Art From This Week
5 Day Challenge
This week we kicked off the From Paint to Pattern 5 Day Challenge, and I’m already so proud of the artists who have been jumping in and making their very first repeat patterns in Photoshop. You can still join and learn for free this month!
Showing students how fun it is to turn art into repeats is one of my favorite things I get to do. Watching that moment happen never gets old!
Insights
Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about how many of the things I dreamed about as a kid have somehow become real.
I make a living as an artist.
I have everything I need.
I am whole.
But it’s not like any of that came easy.
I grew up on food stamps. We lived in Section 8 housing… when we had a home at all. Sometimes we relied on churches for food and resources. There were times I slept at friends’ houses when home wasn’t safe. And both of my parents struggled with mental illness.
When I say that art changed my life, I’m not exaggerating.
My sketchbook carried me through some unstable situations growing up. Drawing gave me somewhere to go when things around me felt uncertain. It gave me hope.
I’ve been pretty open about that part of my story. And yes, today I’m a licensed artist. But none of it happened overnight.
The income I’ve earned hasn’t been passive. Licensing artwork is not easy. It’s come from years of showing up, making work, experimenting, failing, learning, and making more work. Did I mention making more work? Anyone who says anything different is either very lucky or selling you something. Or both.
And that’s the part I want people to understand.
Art didn’t save me because it was easy or magical. It changed my life because I kept returning to it again and again. Over the years, that same process became something I could share with other artists.
This is the kind of relationship with art I hope my students walk away with, too. There’s been a lot of conversation lately about online art courses and “selling the dream.” I’ve tried to be as realistic as possible about what this path actually looks like. Building a licensing career can take a long time. Focus on the art, it is the part that they are buying, anyhow.
Be in love with making the art.
Practice your craft.
Start slow.
If you hold onto those three things, the wait becomes part of the process too. Don’t feel bad if you need to have a day job while you build your art income. It is the SMART thing to do, so that you can make the art without the pressure of money until you get it off the ground.
Sketchbook Prompt: Draw on Toned Paper
I just got these awesome sketchbooks called Ugly Books, and I’m really enjoying them. I love drawing on toned paper because it forces you to work with value and color right off the bat. It makes the whole process feel a little more playful and a little less precious, which helps break that blank page fear some of us feel when staring at an empty white page.
When the paper already has a tone, you’re not starting from nothing. You’re responding to what’s there. Try adding highlights, pushing the shadows darker, and letting the color of the paper do some of the work with you.
Sometimes the smallest shift in materials is enough to get your creativity moving again.
Give it a try this week and see what happens.
What’s Coming
If you’ve been enjoying the 5 Day Challenge this week, or you’re just curious about how this process works, there’s still time to jump in.
I host this free workshop before enrollment each year because I want you to experience my teaching style before committing to anything. During the challenge you’ll create a real repeat pattern in Photoshop and get a feel for how I approach digital tools while preserving the heart of hand-drawn work.
If you decide you’d like to keep going after that, that’s where From Paint to Pattern comes in.
Inside the full class we go much deeper into the process. We explore brushes, texture matching, seamless editing, and how to build pattern collections that feel human and full of story.
The 5 Day Challenge is open through March 27, so you still have plenty of time to try it out.
And if you’re already feeling ready for the next step, From Paint to Pattern is open for enrollment now, with an early bird discount where you can save $100 before March 25.
Wherever you are in the process, I hope you keep making things.
New Products
We are going to be offering our annual QuiltCon FOMO sale next week over at Craftedmoon. Keep your eyes peeled for new goodies!
Sarah
Yes! Thank you for the reminder, Sarah. The art IS the whole point! Also, I love those playing cards. 😍