i absolutely loved seeing your more expressive art! i look at your realistic animal portraits as a benchmark to how much i need to grow. but seeing your personal style with a lot of typography is so endearing 💜
As a person with multiple chronic illnesses I’m still following strict Covid protocols so I have experienced increased anxiety, exhaustion, pain. As a result I’ve experienced creative block more frequently for the past several years. I really love that you share with us how you felt when painting! You’ve inspired me to start making art regularly again, and I love the idea of painting my mood. Thanks so much!❤
I want to thank you for sharing the journal sketchbooks. Those are very personal, even if you only shared the pages you felt more comfortable sharing, but they were fascinating and beautiful. I've personally lost a lot of my painting habits, probably because of my steady job that I've gained (yay for money, less yay for the lack of free time and energy), but I'm slowly getting back on the horse. Seeing this wonderful collection of different pieces and sketchbooks is very inspirational, and I've started branching out into gouache (after years of clinging to just watercolour), so the addition of a new medium is also helping me find motivation and new joy. My final thing that is helping me get back on it is my friends. They live in different countries, but sometimes, when everyone has the time, they go "let's hang out on discord and paint together". It's the best motivation I could ask for, and a wonderful time. Anyway, yes. Thank you Denise. I can't wait to see whatever comes next for your channel, your videos will always be a joy and inspiration 💖
That's wonderful to hear! Discord has literally been a huge factor in keeping me grounded and connected these past years. My D&D and art friends are on there, and it's wonderful to be able to check in regularly! I love that you have art hangouts 🥰
I love both the painting advice you offer on your channels, ans the peaceful inspiration to relax and be kind to yourself. In the last few years, the accumulation of big panini, extra work and responsibilities, mounting chronic pain have led me to burnout. Taking up watercolor has been an incredible way to focus on myself. take time to heal, and reduce stress. I am thankful for your channel; you are a lovely human and I love that you address mental health issues in connection with art :)
I started learning to paint during the lockdowns here in Australia, which is when I discovered you. My absolute favourite thing that I’ve painted is the rhino from your Skillshare class. Thank you for all the wonderful content you bring to us :)
Beautiful video and sketchbooks, Denise. You were so brave in sharing things created during the hardest times... that's bold! I think the first nude you did, in the full panel, tarot card style is my favorite. It represents such a turning point in your life and even in the subject matter you were doing. And it turned out beautifully! Continuing to cherish the opportunity to see your work unfold and grow. 🌺
Thank you so much, Kristi! I'm so glad you liked that one. I definitely flubbed some of the surrounding elements, but I really surprised myself with the woman! It was definitely an empowering moment 🥰
I was painting while watching so will have to watch again sometime to really catch them all, but I really like the hawk one with the feathers and the great blue heron at the end!
Thank you for sharing your Sketchbooks. I remember the horrible that storm of 2021 & it was a nightmare for the entire state. Your waxwing’s paintings remind me of their annual migration even reaching H-Town. I’m 6 weeks post knee replacement and understand going through a dark place in creatively. I can’t even knit which is usually my go to when I’m having trouble concentrating. I know it will pass.
I loved this entire video! The dark one you showed us, with the deer, it conveyed so much emotion. It was the best punch in the gut. I felt very moved, in the best of ways, by it, in the way great art seems to have this unique capacity to do, in my opinion. Thank you for sharing with us, and for being personal!
Thank you so much, Hannah. I'm really glad you enjoyed that piece. I don't even remember conceptualizing it, honestly. I just remember finishing it. It would be nice to explore that concept in a larger piece sometime.
@@InLiquidColor Well, if you ask me, I don't believe there's necessarily a need to conceptualise something in order to express what we experience. Sometimes, I want to guess, it might be better not to, because we don't always know in the moment what where going through. Those are the moments where art just fills a gap for me, because it can be a visual representation of emotion without labels. Well, would you look at that! That's the most philosophising I've ever done in a RU-vid comment regarding art! ☺️🙈 I would love to see you explore it more!
I love how you're not afraid to say that you're still learning, practicing, and taking classes with other creators! and thank you for your honesty with depression art breaks-- I definitely do that too!
Love the tour! I think my3 favorites in order: 1. Vulture. Spectacular! 2. 15 Stroke Chickens! 3. Eyes! Love seeing you post! The last few years have been a blur for me. I am getting out my creativity through crafting rather than arting. Arting has been reduced to pencil sketches as I came to realize one fine inktober that inking ruins everything! So I am reduced to drawing the things that make me happy usually tiny florals and insects. Crafting on the other hand has become far more expressive and expansive.
Great to hear from you, too Kitarra! I've definitely gotten more crafty lately too, and reflecting over my journals has also spurred me into sketching these last couple days. Here's to hoping I can stick with it! Wishing you all the best as well :)
Wow! I'm blown away by your sketchbook spreads! The emotional one with the deer is so moving and the gouache birds spread has particularly gorgeous colors. Ahhh so many beautiful pages AND I need to pull out my poscas again! I'm so honored to have been part of your creative journey 🥲
I need to paint so much more! 😊 It's so fun to look back on art work. Thanks for sharing! Definitely inspires me to get going. I pretty much didn't paint for a year 😭. Moving is so stressful but I'm finally settling in and will be painting much more soon. 🥳
Hi Denise! Thank you for sharing these wonderful paintings with us! I love the variety of subjects and am inspired by your addition of different backgrounds and media. I have been very artistically unproductive since the start of the pandemic but have recently started to get back into painting again after a very experimental (and fun!) Inktober challenge. Now I feel like all I want to do is draw and paint so have started the 100 heads challenge. Hope you are keeping well. Sarah 😊
Now I understand why I had to allocate some special time for this video... I thought I was prepared, on a calm, sunny Saturday morning with my cup of coffee, but no. I was not ready for your art to make me so emotional to the point of crying. I cried of joy, relief, pain, fear, hope and feelings that I don't even know the names for. So thank you very much for putting your feelings into art so I can relate and feel and take inspiration from. Thank you from the bottom of my heart, and I wish you what I wish for myself: light, so we can get to the other side safely. Much success!
Renata 🥺 I'm so sorry to make you cry, but I'm so glad you enjoyed the artwork. It's been some rough years in here, and I wish all the best for you as well!
Your watercolor portraits are so well done and so are the figure studies. I'm really glad you shared those. I have learned so much from your videos and Skillshare courses. I always look forward to your videos.
We have cedar waxwings that migrate through yearly, and they love a certain tree with red berries. But in the spring when they come, the berries are often fermented, and they can end up getting drunk and chilling on the ground for a bit. :P
I find it oddly poetic how the last painting you did before the 2021 winter storm was a llama and then the sketchbook you chose after your art break features a llama logo on the cover. These paintings were beautiful, especially the tarot inspired ones. Those were definitely my favourite and I'd love to see more of your interpretation of the cards in the future if you ever get around to doing more!
Great sketchbook tour! Love seeing your art! Take your time with your art, and everything. Self care is really important 💚 Im soo glad you are here : )
Hullo Denise I am just so happy that you have posted this video. You are truly inspirational and very relaxing to listen and watch. I am excited for you and your exploration of different subjects, I hope you continue but please feel no pressure to share if your not comfortable doing so. I have never completed a sketchbook, not in over 50 years! I believe that RU-vid has changed the approach to what a sketchbook is and should be! I am glad that you are hopping about and sharing what you choose! I encourage you to keep working on imagery that brings joy to your life. I counted my in progress artworks last weekend, the number is 22. I truly believe that I need more time to work on rather than create new projects! I honestly don’t know how artists that post videos and Instagram posts actually create and finish them! I have a new opaque watercolor palette that excited me to start painting another project! Thank you for sharing everything you have In this video. Please take care and keep the joy of painting in your life. Happy painting to you Denise!
The Panini actually kickstarted my art revival after I'd not drawn anything for 4 years, and since 2020 I've filled 10 sketchbooks and working on 6 more lol. Your watercolor videos helped with a majority of them as I've learned so much from you about pigments and what I like in a watercolor palette, so I thank you very very much.
It was fun seeing many of the postcards I have up around my house show up in your sketchbooks. All my sketchbooks look more like your art journal book, I do abstracts like 90% of the time and honestly a lot of it is mark making as self soothing. Actually I’m big into neurographic art these days, it’s super simple but then you can embellish it a million ways. So it’s become a go to when I don’t have an idea.
What a wonderful ride this video is! I love your explorations and emotions, so thank you for sharing them with us. I know you enjoy doing animals, but you are so talented in the human face and form, which we all know is so difficult. I can't wait til the next SB tour, which may be a few years from now, but so worth the wait! I hope that you are doing well where you are now. ❤
Fingers crossed it won't be years! I've talked about this in other videos, but I definitely struggle with drawing (vs painting), and I think that's what has deterred me from painting more people. I don't know why in my head it's fine to trace an animal reference but not a human 😆 but that's just silly. Anyhoo, definitely a goal of mine this year is to explore that more!
I recently got into watercolor and found your channel. Digging through your tutorials and pigments spotlights are so much fun! I followed your palette tour and collected my own White Nights palette (because, well, it didn't become a standalone episode). Anyway, thank you so much for this compilation!
Thank you, Norin! There will be an update on BbB on the channel soonish. I'm finishing them as blog posts on Patreon! I'm glad you were able to put together your own collection :)
These look amazing! I'm happy to see that those white feathers became a bit of a motif in your sketchbooks, I think they look beautiful. Would you ever consider doing a final piece with them? I think that would look really nice :-)
This was such a beautiful walkthrough, thank you for sharing! I loved your interpretation of the tarot cards, especially the first Star card. Was the otter with the cup from the White Sage Tarot? It so adorable😍! My other personal favorite spread was of the cedar waxwings. They are some of my favorite birds. They’re so fun to watch and listen to.
Thank you for sharing. My art practice over the last couple years has become more consistent. I had a few major life issues and coupled with Covid had an easier time doing art and art adjacent things. Shockingly Ive been good at maintaining it thus far. Hippos are amazing. 100% herbivores and kill 500+ humans a year just because they can.
I LOVE that you did the Star of the tarot. I use tarot with creatives, especially writers, when coaching them. They are so great for inspiration and more. Love what you did with the Star. So fun to see the different work. Love the nudes, too. What decks were you using for your sketches?
Thank you for sharing your art with us! My birthday is next month and I think I’m going to get one or all of your DaVinci palettes and a couple months of skillshare.
Hi Denise This is completely off this post subject matter, but I am really hoping you see this comment. Have you tried mixing M.Graham PG7 PY150 PO48 They create a very luminous SAP GREEN 😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊 I wish I could figure out how to send you a picture. This combination is much more vibrant than M. Graham Sap Green. Hopefully, you will find it closer to your beloved Daniel Smith Sap Green.
Love this sketchbook tour video. But my goodness, you have like the perfect voice for RU-vid videos. You probably have a separate career waiting for you in voiceover work. Just saying. Cheers and take care! :)
