One Can Never Have Too Much Color In Their World!

Beginning a new color palette and squeezing out dabs of fresh Holbein Acryla Gouache makes my creative being smile in all directions. I was delighted to see the heart appear in the upper right!

Aug 26, 2024

Masterson’s Sta-Wet Palette Filled With Holbein Acryla Gouache

I highly recommend getting one of these for your studio, especially if you use acryla gouache or acrylics. Your paints will not dry out for a couple weeks!

Here’s a simple tip to keep your palette usable for a couple weeks.

Use a spray bottle to spritz your paper inside the palette with a very light coat of water daily. This keeps it moist and ready for the next day’s project.

Elephant Vase On The Move Via Cat With Pup Passenger

I painted this whimsical sketchbook page using the colors in the palette above. The cat on wheels just brings a big smile as does the pup happily tucked in the vase to get a ride!

Creating a theme for a series of sketches is a fun challenge. I decided to try doing a group of vases being moved by different wheeled characters. Every time I begin sketching, I flip through the pages painted so far and let a random idea flow onto the paper. Erasing is allowed and embraced. This design is my favorite so far!

Hand Carving A Catapillar Stamp Design Demonstration

Practice, Practice, And More Practice

Imperfections are important to embrace with hand-carved stamps, especially if you are an irregular carver like me. I really enjoy making these and they are always a reminder that everything does not need to be perfectly represented from your sketch.

In college, I was trained to render textile illustrations in gouache that had to be perfect for scanning. Computers with quick fixes did not exist and you spent very long hours creating your projects from sketch to final art. I have completely flipped from this mindset and now love making imperfect art of all kinds.

Coco Carved Stamp Collection

I pulled some of my favorite stamps out of my drawers to share the above page with you. Time to go carve another one!

Hey, would you be interested in seeing this design offered as a t-shirt or tote bag? My website will soon have a shop, and you’ll be the first to know about this exciting event!

Wing A Things Sketchbook Page Doodles

Doodle Cat Bee Character Sketch To Color

I have wanted to explore taking some of my sketchbook doodle characters and translating them into color art. For the next few weeks, I’ll be sharing a black and white doodle tranformed into a colorful character in this newsletter. The hardest part of this will be deciding which doodles to use.

For this art, I worked on an 8” X 10” illustrations board using Holbein Acryla Gouache and Carandache Neocolor II Aquarelle pastels.

Coco Studio Happenings Board

This is not a traditional mood board, so I’ve changed the name and direction. A format like this frees up my ability to include all the different things I have to share with you around the studio. If you have questions or want more information, please ask me by leaving a comment. I’m happy to pass along whatever I know and maybe inspire you to try something new.

My Favorite Daily Walk View of Mount Rainier

I love to walk and try to get 3 - 4 miles in every day. Beauty and awe are treasures to seek out in our lives no matter how large or small. I’m always looking around to find gems in the most unexpected places.

My sense of humor could not resist sharing a photo of this gas station moment! This perfectly juxtaposes the view photo and shows how my mind skips around. I appreciate creativity in signage!

I would love to see any signage fun from you. Once you start looking, they are everywhere.