How to Draw and Paint a Simple Flower
When I select a flower to draw and paint I look for an interesting shape. If you have light and shadow on the flower to help you see the form, even better. 1. Decide on your subject. This can be the hardest
How to start a travel journal or paint journal or sketch journal
Before I started painting in a journal, I was intimidated about painting something that didn’t turn out, feeling that since it was a permanent page it my journal it better be good. Once I let go of this fear and
How to track your watercolor progress
Sometimes as artists we don’t see our progress because we are too close to what we are creating. So what I recommend is to put up your paintings so when you walk into the room they are at a distance.
What to do when you’re in a creative rut
I’ve been in a creative rut a number of times in my life - it happens to many of us. The deepest rut I found myself in was about 20 years ago and it coincided with a bout of depression
How to take travel photos to paint for later
I used to carry a variety of camera, storage drives, memory cards, and back in the day, rolls of film. Now, it’s so much simpler to just take photos for painting with my small iPhone. When I travel, I can take upwards
Painting En Plein Air – TOP TIPS for Beginners
I remember my first plein air experience, I had way too much stuff. If you pack less, you'll paint more is what I've learned with over 25 years of painting en plein air. Watercolors are the easiest medium to travel
How to Create Simple Watercolor Flowers
Beginner artists sometimes find it daunting to paint flowers. When this happens, I always tell my students to take a deep calming breath start seeing the world in simple shapes. Everything is composed of shapes, so looking at your subject, consider
How to Plan Out a Watercolor Painting
I’m taking you today to Mona, Utah to the site of the Lavender Fields about 40 minutes from my home in Utah. In this lesson I’m sharing how I plan out my watercolor painting—what happens at the beginning of the
Easy Things to Paint for Beginner Artists
I’ve had beginner artists come to me and ask about easy things to paint in watercolors. Most of them are eager to paint but find themselves out of ideas, overwhelmed with too many concepts, or out of inspiration. I tell them
Cindy Briggs Joins Smithsonian Associates Studio Arts’ Instructors Roster
Cindy Briggs makes watercolor paint come alive. For 25 years, she’s been teaching students how to make it sing for them as well. She is one of the latest additions to the roster of gifted artists sharing their talents with