Blog
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What My Students Painted — and Why Teaching Refills Me
No two paintings ever look alike — even when everyone paints the same subject. I recently shared two workshops with first-timers and returning students side by side, and the range...
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Why I Make Kitchen Linens (Even Though I Don't Love Cooking)
Watercolor artist Jean Choe shares the real story behind her kitchen linens — tea towels, aprons, and Swedish dishcloths — and how it all began with her mom's sewing machine.
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What Is a Tea Towel Used For? And How a Tea Towel Is Different from a Swedish Dishcloth
What’s a Tea Towel Actually For? If you’ve ever seen a tea towel hanging on someone’s oven handle and wondered what it’s actually for… you’re not alone. It’s one of...
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Embracing Watercolor Backruns: Turning “Mistakes” into Magic
Watercolor backruns—also called blooms—often show up when we least expect them. While many beginners see them as mistakes, I’ve learned to welcome these feathery textures as part of what makes...
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A Simple Trick for Controlling Brush Wetness in Watercolor (Perfect for Beginners!)
Struggling with too much or too little water on your brush?Learn a simple, beginner-friendly watercolor trick to get just the right brush wetness every time. This tiny habit helps you...
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From Sketch to Calendar: How Tiny Thumbnails Become Finished Artwork
It All Starts Small Have you ever wondered how a finished watercolor painting begins? Before the paper, the paint, or even the first brushstroke, many of my artworks begin as tiny...
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Avoiding (or Creating) Muddy Colors in Watercolor Painting
If you’ve ever mixed a few too many colors together and ended up with a dull, lifeless patch of paint, you’ve met every watercolor artist’s challenge: muddy colors. It’s one of...
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Watercolor Tip for Beginners: Make Painting Easy with This Setup
If you want to paint more often but struggle to make time for it, you’re not alone. One of the biggest challenges for watercolor beginners isn’t learning technique - it’s starting....
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Tracing a Design onto Watercolor Paper
Not sure how to use my free coloring pages? I’ll show you three easy ways to trace them onto watercolor paper. No sketching required! From windows to lightboxes to DIY...
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Why I Teach the Way I Do
Back in college, I learned how deeply a teacher’s words can shape confidence, for better or worse. Those lessons drive the way I teach watercolor today. In my workshops, I...
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When in Doubt, Step Back
We’re often our own toughest critics when painting. I see it all the time in my workshops and in my own painting session too. When that happens, I always...
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Paper Matters, But Don’t Break a Bank For It
Good watercolor paper makes a huge difference. Cheap paper tends to warp, pill, or make blending frustrating. But that doesn’t mean you always need the highest-quality (and most expensive) paper!...
