watercolor / gouache

Watercolor pans/pencils/markers or Gouache

I started my self-taught art journey with watercolor in the beginning of 2020. After a ton of research, I got myself a student watercolor set from Windsor & Newton, a pack of Prismacolor watercolor pencils, and 4 good brushes. I followed Youtube tutorials and Domestika courses and fell completely in love. Once I had a decent grasp of watercolor, I transitioned to gouache and later acrylic. I don't use watercolor much anymore, but it'll always have a special place in my heart.

Watercolor painting of a peach and orange brain with defined folds, set against a soft green and teal washed background. Below the brain, hand-lettered text reads ‘THIS IS WRINKLING MY BRAIN’ in thin black capital letters.

Big Brain - Watercolor on A4 Watercolor Paper - 2020

Big Brain was the first illustration I felt truly proud of. My first "holy shit I made that" moment. I had just started taking my practice seriously. I had been practicing with loose florals, but wanted to work on getting more precise and intentional with the medium. This was also the first time I'd embraced my tongue-in-cheek sense of humor in my work. Big Brain is 2020 Doodle in a nutshell: insanely overwhelmed by how much they were learning, but still excited and hungry for more.

Vibrant acrylic and ink illustration featuring an assortment of blue and teal flowers, berries, and leaves filling the page. The composition includes roses, clusters of round berries, layered petals, and abstract botanical shapes on a white background.

Blue Blotanical - Acrylic on A4 Watercolor Paper - 2020

Watercolor painting with flowing, multicolored ink splotches in pastel blue, pink, yellow, green, and orange framed by a black border with dashed markings. A pink and purple jellyfish floats in the lower right corner, and handwritten text in the top right reads ‘I need to broaden my perspective.

Rainbow Jelly - Watercolor on A6 Watercolor Paper - 2021

Rainbow Jelly was created in a completely opposite space from Big Brain. My life basically fell apart in April 2021. I moved from Michigan back to Oklahoma to escape a physically abusive husband with no idea of what I was going to do. I embraced abstract and interpretive art as a way to cope. I remember throwing paint at the paper angrily and thinking "what a waste, that's way more than I needed, that's gonna turn out muddy". I set it outside to dry and walked away feeling just as frustrated as when I started. When I came back, I was surprised to see beautiful and vibrant colors. I stared at it for a while before I saw the jellyfish. I'd been looking for tiny details and shapes. This piece is a personal reminder to broaden my perspective and trust the process.

Playful watercolor and colored pencil text illustration reading ‘LOVIN IS EASY’ in purple bubble letters outlined in pink. Yellow and pink amoeba-like shapes with concentric line patterns float around the composition. At the bottom, handwritten red text reads ‘YOU HAD ME FUCKED UP

Fucked Up - Watercolor on A6 Multi-Media Paper - 2023

Watercolor and gouache painting of an ostrich standing on a sandy landscape under a bright blue sky with white clouds and a yellow sun. Below the ground line, the dark underground transforms into a swirling, abstract view of outer space with black, yellow, orange, pink, and purple watercolor textures, creating a contrast between the realistic upper half and the expressive, dreamlike lower half

In Hiding - Watercolor and Gouache on A6 Watercolor Paper - 2022

In Hiding is a representation of myself in 2022. I was fully hiding from the consequences of my previous marriage. Past due bills, negligent tenants, and an impending foreclosure. I held onto the belief that "it can't hurt me if I can't see it" with every ounce of delusion I could muster. And honestly, everything worked out pretty okay. I probably wouldn't advise younger me to do anything differently. But I remember how heavy the shame felt around that freeze response. I'm still learning to face certain problems with courage.. I still have head-in-the-sand moments. But it's easier to allow the instinct and trust that it won't last forever. There's less shame now and I'm grateful for that.

Colorful watercolor painting featuring horizontal bands of rainbow colors—from red and orange to yellow, green, blue, and pink—blending into each other with dripping, wavy edges. Scattered throughout the background are small illustrations resembling cherry tomato slices, orange carrot slices, yellow sweet corn, sweet peas and green olives, bleu cheese, and purple potato slices, adding playful detail to the vibrant abstract pattern.

Savory Jello - Watercolor on A4 Watercolor Paper - 2025

Watercolor and pencil artwork of a stylized tree branch with rounded pink leaves arranged in delicate clusters. The branch is shaded in purples and blues against a soft pink textured background.

Flexible - Watercolor on Scrap Watercolor Paper - 2020

Bold watercolor painting with large, rounded pink letters outlined in dark blue spelling ‘BOY, YOU’RE THE MAN’ against a teal blue background. Small bubbles and circular shapes float around the text, adding a playful underwater feel.

Boy Man - Gouache on A6 Multi-Media Paper - 2024

Page updated

Google Sites

Report abuse