My blush "love" pattern collection. I also have a love for all things party and shower related. At some point I will throw a shower with napkins and plates with this collection (even if I have to print it myself). Not to mention the wrapping paper. Luckily I have many years before my 8 and 12 year old daughters or teenage nieces are ready for a bridal shower.

She who always has a song in her heart will always dance.

Music inspires my little one and she inspires me. If there is a melody anywhere around her little body is moving. I had a neat experience as I painted this one. I decided I would listen to her music as I painted. When one particular song came on, "A Million Dreams", and I stopped painting Avery, I started to make her dance. I've painted her, now how do I make her dance?

Just thought I would share my latest collection. This will be turned into notecards for the little shop that carries my work. And hey, they only have two left in stock! I need to contact them to refill their box.

This will also be part of a fabric collection. Spoonflower launched a new bedding product. So, one of these images will be selected for the contest. I think it’s called “neutral bedding.” And because I want to treat myself, it’s going to be my new bedding. At least part of will be my sheets and throw pillows.

Then society 6 products will carry the prints as well. Loving the wheat for a tumbler and the cotton field for a tote

I painted solid background in the gray, aqua, and blush. I’ll add some to the paintings in photoshop. Not sure which ones I’ll put with the floral elements. I wanted to paint the backgrounds on with the florals, but it is so much easier to change things when a blank background.

And hey, did y’all know you could use white to make a great flesh tent in watercolors? Who knew. I have not used the white before. All this time wasted!

Have my website started. Still need to go through with a few suggestions you guys gave me. Started a Society6 shop and sold two mugs. It’s the little things, right. Need to upload a bunch more stuff to that site. Printed a bunch of cards for Teaher gifts and a fundraiser auction. Thought it would be a good time to snap a few pictures to eventually put on the website in the “shop” section. Yay. And entered a few Spoonflower’s this month. Got 36 votes for the feather pattern from people I don’t know. Wanted to see how well it would do without asking people on Instagram and Facebook to vote..

Just trying to move the needle a little at a time.

Who doesn't love a cupcake? But what if they are even better than expected? What if, there was a hidden surprise of yummy unexpected goodness?!?!?!? An ingredient that you never knew would taste so magical in a cupcake. Or a birthday sprinkle confetti surprise. What about finding out the type of little bundle that you will be bringing into the world? Cupcakes can hold such sweet little treasures. After all, they are a cake that fits in a cup.

Mermaid Toile (fabric pattern). Finished! My little kidlettes as mermaids. It was a blast imagining them as mermaids. What would they be doing. Can't wait to get my bag all printed up for the pool. They may swim like mermaids, but they still need their goggles!

There are many of you guys that are so stinking amazing! I want you guys to create books, stories and comics that I can read to my children. Even ones that they can fall in love with on their own. I have been wrestling for the past year of wanting to have more time to create my work, to get better, and really give this art thing a "go." Learning more about the business side and all the other information found here make that dream more real than ever. It being more real makes it harder to feel trapped in my current position in life.

Please don't take this post as winning. Or one of those "oh, I wish I had that problem." This is just what I am slowly realizing with my work and myself as an artist. Think of "national women's day." This is my choice as a woman and don't go all feminist on me please.

I am a stay at home mom. I have 4 kids from ages 11-4. None of them took a bottle. That meant sleepless nights for mostly me. My husband works hard. Extremely hard. (as many of you all do). With his high demand job our home rolls aren't exactly 50/50. He swoops in for playtime after all the homework and after school things are done. and I wake up and get them all ready in the morning. Dr apps, allergy shots, carpool, practices, that's all me. He provides a good living for our family. I don't "need" to work and earn extra for our family to be comfortable and enjoy a few of the extra fun things. I will not put my husband's job and our families financial security for my personal self fulfillment.

Then there is a beast inside that needs to make things. As an artist that wants to work, have validation it is SO hard to not be jealous of those that have nothing but time to prefect and poor into their work and promote. I felt so bitter for a while that I had to give up something I wanted so badly all my life and that my artistic growth was stunted because I had no creative energy when I was pregnant and nursing babies and chasing toddlers.

Then my heart began to soften. Stupid time-hops on Facebook with my work and trying to dig up something on pinterest and finding work from 5 years ago. The straw that broke the camel's heart was a visit to my brother's house. One that recently moved back to a drivable distance. I saw the work spanning two decades. Work that I had forgotten I even made. Good work. Work that I was proud of. I never stopped making work. I have always created things for the people I love. That candle of creativity has always burned bright. No, not much money has exchanged hands over the past 15 years. But a lot of love has. Work that I tried my best on. That gave my full heart in creating.

So, if your paycheck hasn't come in yet. PEASE DON'T STOP MAKING WORK YOU ENJOY DOING! Don't stop sharing it with your friends and family. Hopefully, if you need to feed your family, the right people will see your work. I know there are so many of you I am dying to get in my library. I mean that with the most sincere part of my heart. You guys are brilliant. I "real" people in your life love your work (not just the hearts and likes and up-votes), even if you create it as much as you wish.

As one of the original painting tutorial man use to say, "Happy Painting."

“I can't think of anything more rewarding than being able to express yourself to others through painting. Exercising the imagination, experimenting with talents, being creative; these things, to me, are truly the windows to your soul.”

This month’s challenge I’m going to make a pattern collection. I envision it being for a wedding or a bridal shower. Just trying to make a “lovely” collection. Maybe I’ll even mock up plates and cocktail napkins. I know for sure it will be turned into a note card set for Mother’s Day. So- here is the start.

@Chip-Valecek okay. Been thinking about it for a little bit I have a few other ideas. I would love to see your art hero’s. I think the project would be the dream portfolio. Who are your art hero’s that are working in the market currently? There is a Skillshare class I watched on licensing. I can’t remember what it is. Go into your hot topic and Spencer’s and look who manufactures that stuff. Scratch that. Just show us who your hero’s are that are similar in style. Maybe do some master studies of their work.

Look outside the svs community to see if there is someone who could be a mentor. I think offering to pay for a portfolio look and a conversation is something that would help. Someone who knows that niche of the industry.

Make a product. Go to a place where they would sell said product. Your horror paintings would make a nice book. Your inktobers. Christmas is cute. I would pass on the Christmas collection. Maybe a compilation of monthly contests? I don’t know. Find who buys your stuff and make stuff. Or something. You need more people looking at your work in your niche. To buy and to give feedback. You base too much of your value on svs monthly contests. Give yourself more table legs!

Your people are there, find them!!!!!!!! You know i love surface design and stationary. My work certainly doesn’t fit into story telling. But These classes still are really well done. I don’t way stop learning from them. I feel last inktober really changed things for me and my direction. Your inktobers would be great for those hydro flask sk sk ssskkk and stickers.

Good luck! But don’t leave us either!

@davidhohn I’m doing it again at 2:00 tomorrow. I did it everyday this week. It’s been a blast. My business page is “Whitney’s Art Spot.” Didn’t get a chance to fix all my Facebook stuff this week. I haven’t used that part of Facebook in forever! It seemed like the simplest way for people to find me. At least my community people. I have gotten a lot more traffic. People in my community were excited about it that I hadn’t even heard of. And we are a small group!

I haven’t painted with all my kids before. Here and there I paint with them, but all together at the table is new for us. Even if that’s all that comes of it, then it has been a win! My friends send me pictures of their kids’ paintings. It’s awesome!

@davidhohn thanks so much for sharing. I’ll work some of these into the schedule! And... I’m not as cool as them, but I’m painting live on Facebook everyday with my kids too. Coolest thing to have all the kids send my pictures of their work!

@Coley @uzma I tried to copy the link but didn’t know how to do that. On my Facebook page “whitney’s Art spot” there’s a live video. Click on that one.

It was awesome!!! Talk about broadening your fanbase! Not to mention it was super fun with my kids. If I can add a little bit of humor and fun to this crazy situation I would feel awesome! My 14 year old nephew did it too!!! Totally surprise

Hope to go live in a hour! 12:00 eastern standard time. My Facebook is just under my name. I’m going to switch it to my business account after a few days. My profile is public, so anyone should be able to join.

@xin-li I love it! A collaboration piece is a fantastic idea! My friend does this with her boys. Let me think a bit and see if I can remember what I did when I taught preschool. Best of luck to you guys. The world is slowly starting to stop things here in my area.

@Georgios-Christopoulos for sure! You can post the live video so people can watch it later, right? Hope you guys are okay in Greece! We are fine here so far. Things are just starting to stop. Only thing effected is sports for the kids. But the state next to mine has closed the schools. And my husband is going to work from home for a while.

@Coley we absolutely need distractions! Hey, maybe we should start a school with video instructions... jk. I’ll leave that to the big guys. This is just silly fun with my kids.

Okay y’all. I got 4 kids. Our schools aren’t canceled yet. If they are, I’m doing live art lessons for kids. I may still do it because we live on the boarder with a state that is canceled. I know there are already tons of YouTube videos like this, but I figured It would be fun to do with my kids and their friends so why not invite the world!?!?

Ha. Okay. I had to say something about “not all amazing artists make good teachers.” I know of this one couple. The guy may or may not have taught classes at SVS. I did learn TONS! But the guy probably shouldn’t make a living as a personality. Still super guy I’m sure. However, his wife who is an artist... that girl is fabulous. Art is lovely, but she is super nice and is on the tv all the time and huge conferences and Uber entertaining. Not to mention, I’ve asked her random questions over the years and she always responds. We have chatted over DM several times. I wish I knew them in real life, cause their teacher/social media personas are so different.

You guys... glad you realized your chatter was a strength and decided to do a podcast to capture your witty banter. Probably should record your office meetings too. We’d all watch.

@xin-li yes! That’s the best feeling. I got an amazing rejection letter from a gift shop I approached about selling my notecards. It was the swanky artisan gift shop in a super expensive hotel in the mountains of NC. She said my work was lovely, my packaging was nice and suggested a few types of stores that I should try. And that they didn’t have room. So it was maybe even a “not now” rather than a no!

So, great job for coming so far in your book dummy and it being worthy of a solid crit. That is a big win! It’s a good feeling to be headed in the right direction!