Originally, this was a post celebrating the final days of this 100 painting gouache challenge. But life stepped in and crushed me with the loss of my dogs. I did continue to paint, but it was sporadic and difficult. It was an attempt to add structure and routine back in my life with only marginally…
Author: Amber
Rest in Peace
I’m utterly devastated. I’ve been debating wether or not to make this post. I’ve waffled back and forth about it for weeks and ultimately decided that I need to. There is no easy way to say this. An unthinkable tragedy has claimed the lives of my dogs. They were just babies and gone too soon….
Days of Gouache – Week 16
After a brief break, I’m finally getting back into the groove of daily painting. I’ve been silent on instagram this week, but that doesn’t mean that I haven’t been painting. It can be stressful to post to social media several times a week and I really needed the break. I jumped back in with the…
Days of Gouache – Week 15
Not much in the way of painting happened this week. After the super busy week I had last week, this week has been a recovery week. I finished up this semi abstract painting on black paper and it turned out way better than I thought it would. It is also the largest gouache painting I’ve…
Days of Gouache – Week 14
My original goal was a simple 30 day challenge which I completed back in May. I wasn’t ready to stop painting at 30 days though so I kept going. 83 days in I finally took a break. This week I was really busy with work and family obligations so when it came time to paint…
Days of Gouache – Week 13
Week 13. What can I say? I’m still painting most days and there are only two pages left in my current sketchbook. I considered for a while of putting together another sketchbook, but I’ve been wanting to paint larger so I’m going to paint on loose sheets of paper for a while. I’m not sure…
Days of Gouache – Week 12
I seriously can’t believe I’ve been painting daily for 12 weeks. Even more, I’ve finished 75 paintings in 79 days. It all started with a 30 day challenge and grew from there. Before this challenge I hadn’t ever even used gouache. I barely knew what it was. Thick watercolor? And then I started using it….
Days of Gouache – Week 11
It has been getting progressively more difficult to find reference photos that inspire me. The more I paint, the more picky I’ve been getting about what makes a decent reference photo. Ideally, I want an interesting/exaggerated perspective, strong lighting and a close up on the face. That isn’t always available to me though so I…
Days of Gouache – Week 10
This week and the end of last week I as forced to slow down with my daily paintings. I was babysitting my niece for a few days and it is nearly impossible to paint while watching a toddler as I’m sure many of you with young kids understand. I still painted every day and took…
Days of Gouache – Week 9
This week I finished filling up my sketchbook. This is the first time I’ve ever filled up any sketchbook so I’m really proud of myself. The final painting in that sketchbook didn’t turn out as well as I would have hoped, but I was distracted that day and really not feeling my reference photo. I…
Days of Gouache – Week 8
I have some exciting news. I sold three paintings this week and dibs have been called on seven more. Instead of calling it a profit though I will have roughly broke even on all of the gouache supplies I’ve bought. I’m definitely still calling it a win. I’d much rather break even than go into…
Days of Gouache – Week 7
I’m still here, still painting. There are only nine pages left in my sketchbook, but I’m still not sure I’m finished with these daily paintings. I bought some toned paper that I’m dying to try out as well as some cotton paper. I’ve been using some cheap Canson paper and it has worked well for…