So I Enjoy Patterns - Inspiration for Color Palettes

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Self explanatory post. I just wanted to share a selection of beautiful colors and designs (specifically paisley and damask) that I like to surround myself with! If you aren't familiar with my work, I paint a lot of ornate designs, so I like to have great references!

I also included a few of the patterns I really like with some color combos pulled out. I see this a lot in fashion blogs (like one of my favorites Tulip Louise does << here), but it doesn't necessarily have to apply just to fashion. I really enjoy grey added as a neutral in a palette. I pull color inspiration from patterns I like in a lot of my paintings. 

P.S. Check out Colourlovers << here for a great color, pattern and palette resource. SO much fun and very useful! 

Step-By-Step - How I Paint a Cooler

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Hello friends! I thought I'd spice things up and show y'all some steps I go through when I paint. I freehand everything. I never use stencils, tape, etc. I've read a lot of blogs where people use stencils and tape to help guide them, and if you want to try out something like this for yourself, I think that would be a great start! But after many years of practice and hand-eye training, I just wing it! I do often look at photos of things I paint, but when it comes to Razorback stuff, I have it down and committed to memory! 

I start by sketching out rough outlines. I don't use a pencil, but it might help some people. I then fill in the outlines with the most dominant color I need for the design. I finish by adding detail like highlights, shading, decorative frills, etc. I like to jump around from side to side on coolers so I don't get burnt out on one thing. I usually do all the outlining first, then fill in as I go. This cooler is not a really fancy one, but it is a popular design, so it's a great example to show you! Enjoy!

Coming soon: video tutorial clips where you can watch me paint! 

Picture Plug - Featured Photographer

So I am proud to say I am collaborating with an awesome girl, Tara Johnson, who happens to also be an awesome upcoming photographer and designer! She is an undergraduate student in my program, Agricultural Communications. She has an awesome portfolio already and can do just about anything! We decided we wanted to start working together on some projects, mainly just to bounce ideas off each other, learn, network, etc. She's a great gal and I want to give her some added visibility (what little I can) through my blog! Hopefully I will be able to feature some more of her work soon, and our goal is to add her to my facebook page soon too. She is currently developing a portfolio of "alphabet photos" - which she will lay out, print, frame, etc for customers! So cool! She is quite talented, self-motivated and unique! Check out her photography blog to see some of her work, quirky style, and inside her brain.

Hats off to you, TJ!

Self portrait 1, Tara Johnson