Monthly Recap and Re-focus worksheet for Artists
At the start of every month I fill out a little worksheet. It helps me in tracking my finances, studio time and project allotments, but more importantly it gives me time to check in with myself and my practice and make sure I’m pointed in the right direction.
It started as scribbles in my studio journal, which then morphed into a separate sheet like the Art Planner Page downloadable here (which I use to manage the day-to-day aspects of my life in the studio.) After several iterations to change the layout and flow of the worksheet I think I’ve whittled it into a form that could be helpful for other artists too.
How I Use the Worksheet:
I fill it out in two stages; the first taking place at the beginning of the month as I look toward the future, and the second stage happens at the end as I recap and recenter.
I begin with an opening thought for the month. This is a free space for me to record my thoughts and feelings as I look toward the coming weeks, write down projects I’m excited for, or muse about ideas I want to work with.
After that I try to distill my top 3 goals for that month, art and non-art.
Then I go through the numbers, noting my finance goals, money coming in and out, website visitors, email subscribers, social accounts…etc. I fill these out twice, once at the beginning of the month and then I follow-up at the end of the month as well, noting change and seeing how close I am to meeting my financial goals.
Finally, at the end of the month I enter in a closing thought. This can be something I’m really proud of during the last few weeks, something I want to change for the next month or just a story that sticks with me. This is my time to say goodbye to the previous month and sum it up in a way that might be meaningful for the future.
If anyone is interested in using it for your purposes feel free to download it here! (PDF, will print at 8.5 x 11)
Feel free to manipulate it and change it to suit your practice, I’d love to see if it’s at all helpful for you!
Studio Intentions with the New Ensō Collection from Pilot Pen
(Thank you to Pilot Pen for kindly sponsoring this post! All opinions are honest & completely my own. I never work with a sponsor or product that I don’t love. <3 )
On most days I can be found working to balance multiple painting projects, a commission or two, website updates, art event planning, house remodeling adventures… things can get a little chaotic here relatively quickly. To combat the pull of the messy, paint-y abyss I keep a studio planner and strictly manage my time, but that only covers the physical, actionable parts of the tasks and goals I have set.
One of my goals for 2019 was to work on visualizing the emotional, bigger picture, intangible and abstract responses to the day as well. In the same way I would brainstorm and examine how to tackle a project, brainstorm and examine my hopes and plans for my painting practice.
So I started recording my studio-intentions.
I mean ‘intention’ here in the way a yoga instructor might; these non-concrete thoughts that embody the ideals for the day, week, year or beyond with essences that I can reach for and visualize. These serve as a reminder that though there are physical steps to complete projects, frame of mind is just as important. Some are solitary words, some are short sentences. What matters is how I connect with and reference them throughout the day.
So when Pilot Pen reached out to me about working together, I knew exactly how I would use their new Ensō Collection of Watercolor Brush Pens.
The kit features 7 super vivid and precise felt tipped pens (black, brown, red, orange, blue, pink, green) and a black pen with a very long brush tip for sweeping lines and shapes. Using these with varying amounts of pressure I can create a number of different lines, exploring and defining the nature of the word, learning from it and emblazoning it on my practice for the day. I’m able to just play and create knowing the pen is going to give me amazing control and beautiful color.
The pens write beautifully and effortlessly, letting me focus on the design and nature of the word. I record these in a number of different sketchbooks; scribbled on top of old paintings, hidden in the margins, wrapped around sketches and the rich, vibrant ink allows the words to stand out in the chaos. The fine-tip allows me to be precise when I want to create fine lines, while applying a bit of pressure helps to create bold, broad lines.
Using the Watercolor Brush Pens as my tools for these intentions has become a little bit of a ritual at this point. Get into the studio, make coffee, find a good sunbeam (or comfortable spot by a plant) and use the Ensō Collection Watercolor Brush Pens to design the intangible goals for the day.
Again, big thanks to Pilot Pen for sponsoring this post, these new pens were fast favorites of mine. Do you have a practice of recording your studio intentions? Do you also love writing out words with really beautiful pens? Leave me a message, I’d love to see how you work these into your practice.
Opening Night at Miss Kim
Today’s the day!
I’ve been planning, painting and prepping for this show since October and I’m so excited the the opening night at Miss Kim is finally here.
My list for the morning’s preparations….
Here we go!
Water Anthem in it’s new home for the month.
Hand-crafted cocktail from the bar to match ‘Blush Response’
It was an amazing night. I was so grateful to be able to meet so many new people, talk with old friends and see my family surrounded by paintings that are very close to my heart.
Thanks so much to everyone who came out and made it as magical as it was <3
My work will be up throughout the month with sold pieces rotating out for new paintings - so if you haven’t stopped by make sure to check it out!
DIY wedge tool!
One of my favorite tools to work with is the rubber wedge. These come in all sorts of shapes and sizes and from a myriad of different brands (for some of my favorites head over to my Amazon page!) but sometimes the mark I need to make is so specific, that I have to form my own.
For this I bought a pack of stamp backs, put a new blade in my exacto knife and got to carving.
Follow along below to make your own!
Materials;
Rubber carving blocks. (I used these)
Exacto knife, or carving tools.
Cutting mat to protect your table (I use old magazines)
Pen
Step 1: Plan your stamps.
Make a few sketches of the marks you want to make with your wedge to determine where your cuts need to be. Or don’t - and just start cutting, sometimes not knowing what a tool will do produces some really cool marks.
Step 2: Cut!
Start cutting into the rubber. As you can see, I am not a master of clean, careful cuts. Thankfully rubber is forgiving. You can decide at this point if you want to keep each wedge it’s own mark, or combine different types of marks on one wedge. I did a bit both, making a wedge where all four sides produced a different effect, and making a few that were dedicated to particular pattern.
Step 3: Test your new wedges!
Try them out with a few consistencies of paints, thicker paints will act very different than thinner and will give you relatively varied marks.
If you make some I’d totally love to see what you come up with! Leave me a message here or get in touch via Instagram.
<3 <3
Testing out Viviva Colorsheets
(( This is not a sponsored review, this is just me making a few color swatches and sharing the info <3 ))
I make a lot of work while on the go. Whether that’s an adventure abroad, or a coffee shop down the street I paint a fair amount outside the confines of my little studio and need small(ish) supplies to be able to do so.
And so, I am constantly on the look out for materials that will travel with me; tucked away inside a backpack or in a back pocket.
I had seen a few ads for these watercolor colorsheets from Viviva and found myself intrigued - but cautious. I’ve tried a few portable-themed watercolor paints that seemed great in theory, but didn’t really perform up to my standards, so I wasn’t overtly hopeful as I placed my order.
The colorsheets shipped from India and so took a little while to arrive (so keep that in mind if you order a pack for yourself!) but when they did I found myself getting more excited about trying these out. Slightly larger than a business card, these could bypass my backpack storage and go straight to my pencil case. That was an interesting thought.
How pretty is this rectangle of Viridian?
On trying them out, I was surprised. I expected patchy color, or a LOT of water application to loosen the pigments. Not the case. The brush glided across the surface and picked up SO. MUCH. PAINT.
In between each sheet is a page of wax paper, this is to keep the wet colors from sticking together (though it is recommended to allow each to dry before closing the book) and really enjoyed flipping through the pages. Some of the colors are so different from how they appear on the brush due to their concentration, it’s a bit magical to watch.
I made my swatches, noting how often I had to refresh my water due to the potency of the pigment. Definitely not what I was expecting.
I don’t know how long they will last, though I will continue to use these sheets and update here when I run out of a color. I also don’t know much about the archivability of the pigment, I wonder if a bit of added of water might make them run off the paper once painted? But for a small set to sketch with, these work really well. And the fact I can keep them in my pencil case and not even need an additional bag - even better!
What do you think of these? If you try them out I’d love to know how they work for you!