Hello, everyone! I hope you’re staying cool in this lovely August heat we’re having. I wanted to send out a quick update to let you know there will be TWO (Live) Art Journaling Classes this week! (More reason to be inside and enjoying the air conditioning!)
First up, I’ll be at the Indian Rocks Beach Art Center on Thursday, from 1 to 4 pm, to create this long-legged critter in the Beach Treasures series. We’ll work on colorful black and whites as well as water ripples. Don’t miss out!
Black Neck Stilt @ Beach Art Center, Thursday, August 9th, 1 - 4:00 PM

You can find more info here.


Our next class will be on Saturday, August 25th at 9:30 am! Make sure to mark it on your calendar!

Two upcoming classes this week are just chocked full of fun tips, techniques and tricks to get you journaling in no time!

Beach Art Center
The first one is going to be at the Beach Art Center over on Indian Rocks Beach this Thursday, 7/12, from 1 to 4 p.m.

We're going to be painting staghorn coral, learning to incorporate values to create depth, adding in a quote and suggesting texture. Sound like your idea of great way to spend your Thursday afternoon? Come join us! For more info and to register, please go here. Class info is on the right side of the page, midway down!

Keeton's Office & Art Supply
This coming Saturday, July 14th, we're gonna be doing a little (sea) horsin' around! Summer is made for bright, happy colors and this project has them in spades!
The white design over the top along with the bubbles floating in the background really push this over the top and make it lots of fun to create.

We'll be working with making washes interesting by mingling color on the paper as well as how to quickly create the white design with the seahorse's body.

Last, we'll add some lettering to finish the page.

To come and learn how to create your very own seahorse, please click here. Please call Keeton's at 941.747.2995 to register!

Hope to see you there and if not, I hope you're keeping your brushes wet and the pages, full!

Hello again, my friends! I am back from my walkabout. Blogging is something I started years ago because I liked connecting with likeminded friends and artists. It takes a certain mindset—and a lot of work—to post week in and week out for years.


Keeton's Office & Art Supply
June 9, 2018
Keeton's Office & Art Supply
Bradenton, FL
9:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Sea Nettle
Love or hate them, jellyfish are a fact of life if you live at the beach! While sea nettles can be quite dangerous, even deadly, there is no denying their beauty as they float along with ocean’s currents. Capturing the changing colors along with the long tentacles vary in length based on the creatures age. The bell (body) can grow up to over 2 feet in diameter!

Things that show the passage of time like an old tin watering can is one of my very favorite subjects to capture in paint! If it shows a few bangs and dent from daily use, all the better. I've often wondered what tales we'd hear if old tools could talk.

I will be teaching how to capture these lovely beauties this Saturday, April 14th at Keeton's in Bradenton.

These cans might seem like a difficult subject, but they're really not. The patina is quite forgiving and you get to use all the colors in the paint box. If you're worried about the drawing aspect, don't be! You draw only one can and then you move it around and trace on the page two more times.

I hope to see you at Keeton's on Saturday! Please click here for information on how to register!

Maybe I was feeling a bit nostalgic when I created this image or maybe I just wanted to depart from "reality" for a bit, but regardless of the reason, this image looks NOTHING like the photo reference. The photo I used was taken in a large craft store and it featured 3 pastel watering cans on a white wire shelf with big sale tags everywhere.

It takes time to build up experience and courage to create something that doesn't exist. I think it also help to throw in a dash of crazy, as in being crazy enough to not be so invested in the end result that you're not willing to take chances.

I have always found that taking risks with my artwork is what keeps it fresh and exciting. When I get too invested in the final results, I almost always squash my willingness to take chances...and then I wonder, "If I would have done X, would the art be better/strong/more exciting?"

I will be teaching how to draw and paint "Crusty and Rusty Waterin' Cans" at Keeton's on Saturday, April 14th at 9 AM.  Come and join in the fun! 

Creating patinas and rust really isn't a hard thing to do and it allows for all kinds of palette play! You can use just about any color on the palette, but especially in the earth pigments and granulating pigments.

Please click here and scroll down to April 14th for all the info on this class.

I have to admit I was a bit surprised by these sea creatures when I started researching them for the class—they're kinda fun!

Did you know:

• The name "urchin" is an old word that means hedgehog?
• That there are more than 950 species of sea urchins?
• Did you have any idea an urchin could live up to 200 years in the wild?!
• Sea urchins can grow up to as large as 14 inches or be as small as 1.2 inches?
• That their outer shell is called a "test?"
• They they have lots of predators including sea otters, eels, triggerfish and starfish, but their biggest predator is man due to ocean pollution and over harvesting?
• That sea urchins can live in tidal pools as well as up to 16,000 feet below the ocean's surface?

Me either! These sweet little hedgehogs are far more than just pretty shells or sweet meat and they're a delight to create in an art journal.

Come and join me at Keeton's in Bradenton, FL, this Saturday for a super fun class on adding dimensionality to the page.  To learn more, please click here.

Hope to see you there!

Feeling sluggish getting the new year started? Come and join in the fun at one of these classes to help you get back to the joy of creating in your sketchbooks!

Keeton's Office and Art Supply, Bradenton, FL
Saturday, January 13th, 9 am - 12:30 pm

These little, orange balls of sunshine evoke memories in the best of ways! I think in part due to the strong olfactory element and because they're just so darn cute.

Having lived in Florida my entire life and having a host of different citrus at fingertips' reach, I've always taken these fruits for granted. When I first posted the class, I heard some very delightful stories about coming in from the cold and snow to smell these treats sitting in the kitchen as well as the small wooden crates they were shipped in.

Capturing these beauties in our sketchbooks comes down to utilizing not one, but two, white gel pens as well as really working our analogous and complementary palettes. It's gonna be fun, so I hope you'll come and join us this Saturday! For more info, please click here.



Postcards In The Garden, Bok Tower Gardens, Lake Wales, FL
Saturday, January 20th, 9 am - 1 pm

January is right around the corner and what better way to start the year off right than in our sketchbooks with some sweet, orangey fun?!

Clementines seem to hold a special place in many folks' hearts as I've already had several memories and traditions shared with me since announcing this class. In part, I think it has to do with the smell of these sweet jewels that evoke strong memories and thoughts from childhood.

Capturing these on the page require not one, but two, different white gel pens! One is opaque and non-permenant and the there is semi-opaque and very permanent. The combination makes it easy to capture the look of the clementine sections on the paper.

I hope you'll come and join me at Keeton's in Bradenton, Florida, on Saturday, January 13th! Just scroll down to the appropriate date to view all of the details.

What is it about sunsets that we are compelled to capture their beauty in our sketchbooks or on canvas? Is it the colors, the brilliant light, the fleeting moment that will never be again or is it capturing the memory of the moment?

I think for me, it's a bit of all of the above. There is something poignant about a sunset as it marks the close of a day and all the possibilities it held whether they were capitalized on or not.

The photo reference for this image was taking on the last evening I spent at St. Pete Beach with eight artists back in January of 2015. To say the evening was bittersweet would be an understatement—I so did not want our time to end and yet, it had to.

And while this was not painted that evening, it could have been! You may think capturing something so complex on location would be impossible, but it's not.

It takes some prep work to get the page ready and it takes knowing the steps of breaking down a complex image so that it can be tackled quickly and easily. The other keys are working in a small format along with using select pigments and suggesting detail.

I will be teaching how to "Paint A Fiery Sunset" at Keeton's in Bradenton, FL, this Saturday, February 11th and I hope you can join me! (Please call them to register. Just click on Keeton's to see all the info and the phone number to call.)

But if you're not able to jet into Florida for a three-hour class, you can still learn how...

Introducing "Painting A Fiery Sunset" online e-course at The Imaginary Realm! This class is an Independent Learning Class which means you can start any time and you can keep the video demonstration for one year. The instructions handout is a pdf yours to download and keep forever. You can watch the video as many times as you would like until you get the hang of painting sunsets!

You can sign up for the class by clicking this link. After a few practice runs, you'll be painting Fiery Sunsets in no time and hopefully, some of them will be there in the brilliant light!

Come and join in the fun!

Oh, my goodness, I have so much to tell you! I've been quiet these last few months as I've been working on opportunities and I finally get to share all the joy with you! To cut down on confusion, I'm going to go in date order so I'm sure to cover all the yummy goodness coming up. You can bet I'll be sharing more in the weeks to come!

December 3, 2016
Festive Starfish Designs
Keeton's Office & Art Supplies
Bradenton, Florida
December 3
9 am - 12:30 pm
Cost: $35
Please call 941.747.2995 to register

These festive starfish can be arranged in a number of ways including a ball, a swirl, and a wreath, just to name a few! I know I haven't been able to stop at just one because this idea opens up so many possibilities.

This dimensional project combines scrapbooking paper, extra watercolor paper, salt, glue and a little bling! It's just another way we can make our journals come alive.





Painting Postcards In The Gardens Workshop
August 14-20, 2017
An Imaginary Trip Made Real To England 2017! Workshop
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Do you have a muse? A completely imaginary but totally real artistic influence that gives you courage and encouragement, tempts you to try new things and takes you to places you never would have gone on your own (either in life or in your artwork)?

I do! Her name is Sam and I've spoken about her on the blog before. She is as real to me as you are. I can describe how she looks, how she sounds, how she cuts her eyes at me when I say or think something limiting. 

There will be days when the challenges stack up, left and right.

There will be days when it seems easier just to give into the defeat than to keep fighting.

There will be days when nothing makes sense and the fight seems pointless.

And yet...

There will be days when I remember why I do what I do and why I love what I do. Those are the days I live for. The moments that make up those days are the reasons why I continue to overcome the challenges that would see me give up.

I've recently had a bunch of those challenging days gang up on me all at once. Technology is a wonderful, marvelous thing—until it's not working right, a piece of the system changes or has to be replaced. I use an analogy of a spider web. Wherever a spider web is touched, it is felt all over the web. The bigger the touch, the stronger the vibrations.

My camcorder malfunctioned and I was quite annoyed to learn that the maker considered the camera "obsolete" even though it's only six years old. Of course, in the world of technology, that's a dinosaur. When I switched to a new camera, my lighting setup no longer worked well. More changes. Then there was a memory card malfunction. And if these had the only challenges, it wouldn't have been so bad, but life doesn't work that way. There were other challenges, unrelated to work, going on in the background.

A casualty of those "stacked" challenges was my concentration to write and post to the blog.

There are days when I have to scrape pretty close to bottom before I realize it's not a place I want to be, let alone linger in, and the only way for me to realize this seems to be for me to go there.

One of the things that helped to pull me back up and refill my well was a great class at Keeton's. Since it's been so bloody hot here in Florida (and a lot of other places as well), we worked on painting ice cream in our sketchbooks using stencils for the cone and backgrounds.

And, yes, we had a blast! Below are three of the ladies from class with their gorgeous ice cream cones (everyone chose their own flavors) and there wasn't a calorie in sight.

Marilynn, Mary and Gayle

Once again, it was the healing fun of art, the camaraderie of working with others to learn and create art that seemed to restore a sense of balance to my life.

The challenges are inevitable. To some degree, they're even wanted. How boring would life be with no mountains to climb or obstacles to scale?

And I'm sure there will be more weeks when they all happen at once and yet again, decisions will have to be made about whether to fight or give in.

I'm also willing to bet art will be there to save the day!

How is your (hotter than all-get-out) summer going? Are you painting, sketching or pursuing some other artistic pursuit? Please share in the comments!

Knowing when to give up and go to the beach...sounds so simple, doesn't it?! And yet most of us just keep slogging rather than taking that much needed break.

It's hard to step away even though we may not be at our best and on top of our game. We keep pushing and pushing.

Giving ourselves a break is often much easier to do than we think it is. We may not be able to get to the beach, but what about playing with the dog or sitting in the sunshine?

When I saw the original quote that gave me the idea for this, it was about having a drink and while that works too, I think getting outdoors and enjoying the springtime is a much better choice—especially if you happen to be close to the beach!

With that in mind, I set out to create a quick page in my sketchbook and that blossomed into a class!

I'll be teaching this at Keeton's Office and Art Supply, this Saturday, March 26th. They're located in Bradenton.

I hope you can come and enjoy the fun. You do not know how to do lettering to create the page!

I hope to see you there!

There are those days...when it seems that despite the very best of efforts, mistakes happen.

And let's face it, mistakes are going to happen. They can no more be separated from the creative process than breathing can be separated from living.

We're stuck with them...and I dare say that's a good thing!

When Mistakes Happen
During the last class at Keeton's, I heard the telltale "gasp!" quickly followed by, "Oh no!!" from the artist sitting at the front table.

When I glanced up from helping another artist, Faith* was staring down at her work with a horrified look on her face.

"I painted the strawberry juice on the table instead of on the plate!" she said.

Sure enough, it looked as though someone had been very messy ladling out the strawberries for her shortcake. Of course, they hadn't gotten a drop on the plate!

And here's why I say mistakes are the gateway to creativity—because at this point, we have three options:

1. Start over. Give up, tear the page out, gesso over it, glue another piece of paper down, use acrylic paint to cover the offending gaff, or turn the page and ignore it like it never happened. Optional behaviors: wring hands, gnash teeth, wail inconsolably.
2. Quit. Quit painting, quit sketching, quit trying, quit being creative. Swear off all creative endeavors. Optional behaviors: Sulking, stewing, anger, temper tantrums. 
3. Play. Recognizing the opportunity that's just fallen into your lap and playing! That's right, play. After all, if your other two choices are either to hide or destroy the work and the other is to quit, why not play and see what happens. You will not have lost anything if you still cover up or tear the page out. Optional behaviors: laughing, learning, thinking, smiling, embracing, experimenting, shrugging, moving on.

Starting over can be creative, but what I'm talking about is embracing the mistake and finding a way to incorporate it without giving up and beginning anew. This takes Intelligent Creativity. It requires stepping back, taking an objective look at the work, consider the tools at hands and how best to create something new or different from the detour we took from our expected outcome.

This usually requires a bit of ingenuity and letting go of expectations as to how the page was suppose to turn out.

Are Mistakes Bad?
The foregone conclusion most of us operate under is that mistakes are bad...but are they?

It's worth our time to examine that statement to see if it's true. Have you ever gotten lost on the way to a destination only to discovered a newfound place you'd never have stumbled upon if you had not gotten lost?

When I looked over Faith's page, I saw a "fix" immediately to do away with the messy strawberry juice that marred her creative effort. I suggested painting the "table top" red as if there was a table cloth. And it worked. In fact, it gave her work a strong "pop" of color and a bold, graphic look.

I made a big mistake that day as well. Take a look at the page at the top of this post and you'll see three layers of white whip cream...there were only suppose to be two! This is the page I did for class.

What would have happened if I'd thrown up my hands and quit or gnashed my teeth and threw a temper tantrum because I had too much whip cream? (Is that even possible?!) They probably would have thought I needed some kind of intervention.

Realizing I had too many layers, I decided to incorporate the area to look like an extra layer of whip cream and no one, except for the folks in the class would ever know, unless I told them.

Stop To Think
When we make mistakes, we panic and it seems our default position is usually to start over.

Instead, why not take a deep breath, calm down and figure out a way to make the unexpected change work for us by using our gift of intelligent creativity? By making a conscious decision to let go of our expectations and fear so we can embrace the opportunity to play, we increase our chances of going somewhere new, maybe even better, exponentially.

This is the gateway to creativity and the key usually comes gift-wrapped as a mistake.

What will you do with your next "gift?"

*Faith gave her approval and blessing for me to share her story on the blog. 

Can you go wrong with strawberries...and shortcake and whipped cream? Or dipped in chocolate for some decadent yummy? Or just plain berries, fresh from the field?!

Strawberries are in season in Florida and our Strawberry Festival starts next Thursday so it's seems the perfect time to add some strawberry-awesomeness to our journal.  Berries are a favorite subject of mine because they're easy and because of all that delicious color!

We're going to be painting strawberries AND strawberry shortcake at Keeton's Office and Art Supplies in Bradenton.

Come and join the fun this Saturday, February 27th from 9 am to noon! Please contact Keeton's to register.

Have you ever wondered how to sketch a waves, whether on location or in person?

If you're local, please come and join me at Keeton's in Bradenton where we'll be painting waves on Saturday, January 23rd, from 9 am to 12:30 pm. It will be loads of fun! Click here for more info!

Below are some observations on my approach to sketching waves from a photo. After sketching from waves, I highly recommend tackling a few in your sketchbook while you're on location.

Even if you were the speediest sketcher ever, it's doubtful you'd be able to sketch just one wave while you at the beach. Instead, you'd be sketching parts of different waves as they rolled into shore. With a photograph, that's one thing you don't have to worry about as the wave is stopped for you.

Before you start sketching, there's a very important first step you need to do and that's to study the waves to see their shape, light and dark parts of them, where the sun is hitting and what reflections are showing up in the water in front of the wave as well as behind it. All of these things are necessary to sketch a realistic looking wave.

It's up to the artist whether or not to sketch waves in pen or pencil. I've done both and I've found that I prefer just pencil.

When you're ready to sketch, take note of where you place the horizon line. Try to avoid placing it in the middle of the sketch. As humans, we like things divided in thirds rather than halves.

Once you have the horizon line in place, decide if you will add any sand or if your sketch will be all water.  If you're going to add sand, indicate the sand line (bottom of the sketch) AND the water line. I always try to make my water line uneven as water seldom rolls into the shore in an even, straight line.

Study the waves to find out how close to shore they're breaking. You can adjust the waves closer or farther from shore to make a more pleasing composition as well as how many waves are breaking...remember the photo is just for reference!

Sketch the general shape of a wave, clearly defining the white splash of the wave as it breaks. Notice it is not even on the bottom or the top. Include lines to indicate the reflections in front of it. Be sure to draw the edges where the water can be seen curling over on either side. Pencil in the small wave as well. I do not mark the areas of white foam before and behind the smaller wave that can be see in the image above as I know it's there. If you're concerned you'll forget it, lightly mark it in pencil.

Once you're satisfied with your sketch, pull out your paints and paint in your sky. I used a tissue to blot up some of the cloud shapes. While this is drying, I switched to the other end of the paper and painted in my sand and I make sure to go past my waterline as the sand would show through the shallow water.

Once I went far enough, I feathered out the edge so that it faded back to the white of the paper. After the paper was dry, I went back with a dark blue and started at the horizon line and painted down towards the big wave. Along the way, I added some green to the blue to indicate we were closer to shore and the water was not as deep.

Picking up more dark blue, I continued painting around the whites of the wave and towards the foamy area of the water. To indicate the foam, I leave lots of skips allowing the white of he paper to show through. At this point, I stop and check out the reflection in front of my wave. If it needs to be lighter, I can either lift with my brush or use a tissue.

Picking up more of the blue-green paint, I start below the foamy area and begin to paint around the smaller wave line. I then repeat the foamy area and paint up onto the sand area.

I make sure everything is dry and then go back with a damp brush and tickle the edges of the foamy area to soften some of the edges. I pull some of the paint into the white areas so they're not all the same value.

Next, I make adjustments to the wave areas. If you look at the base of the wave where the white water meets the blue, you'll see lots of very dark shadows in a dark blue. These shadows help to give form to the wave. I also take a very small amount of the blue mixed with water and begin to paint all kinds of random marks and squiggles to indicate the water frothing in the white of the wave. If needed, I add more dark areas along either side of the wave to give it more definition. I repeat with the smaller wave.

Last, using the same blue-green paint I used for the water, I paint a section of the sand to indicate where the sand got wet from a prior wave rolling up onto the shore.

After everything is good and dry, I take my white Uni-Ball Signo® pen and put in the white splashes around the waves and along the edges of the water line closest to the sand. If needed, I may add some of the white ink to the foamy areas.

Painting waves is lots of fun and very rewarding. I hope this helps you get started painting waves and I highly recommend going to the beach and sketching live! Meanwhile, I hope to see you at Keeton's!

And don't forget to vote on your favorite location for the 2016 ImaginaryTrips.com classes! Click here to access the poll.

If you're not able to participate in interactive classes, check out the self-paced classes over at The Imaginary Realm. You set the pace and you have access to the materials for a year from the date of purchase! Go here to learn more!

It's here, it's here! Finally! I've been itching to hang out my fall wreaths and put up so autumn art. Tis my favorite of seasons!

We're not really feeling it yet here in Florida, but they say hope blooms eternal...it was 73º this morning, so yay, weather!

To celebrate the changing seasons...somewhere else...we're going to be having some fun with sunflowers, lettering, border treatments, splatters and complementary colors at Keeton's this coming Saturday, September 26th, in Bradenton.

Did you know that the sunflower is Russia's national flower and they produce more sunflowers than any other country?

Me either! Oddly enough, sunflowers originally came from the United States.

Do you know the difference between a wild sunflower and a domesticated sunflower (and no, this is not a joke!)?


Wild sunflowers have lots of branches and small flowerheads while the domesticated sunflowers tend to be single-stemed with one large flowerhead.

Of course, that one flowerhead thing is a little misleading as the flowerhead actually consists of up to 2000 individual flowers that are attached to a receptacle base.

And last, but not least, there are over 60 different types of sunflowers and the flowers are grown in the United States, Japan, Russia, and Europe.

I hope you'll come and join us! There's something to be said for pretending it's a pleasant 70º degrees outside with a brilliant cerulean blue skies so bright you almost have to wear shades.

Hope to see you Saturday!
_____________________________

Please don't forget to check out the new Independent Learning Classes over at The Imaginary Realm!

Now that's a headline I never thought I'd write, but you just never know, do you?!

Actually, all of those items have to do with upcoming classes at ImaginaryTrips.com and Keeton's Art Supply in Bradenton. Whether online or in person, I hope you can join me for some sketching fun!

First up, how about immortalizing our favorite, summertime shoes, the ever-present FlipFlops? (Well, they're ever-present in Florida anyway!) Any time I work on capturing two similar items or sides, like FlipFlops or a vase, I employ tracing paper to make sure I'm getting like shapes and sizes. Come on down to Keeton's on Saturday, July 25th to learn more!

The thistle is the national flower of Scotland (and we'll be seeing plenty of those!)

If you're nowhere near Florida, hop online and join me for some fun on An Imaginary Trip To Scotland! Did you know that the national animal of Scotland is the unicorn?! (I kid you not! Google it if you'd like.) While I can't promise we'll see any of those on our trip, I have no doubt we'll be in for a visual treat of castles, ruins, serene lochs and beautiful, rugged mountains. For more information, please click HERE. I do hope you'll come and join me! Class begins on Thursday, August 13th!

The Mamam sculpture outside of the Guggenheim • Bilbao

Did you know that Spain is means "land of the rabbits" or that they do not have a tooth fairy? Instead, they have a mouse called "Ratoncito Pérez" that leaves behind small surprises! Spain's culture is rich and varied. The landscapes range from high mountainous areas to vineyards to vast cities. They say you'll come for a visit and want to stay a life time—let's go find out, shall we?

The Imaginary Trip To Spain will begin on Thursday, September 17th. You can learn more about the class by clicking this LINK. It's gonna be fun!

I hope to see you soon!!

Do you have supplies left over from your scrapbooking days now that you've moved on to sketching? Wondering what to do with them?

Tomorrow, down at Keeton's in Bradenton, I'll be doing a live class and we're going to be working on a mixed-media page using scrapbooking paper as the main design with watercolor, stencils and colored markers to make a fun and festive page.

Come and join me if you can! More info here. Hope to see you there!

Nothing says Spring to me quite the way tulips do and I have been loving all of the pretty flowers I see each time I step into the grocery store. They seem the perfect subject for a page in my sketchbook and I created a quick tutorial so you could join me!

The photo reference below is of some artificial tulips that I use to decorate with each spring:
Following general shapes, I drew individual flowers and leaves starting with the one closest to me and then adding the rest behind the last flower I drew until I had an odd number of blooms arranged on the page. If you follow the number order, you'll see where I started, what I drew first, second and so on:
I splashed paint using yellows, pinks, lavenders and coral for the blooms along with greens, yellows, blues, violets  and teal for the leaves. The stems have yellow and green:
Next, I used a piece of tracing paper to draw a simple outline around the outer-most edge of my tulips before carefully cut out around the shapes to create a mask:
Using a cardboard stencil, I then added the polka dots into the background. You'll note that the header, Happy Spring also shows up in this image—I forgot to take a photo!:
Using a cosmetic sponge, I dabbed paint from the palette to paint the dots. It is very important to use just enough water to get the paint to the sponge. The puddle of color should be mostly pigment. It will have a consistency of heavy cream. If you use too much water and the sponge gets too wet, the color will leak under the stencil and the edges will not be crisp and sharp:
You can either hold the tracing paper mask down or you can tape it down. Position the stencil and begin to dab color into the openings. It may take more than one application of paint to get to the level of color you want. Be careful not to let the sponge get over-saturated. If it becomes too wet, set it aside and grab another one.

Once everything is dry, go back and fix any edges that may not be to your liking and then add your header or text. Consider using a coordinating color like a darker green or pink rather than black.

Last go back and strengthen the outlines around the tulips to give them more energy:
Using broken lines as well as varying the line weight (thick vs. thin) gives the tulips a more dynamic feel than just the simple outline I started out with.

I hope you can join me at Keeton's down in Bradenton for the class on Saturday, April 25 and we'll paint tulips together!