gelatos Archives - Peony and Parakeet

Art Supplies I Should Not Use Anymore

Päivi — Wed, 30 Jul 2025 11:40:50 +0000

When I look at my art supplies, there are many that just take up space and don’t bring me joy anymore. Recently, I have tried to use them up, but one crayon, for example, can last a long time. Maybe I should just stop using them and give them away? This blog post is a […]

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Using Up Old Crayons

Päivi — Thu, 22 May 2025 15:12:33 +0000

This week, we use up those old crayons: oil pastels, soft pastels, Faber & Castell Gelatos, Derwent Artbars … whatever you happen to have! This piece is made of Faber & Castell Gelatos and oil pastels. I used oil pastels a little more than gelatos. The paper is thick mixed-media paper. You can see in-progress […]

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Art Supplies and Emotions

Päivi — Thu, 09 Mar 2023 10:17:30 +0000

This week, we ponder what kind of feelings and emotions our art supplies raise in us. Do you remember these small paintings from a few weeks ago? I now got the fourth one finished, and I couldn’t resist taking a photo of them together. These are only 6 by 6 inches, and the small size […]

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Intuitive Painting with a Reference Image

Päivi — Thu, 22 Feb 2018 17:51:31 +0000

Intuitive painting with a reference image – can it be possible? Let me show you how! Here’s a painting from my sketchbook. It’s called “Madama Butterfly.” My reference image was this Renaissance painting called “Flora” by Tiziano Vecellio, 1515-1520. I took the photo last summer when visiting Uffizi Gallery, Florence, Italy. There are very little […]

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Passion for Color? – Try This Method!

Päivi — Thu, 04 Jan 2018 15:27:09 +0000

Create a color-focused art journal page! You can choose as many supplies as you want but just one color! Step 1 – Pick Your Color! What color speaks to you today? Red, blue, yellow, green, brown, black … Pick any that you feel drawn to! Collect the art supplies that you have in that color! […]

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Mixed Media Sketchbook as a Tool for Self-Discovery

Päivi — Thu, 28 Dec 2017 18:25:17 +0000

This week, I am talking about using a mixed media sketchbook or an art journal in a new way. Mixed Media Sketchbook – Watch the video! Bloom and Fly! – Set Your Goals and Start Creating! My community Bloom and Fly is for all who want to start and keep on creating. You can get […]

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How to Make Your Art More Captivating

Päivi — Wed, 13 Dec 2017 13:13:34 +0000

Captivating is a big word, but I like to explore it from many angles. In this blog post, I give you six tips with examples. The first two are more related to the process of creating art than to the result. I believe that if the process itself doesn’t captivate, it’s less likely that the […]

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Lazy Art Journaler? – Try This Method!

Päivi — Tue, 28 Nov 2017 14:51:35 +0000

Do you keep an art journal or a sketchbook? Are you struggling to find your motivation for filling it regularly? Try this method, geared for a lazy art journaler and for those who have big creative blocks! “How to” for a Lazy Art Journaler 1) Create one small area at a time like you were […]

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Consistency and How to Get Inspired by It

Päivi — Fri, 07 Jul 2017 10:01:38 +0000

When artists say that they need to focus and find their style, a big part of the problem is the lack of consistency. To me, “consistent” used to be a negative word meaning “boring,” “predictable,” and even “unimaginative.” But during the recent years, I have realized that there can be a lot of freedom in […]

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From Decorative to Expressive Art

Päivi — Tue, 27 Oct 2015 14:36:07 +0000

Last Friday, I traveled two hours by train to a yarn shop at Tampere. Not just to purchase new yarn, but to meet a famous knitting pattern designer Stephen West who had been invited to Finland. While I was attending his workshop, I was excited by the knits he showed and the stories he told. There were silent moments. […]

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How to Mix Colors?

Päivi — Mon, 18 Aug 2014 12:00:57 +0000

Here’s an art journaling page that I made to show you the gentleness of pastels and the strength of muted, darker shades. I often see art journaling pages that have a potential to be awesome, only if the color palette would be more unified! Meaning: only if the artist would have mixed the colors instead of […]

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