play with the ideas that I am gathering for the new class.

I am often fighting against time when I am creating. When I make videos for the classes, I have only 1-3 hours for each project. My principle is that class videos are for guidance and inspiration and nobody wants to watch me paint for a day or two. Even if I speed up most parts, I usually include so much background information and art theory that I have to limit the time that I spend with painting or drawing. And often for blog posts, I have the same couple of hours even if it’s a bit easier if I don’t record the process or try to build a pedagogical package. So when painting this one, I would have liked to continue for a longer time, but I kept telling myself that the sketchbook is not where you make a detailed painting! Anyway, it’s detailed enough to get the idea.
Foxes and Inspiration from Natural Science
During the summer, foxes seem to have appeared in my art. This one is just a quick graphite drawing, but it’s something that really speaks to me: making new creatures and celebrating the potential and diversity of nature.

Here’s another one with a fox:

This sketchbook page is inspired by the microscopic world, and even if it’s a loose portrait, it also has a fox ear!

I also have a tiny painting in progress that has a fox, but I will show that later in the fall.
Ready for a Sketchbook Tour? – Here We Go!
I have made a quick flip-through video of the full sketchbook. The sketchbook is from Pink Pig. There’s also a glance of the summer’s big project on the video – our Japanese garden!
Plans for the Fall
Here’s what will happen here at Peony and Parakeet during the fall – come along!
1) July-September: Watercolor Journey, you can still sign up, and if you love watercolors this really is the class to take! (When you sign up you will get immediate access to the material provided so far.)
2) Sept 10 – Nov 30: The Exploring Artist – a soul-searching coaching program for any artist who wants to get clear where to head next! There are only 12 seats available so sign up fast!
3) Oct-Dec: a new class with a working title “Portrait Revolution” as a part of my art community Bloom and Fly.
I hope that you have reserved some time for creating and will join me! And as always, the best way to stay up to date is to subscribe to my weekly emails!
Facebook Live Watercolor Painting

Here’s the watercolor painting that I painted yesterday on Facebook Live while chatting away. You can find the recording on Peony and Parakeet’s Facebook page, go to Live Videos!
I had a wonderful audience, and many have posted their versions too in the thread, so it’s definitely worth checking out!
Watercolor Journey begins on July 1st!
My online class Watercolor Journey will begin on Sunday, July 1st. If you want to fall in love with watercolors, you don’t want to miss this class! Sign up here!
Watercolor Video – Filling a Plain Background

Painting with a wet brush on a wet background is a traditional and proven way to start a watercolor painting. But what then? Representational or abstract? Watch the video!
Fill a Plain Background with Watercolors – Watch the video!
Take Yourself on a Picturesque Watercolor Journey
My class Watercolor Journey is especially for you who admires traditional watercolorists but who wants to be more loose and contemporary in your approach.
If you find sketching, perspective painting, careful shadowing and copying boring, but want to learn tips and tricks to let watercolors do half the work for you, you don’t want to miss this class!
Connect the dots between watercolor techniques and your imagination – Sign up for Watercolor Journey!



