Let’s take a deep breath and step away from everything for a few minutes of color and creative escapism.

My magic wand of color, inspiration, and a tidbit of storytelling swirls in anticipation!

Let’s take a walk together where my magical cloud rocks are found. I love to begin these special days by taking the long hike. The high loop of the trail lifts you upward, making you feel like a bird. The wind and salt air kiss your face, and the view takes your breath away!

Switchbacking down, you end up on this wondrous beach where our treasure hunt begins. Thank you for joining me here! Let me show you a quick video.

Walking and picking up the cloud rock gems is a pastime that melts the hours away. There is about 2.5 miles of beach to cover with constant looking once you’re down from the high trail before you arrive back at your car.

Recently, I had the great joy of bringing my mom to Ebey’s Landing to experience it and find some cloud rocks together. She was delighted, and I treasured every moment!

Let’s explore what happens next when I get back to the studio with these cloud rocks.

Here’s a sketchbook page that shows how I doodle up ideas in pencil.

After doodling the ideas above, I took a photo and opened it in Procreate on my iPadPro to add some color.

Sometimes, one cloud rock will be filled with numerous characters! This was the best one yet, and every way I turned it in my hand, a new idea appeared. I used watercolors and then added pencil line-work to define the characters.

Please hang in here for a bit more cloud rock sharing. The video demo below shows the sketching and coloring process for a cloud rock sketchbook page.

Holly Surplice offers these wonderful live-animal life-drawing sessions, with assistance from Hannah Camarra. They are both amazing illustrators! Each month the theme is different. January 2026 was “Multi-Colour” and filled with fabulous photos and live videos! Each session is inspiring, relaxed, and very welcoming to people of all skill levels. The sketch time was two to eight minutes per photo/video in this session, which taught me to focus on the overall image rather than getting hung up on the details. The iguana shows this the best above. You can use any type of art materials, even a pencil and copy paper.

February’s theme is a brand new series, “The Doggy ABC,” and begins on the 4th. I highly recommend you sign up and give one a try.

My imagination is always finding characters to share with the world, everywhere and in unexpected places. Look what happened when I sat down to get ready to take my daily walk. I took a close-up photo to show you the tracked-in leaves and little chunks of outdoor stuff from the day before lying on the floor beneath me (that weird pattern at the bottom is the doormat). Keep scrolling to check out what art was made.

Sketchbook Doodling Offers Unexpected Fun!

Sometimes, the best inspiration for an idea is right under your nose, happily looking up from the table.

Gnome Escapism

While looking back at my favorite photos from last year, I found this one, taken on one of my daily walks, from a high walkway that crosses a deep ravine. The high branch disappeared recently, along with the swinging gnome, so I treasure this photo even more now.

Stellar Jay Sunrise

We have been feeding generations of Stellar Jays as we have lived in our house for 15 years. I love to imagine the day’s activities being contemplated by each one of these beauties as the sun rises. The interaction with these wondrous birds brings continuous joy.

Cloud Wings

Whenever I see this type of cloud, it carries me away to the thought of flying. If I could reach up and put on a pair of beautiful wings, where would I like to go? Flying dreams are a rarity for me, but a joy when they come along. Do you ever dream of flying when you sleep?

Let 2026 be a year to share our kindness, thoughtfulness, hope, courage, and strength with each other. I appreciate every one of you reading this newsletter!

I’ve been visiting this wondrous city for 45 years, as my remarkable 95-year-old mom lives here. She is a true inspiration for what we all wish aging could look like in our crystal balls!

Once my high-altitude migraine subsides after I arrive in Santa Fe at 7,199 feet above sea level, clarity returns, and the aura of unexplainable creativity hugs my being.

Are you a migraine sufferer? I call them time thieves and have had them most of my life. Do you feel this way too?

Let’s enjoy some Santa Fe inspiration together along with a couple other creative surprises.

It’s wonderful to have you here!

Our Santa Fe Casita Rental

This charming little casita was our “home” for two weeks. Walking in Santa Fe is one of my favorite daily activities, and the location of this place was perfect.

The lighting, colors, and cerulean blue sky are part of the wondrous creative energy that abounds in The Land of Enchantment.

Kitchen Table/Temporary Studio View

The first thing I do upon arrival at a new vacation destination is find the best space that sparks my creativity. Looking out the back window onto this lovely brick patio was the spot.

As I unpacked my art supplies, a lone tube of Holbein Acryla Gouache peeked out of my pencil pouch. I realized that my regular watercolor set had not made the journey, and color withdrawal quickly set in. I needed to head over to Canyon Road (about a 10-minute walk away) to resolve this as soon as possible and visit a gem of a business!

Interior Photo Of The LDBA Studio Shop

There is an amazing small shop tucked away down a short alleyway named LDBA Studio (aka L’Ecole Des Beaux Arts) owned by Sara Moffat. They sell handmade watercolor paints, art supplies, unique clothing, and offer creative workshops for adults, plus kids. Sara has regular exhibits of talented local artists in this charming space, too. My creative friend, Deborah Stein (who also teaches courses here), currently has a show up, “I Am Just A Visitor,” along with the wonderful artist Sean Hudson (also a teacher).

My New Metal Palette Box Filled With Handmade Watercolor Delights!

This was an opportunity to treat myself to a “put together your own set” of their brilliant handmade watercolor paints. Take a look at the wall of color samples in the first photo above. They have a selection of over 100 colors!

Narrowing my choices to fit it in one small metal palette box was very challenging. You can test the colors before purchasing, so I was on cloud nine dabbing away.

Color Swatching With A Couple Characters Stopping By

I ended up choosing a basic primary trio as shown on the left side and filled in with some unusual colors to give my mixing capabilities lots of possibilities. The Venetian Pink was an excellent alternative to white, as it quietly tones down bright colors with a whisper.

Limited Art Supplies Are A Gift For Focus

Creating with limited art supplies is a good challenge. I found that the yellow and white tissue paper used to wrap up my purchase at LDBA Studio was perfect for painting and using in collage.

I added pencil and white Acryla Gouache to the watercolors on the left side stripes. I coated both tissue papers with Mod Podge Matte, a great glue and sealer when you need to take limited art supplies.

“Claudia Loved Everything Colorful” Sketchbook Collage Art

The pants were cut out from the striped tissue above, and the cutout shapes, including the fish, were all made using my limited art supplies. The brighter colors on the pants were made using white Acryla Gouache with the watercolors. I wanted to add that glue dots are a great addition to traveling art supplies, especially if you work on collage sketchbook pages.

My Daily Santa Fe Walks

Santa Fe Gates

Every direction you walk holds historical gates of all shapes, colors, and sizes. I think that my connection with these gates has grown closer as age transforms the body I once knew. Settling frames and wrinkles of a life well lived are to be embraced, as time cannot be stopped as we grow old.

My Favorite Tree

This is my favorite tree I’ve been walking by on Lower Canyon Road for about 45 years. About 10 years ago, they placed a bronze sculpture of kids climbing a tree, which I never felt comfortable seeing there. Every visit, I hoped it would be removed so this majestic beauty could proudly stand alone in this space once again. My wish finally came true this visit. One day, the sculpture was there, and the next day, it was gone! I see an aura of happiness illuminating outward from this wondrous tree now. It’s time to paint this majestic beauty, and it's a perfect model for learning to paint a tree.

Rainbows Are Always Magical Everywhere, Especially Doubles

The millions of rain droplets that magically come together to make rainbows are a joy to behold every time I see one! Since I was a small child, they have brought a happy hug to my being whenever they appear. I snapped this photo right after a thunderstorm behind our casita.

Adobe Architecture, Billowy Clouds, And Brilliant Blue Skies

My stash of photos like this is enormous, but I never tire of taking these. The adobe colorations, surface variables, and shade of blue skies create a kaleidoscope of color palettes to use.

Adobe Wall Cat

Aloof and grumpy for being discovered were my two descriptors about this beautiful cat perched high upon a wall. The paws give away that this is not a petite feline! I love the face markings.

The Sunshine Coming Through the Blinds Inspired An Idea!

This photo was taken in our bathroom through a glass shower door. I knew it would bring some character inspiration. After taking the photo, I made it into a black and white image. Next, I turned it horizontally to be level and imported the image into Procreate on my iPad.

Making Characters In Procreate From A Photo Video Demo

Taking full advantage of Procreate and working on top of my photographs, I experimented with numerous filters and brushes to achieve the look that worked best for me. Procreate is a powerful and affordable design app that I highly recommend for everyone, as it’s incredibly user-friendly and easy to learn.

The Sunny Dogs Are Scruffy Brothers

I think these dogs will be worth developing into a pattern. Practicing in Procreate is always interesting and the perfect way to discover new characters and experiment with various art styles.

Peeking Harbor Seal

My partner and I shared a celebratory dinner of being together for 15 years at our favorite Seattle Restaurant, Ray’s Boathouse, a couple of weeks ago. It’s located right on the water where the convergence of the tide created by the Ballard Locks is amplified. The fish are plentiful, so the harbor seals like to hang out in the area. I was delighted to capture this photo before the sun set behind the Olympic Mountains. Harbor seals have such human expressions.

Female Northern Flicker Roof Calling

Landing on a nearby aged copper roofline, this very loud female flicker called mightily to the world around her. She was an excellent model and stayed in one place for a series of photos. The free layout app on iPhones is a great tool to combine photos into interesting layouts like this.

Mt Rainier And The Lenticulars

This newsletter would not be complete without an image of the ever-changing, magnificent Mount Rainier that anchors our horizon. She’s an active volcano, so we respect her deeply.

Clouds are a close second of favorite things to photograph, and I snap them continuously. Lenticular clouds form remarkable shapes and are often seen near mountains. If you want to explore them further, you’ll be amazed at the photos shared by people all over the planet. It’s a fascinating rabbit hole to fall down!

Washi Tape Discovery!

This tip is for anyone who loves washi tape. These colorful masking tapes are incredibly versatile, and now you can put them on display to hold various fruits and vegetables. I wanted to paint these pears and had a couple Washi tapes sitting on my desk. Well, as the pears started rolling around, not cooperating as models, I popped one on a roll of washi tape, and it was a moment of discovery! It would be fun to take any fresh produce and instantly make a happy display in your kitchen or maybe on a dining room table. Another idea, if you’re a rock collector like me, they would look awesome displayed like this rather than piled in a bowl.

Washi Tape Display Of My Cloud Rocks

I love collecting these rocks and find them up on a special beach on Whidbey Island where we vacation. They are not just black and white rocks but treasure troves of character ideas for me.

Cloud Rock Characters Sketchbook Page

Here’s a sample page from my sketchbook of all the characters that came from turning one rock in lots of different directions. I’ll share of these in a future newsletter and show how I turn them into various designs.

Taking another newsletter writing and creativity break was needed again in August, and I’m excited to be getting back into creating these. The ideas are flowing along with new art projects and fun stuff to share with you all.

Sharing my creativity with you gives me purpose, joy, and hope. I’m sending a hug of thanks to all of you for being here.

With a small paid monthly subscription, you would support and encourage the ongoing growth of this newsletter. I love putting these together and making them an entertaining, informative, educational, and worthwhile read.

These days, I imagine diving into the glorious colors I observe on my daily walks. This visualization calms and tucks worry off to the side, at least temporarily. My creative energy can focus again, letting it sparkle in the studio. This encourages my artistic self-confidence, which has been wavering the past few months.

Sending out a newsletter has been a challenge, as I question whether anyone cares about receiving this. Being vulnerable is not easy, like how I'm sharing what I’m feeling now. When I click send and this goes out into the world, I hold my breath. It’s scary and satisfying at the same time, if that’s possible. If you send out a newsletter, do you feel the same way?

Let’s wade into some color joy together. It’s wonderful to have you here!

Recycling Art

When a piece of art sits in my flat files for years gathering dust, I know it’s time to recycle all or part of it to give it a new life. Let’s follow the steps of the “Color Joy Kitty” as this is a brand-new piece that I just finished.

Color Joy Kitty Mixed Media Collage Art

To jump-start my creativity in the studio, I love to mix colors, and in the photo below, you can see where the cat’s sweater came from. Using a limited number of colors to see what you can mix is a helpful learning exercise. One of my favorite art supplies to use is Holbein Acryla Gouache. Their color range, exceptional quality, and permanence once dry make them perfect for collage artwork.

Primary Color Mixing And Using The Pieces For Collage

In case you’re interested, these are the colors I used for this primary color wheel mixing chart. They were Yellow, Scarlet, and Smalt Blue. When I’m traveling, these are the colors I take with me. To expand my options for mixing, I’ll add the following colors: Sap Green, Ice Green, Rose, Sepia, Coral Red, Naples Yellow, Titanium White, and Jet Black.

Collage Art To Be Recycled

This is the art I recycled as it had been sitting in a drawer for a couple years and I never liked it. Unfortunately, I could not find a photo of the collage art before I started covering it up so the cat’s eyes will have to remain a visual mystery.

Cardboard of all kinds and weights can be used for collage and painting. Once you start seeing the possibilities for using cardboard, your recycling bin will get much lighter. Please take a peek at my talented friend, Karin Lauria, and some of the paintings she’s creating on cardboard.

Collage Art In Process On Top Of Old Art

The cat’s face is a cracker box cardboard piece, and that was glued down first in this photo. Next, I added the color-joy sweater piece, hand-painted snazzy collar using tissue paper, and the colorful pin cut-out paper pieces.

Here’s a helpful tip about gluing collage pieces down so they lay flat. Place a piece of paper palette (shiny side down) on top of the art, and then carefully stack a pile of heavy books on top to ensure it dries flat. I leave it like this for a couple of hours. My favorite glue is a neutral pH PVA product from Lineco.

Cut-Up Paper Palette and Design Elements To Use For Collage

I decided to create a series of art using the above pieces, along with some other cut-out items as well. It’s always a surprise to see what characters appear and each one is like putting a puzzle together as I do it all by what visually feels right

Paint Palette Crowd Of Characters (Before Gluing Down)

This a a great example showing how the puzzle of cut-up paper paint palette pieces have come together like mini puzzles. The trickiest step is gluing them down, as the paper tends to curl and stick to your fingers.

They Were A Memorable Crowd Of Characters (Final Collage Art)

These characters needed the final touch of adding black linework. Because of the slick surface of the paper palette paper, the paint scraps off easily. To solve this problem, I use both black color pencil and black Acryla Gouache with a small detail brush. Everything gets a final coat of Mod Podge Matte to seal the surface so nothing flakes off. This also is a great glue too.

Betina Always Stopped To View The Magic Rabbit Art

Hangtags make the best body shapes for characters! They come in all sizes and shapes, plus are a heavyweight paper. For the character above, I glued random cutout shapes of painted palette paper all over it using Mod Podge Matte, and then trimmed the edges. The rabbit art is a linocut print I did a couple of years ago, and I found it at the bottom of a bowl full of collage scraps to use. It pulled the whole composition together when I was trying to figure out what the character should be looking at.

The Dog Princess Loved Colorful Creatures Of All Kinds

The lovely dress on the dog princess was the start to this collage and makes the sketchbook page a visual success. I created her dress using tissue paper I hand-painted with Acryla Gouache and sealed with Mod Podge Matte.

Did you see that this is the same tissue paper I used for the collar of The Color Joy Kitty mixed media art earlier in the newsletter?

My #100 Day Project Final Thoughts

My #100DayProject Thirty Favorite Stamp Designs

When choosing a 100-day project and having it be successful, I learned to keep it simple. The white, blank erasers were small, so the time to carve a stamp was short. Every couple of nights, I would sketch out a page of ideas in my notebook, so I always had images to use, which helped keep the pressure of the project from overwhelming me.

One of my studio desk drawers is now full of stamps, a reminder of this 100-project challenge accomplishment. I’ll have designs to use for the years ahead on many projects of all kinds. Yippee!

If you have any questions, please send me a message, and I’ll be happy to share more information about participating in a 100-Day Project or offer encouragement if you'd like to try one yourself. Having support from fellow creatives makes a vast difference in succeeding, as this is a big commitment.

Observational Photos On My Walks Are Continuous Sparks For Ideas!

An Ebey’s Landing Walk Driftwood Photo

Walking, observing, and snapping photos of what tickles my imagination is never-ending. The shape and popping eyeball were a must to photograph for future use on this stroll a couple of months ago.

Delia The Drifter Loved To Wander

The muted color palette in the photo above was just not the direction to go for such a happy character. Delia needed a colorful and pattern-filled place to live! The Procreate App is a great tool for making quick designs using photos. It’s also a good way to test out an idea before painting or making a collage of it.

Calla Lily Color Joy

On my daily walks, certain colors are like magnets for my eyes. This Calla Lilly plant stopped me in my tracks! WOW! The speckled leaves are a design delight too.

Paint Palette Beauty

Sometimes when I’m mixing colors on my paint palette, I have to stop and save it because it’s so beautiful at that moment in time. At sunset, when orange clouds part and the brilliance of the blue sky peeks through, it looks like this.

Mt Rainier At Sunset

This mountain is an ever-changing model of breathtaking beauty. The snowmelt in the summer creates a whole new palette of colors at sunset. These colors are some of my favorites.

Learning To Leaf Ride: A Short Animation For You!

I’m so rusty and have not made an animation for many months! You are all encouraging me to get back to creating in all forms, so it felt important to create this for you. Thank you!

Taking a newsletter writing and creativity break was needed in June, as I got burned out. I’m getting back on track, and the creative spark is returning.

Sharing my creativity with you gives me purpose, joy, and hope. I’m sending a hug of thanks to all of you for being here!

With a small paid monthly subscription, you would support and encourage the ongoing growth of this newsletter. I love putting these together and making them an entertaining, informative, educational, and worthwhile read.

Ooooooo! I love spring! This season fills me with colorful optimism, which needs constant refilling in today's world!

Seattle has been getting its regular doses of rainy days, which make everything green and grow unbelievably quickly! One minute, there are no leaves, and POOF, they’re everywhere. The flowers this year have been brilliant and more plentiful than ever.

This is a jam-packed newsletter! Thanks in advance for reading all the way to the end :)

My 100-Day Project Brings Carve-a-rama Delights! Let’s Share The Steps In Carving A Stamp Design Together.

I thought you might enjoy seeing the hand-carving process by watching me in action. This light bulb design and viewing of the process may inspire you to try carving a stamp or two. If you have any questions, please ask.

Re-inking Your Stamp Pad And A Snail Stamp Printing

This is stamp design #57 but this video shares a few more steps I use. Also included, you get see how easy it is to re-ink your stamp pad so you don’t have to keep buying these as the color runs out.

Stamps Ready To Be Hand-Carved

These Archival Ink pads work beautifully to add permanent color to the stamps. Do not use colors that are too dark, or you can’t see your lines. This is easy peasy to do!

Uncover the archival ink pad and lightly press it down onto your block with your design. The ink dries within seconds, and you are ready to hand-carve.

Great Reference Book

If you want a wonderful reference book with some fun projects to make, check out this book from Geninne D. Zlathis. It has been on my studio bookshelf for years, and I reread it to refresh some of the great tips in her book. She recommends stamping color onto your blocks before carving. Thank you, Gennine!

She is pure inspiration and multi-talented in many artistic mediums, including photography. If you are on Instagram, I recommend following her beautiful account. She sells her creations in her Etsy store.

Partial Collection Of My 100-Day Project Hand-Carved Stamps

As these accumulate in my studio drawer, I feel happy to be hanging in there and accomplishing my goal of making 100 of these. They will be with me for years to be used on all kinds of creative projects! My favorite project so far is shared below.

Hand Printed Tee Shirt For My Mom

I want to share this Mother’s Day T-shirt that I handprinted for my mom. She loves it!

Shadows Are Becoming A New Inspiration For Designs!

As the morning sunshine came streaming into our bedroom, this shadow captivated me! Addie was visiting!

My dog Addie, who crossed the rainbow bridge six years ago, used to bask in the warm rays of the rising sun on her favorite dog bed right below this shadow.

Rabbits had a special meaning for us. On our last walks, I had to carry her in my arms next to my heart, and we would find great joy watching wild rabbits. Whenever I encounter one on my daily walks, I know she is nearby, sending love.

Cats Being Cats

On my daily walk, I catch glimpses of neighborhood cats but this one was exceptional. Do you see the second cat?

The Next Day, This Cat Made A Window Appearance!

This beautiful cat is an older feline but a friendly one whenever she’s outside her house by the front gate. When we meet, she gives a great purr and does classic figure eights inside my lower legs. I love how cats do this when they are happy! Her intense expression in this photo made me think she might recognize me.

Georgia O’Keeffe “Shell Viewfinder” Moment

While on a beach walk on vacation recently, I picked up this shell. I immediately peered through the opening and thought of Georgia!

She’s been an ongoing inspiration throughout my creative life. Many of her painting compositions done in New Mexico featured perspectives through openings from found objects, especially animal skulls.

If you ever have the opportunity to visit Ghost Ranch, you’ll experience the love of her creativity through the breathtaking beauty and coloration of the landscape!

Barnacle Rock Faces

I have discovered the joy of how barnacles make very expressive faces on rocks on a recent vacation beach walk. These were everywhere in stacks on the sand at low tide.

Stop Motion Fun Below

“Yola The Yak”

I wanted to share this first stop motion that I ever made from a few years back. The simplicity is what calls to me, even today, as my journey back to this creative form returns. Realism nor perfection in movement are not my style. Storytelling in whatever form it appears will be what I share with you all.

“Straw Kind Of Day”

Colorful paper straws in a glass vase in my studio, along with some paper and fabric strips nearby, brought this idea to life. I wanted to explore how expressive simple eye movement could be. It was fun to add a short narrative voiceover.

Which of the two stop motion videos is your favorite?

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Sharing my creativity with you gives me purpose, joy, and hope. I’m sending a hug of thanks to all of you for being here!

With a small paid monthly subscription, you would support and encourage the ongoing growth of this newsletter. I love putting these together and making them an entertaining, informative, educational, and worthwhile read.

Do you have a favorite in this group?

Leave a comment

I had to make this a shorter newsletter as my front steps tackled me yesterday and I’m recovering today. Thankfully, no broken bones or head bumps, just a lot of colorful bruises on the horizon. Keep your eyes on your inbox for another newsletter very soon.

My 100-day project of hand-carving stamps is going strong, and now, I will bring you up to date through day 44.

My 100-Day Project Favorite Hand-Carving Materials

Hand-carving stamps has become a joyful and FUN part of my studio day. I usually carve numerous stamps at a time. This demo above is a quick share of just the basic materials I enjoy using. If you have any questions, please leave me a comment, as someone else might be interested in the response too.

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Let’s Take a Virtual Tour of Days 1 Through 44

Filming and seeing all the hand carved stamps to date together is an inspiration to keep creating more. It’s a great challenge to combine 2 blocks to make one design. The tree (Day 11 + 12) is one of my favorites.

Has Coco Lost Her Mind Showing Us A Photo Of A Handtowel?!

No, I have not! Please read on.

I was reaching to dry my hands on a hand towel, and this shadow leapt out at me. That should be a character is the first thing that popped into my mind.

Procreate on my iPad Pro is a great artistic tool for developing quick ideas using pictures; this is the perfect example.

The Depth Of Purple Joy

On my daily walk, I pass this colorful purple flowering plant in many gardens, and it just makes me happy! Do you know what this plant is?

Cherry Blossom Season

Right now, the cherry blossoms are at peak and will shift any day now to the blankets of colorful pink or white petals upon the ground. This was my favorite photo from a walk in the Arboretum park the other day. The little girl and her mom were sharing a heartwarming moment. Kids grow up too fast!

Insinkerator Rainbow Sprite Visit

The other morning, as I was preparing my breakfast, this colorful sprite appeared in my sink for the first time ever in the 15 years we’ve lived in our home! I had placed an unusually shaped clear glass on the windowsill filled with water to hold a couple of wayward single blossoms from a bouquet. My gaze swept downward, drawn to the flash of color. This ever-changing rainbow sprite appeared for a full 10 minutes! I admit that I watched it the whole time. Color refraction has always intrigued me.

Robins Love To Puddle Bathe

The spring rain has brought numerous puddles in low-lying areas along the streets on my daily walks. Kerplunks, splashes, and swooshes of wings drew my eyes to this robin happily bathing. Luckily, the water was a pure distraction, so the robin did not mind being my photographic model.

Stop motion and Procreate animation are making a comeback in my studio. They are fun to create and figure out. This one is a bit bumpy skill-wise but a tickler of how my characters can come to life. I promise these will be getting much better. Yippee!

If you want to learn the very basics about stop motion animation, Rachel Bevan Baker has a delightful paid subscription here on Substack called Animation Pie. She uses the free Stop Motion app and her iPhone camera so anyone can try it.

Sharing my creativity with you gives me purpose, joy, and hope. I’m sending a hug of thanks to all of you for being here to encourage and support my creativity!

Hand-carving stamps has become part of my daily studio routine to embrace each day positively in this surreal upside world in the United States of America!

Sharing my creativity with you gives me purpose, joy, and hope. I’m sending a hug of thanks to all readers interested in being here to encourage my creativity!

Stamp Carving My Day Sixteen Design In The Studio

Stamp Carving My Day Sixteen Design In The Studio

Hand-carving stamps is an imperfect process and you need to embrace the unexpected. This design project is a great example of what can happen and using it as a learning moment before you move on to the next carved stamp block. I recommend the Versafine CLAIR pigment ink pads for colors and excellent stamp detailing. Drawing in eyeballs, after printing, if one happens to pop off your stamp by mistake, is just fine. I snuck one on my robot, which you may catch, at the end of this video.

Favorite Basic Hand-Carve Stamp Tools To Use

Here’s a short video to share the simple tools you need to start hand-carving stamps. Speedball makes a very affordable set that is easy to find. I want to thank Ali at 3dottedpenguins for sharing about the Tack’N Peel to create your own reusable acrylic blocks. This is a big help when printing!

Hand-carved stamps sample prints days one through eighteen

Day 11 and 12 are two stamp designs combined to make one motif

This design got cut off in my photo above, so I wanted to share something about the process I used. This is a great alternative to make larger images using the 1” X 2.5” white blocks; you can get two days completed at the same time.

Bear Levitated Over The Magical Breath Bridge

Sketchbook time is always a journey, especially when it involves cut up old paint palette pieces. The bear appeared almost naturally as I glued the pieces down. There were a number of color options to try for the head and this one won to balance out the composition. I had to add the rabbits as they felt comfortable sitting on the bridge posts. The name came from cut out random words put together from old used books. The bird nestled below the bear is a Clark’s Nutcracker, and we share a love of eating pine nuts!

Here’s a photo of my collection of random words cut out from old books.

It’s a very therapeutic activity cutting words out of old books that I find for a dollar or two at my favorite used bookstore. The aged smell as I snip from the paper, and faded handwritten names inside well-loved covers pull my imagination to create mini tales of the book owners of long ago.

Sometimes, I just put a few words together to help me figure out the spark of an idea for a new piece of artwork. Do any of these words spark ideas for you?

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Morning Robin On The Top Railing

Robins hold a special place in my heart. Nine years ago, my dad passed away and he presents himself in the form of a robin when he visits me. I think about him every day. He was a brilliant attorney and I wish his words of wisdom about the state of our nation could be shared with me. At the same time, I’m glad he is not alive to see what’s happening.

This visit was unusual as Robins rarely stop by on this top railing, and it was 10 minutes long. Reassurance and love hugged my heart, which I especially needed that day.

Find The Birds

I arrived early for an appointment and was sitting in the car looking out the window daydreaming. Movement in the nearby bushes caught my eye. It took a few seconds to focus before I realized the branches were filled with birds! Flashes of yellow identified these beauties as warblers and when I rolled my window down, their wonderful chirping came floating into the car like musical notes!

Nursery Outings For Colorful Inspiration And Joy

Last year, our jewel of a local nursery, City People’s Garden Store, was forced to close so they could tear it down to build luxury condos. It was very sad as it had been in the neighborhood for seven decades! We now drive about half an hour to this local gem, Swanson’s Nursery. Being amongst the colorful blooms and striking greenery was an uplifting and inspiring outing. I’ll share about their unique restaurant in another newsletter.

A New Feline Friend

While walking a few days ago, a friendly meow called my eyes upward to the top of a six foot fence. A purr greeted my ears and a forward tipped head asked to be scratched. How could I resist?! It was a lovely interlude on my walk and I hope to see this beauty again. Petting a purring cat is a truly calming experience.

Thanks for bee-ing here!

The next newsletter will have a stop motion and maybe an animation too. I will be sending out a couple short posts in the meantime, to keep you updated on my 100 day hand-carved stamp project.

With a small paid monthly subscription, you would support and encourage the ongoing growth of this newsletter. I love putting these together and making them an entertaining, informative, and worthwhile read. Free subscribers are always welcome to follow along.

What do you think of the vertical format on this video?

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In one of the rare moments of the past few months in Seattle, the sun shone in the morning. As the rays of light burst through the window, I saw this silhouette and snapped a photo. Visually, I decided it would make a more interesting pattern in a 9-square grid.

As I gaze at the image above, it brings self-reflection. I love to observe, and this sparks my curiosity to learn. Researching and following threads of information bring a nonstop, colorful river of imagery and ideas into my imagination.

After taking the above silhouette photo, I saw this magnificent bald eagle enjoying the sunrise. With the zoom capabilities on my iPhone camera, I could enlarge the image so the eagle was visible amongst the misty, distant landscape. Over all my years of creating, I realized that a bald eagle has never been a design element in any of my art.

Here’s an interesting fact to share with you today. President Biden declared the bald eagle the United States national bird on Christmas Eve, December 24, 2024. It has taken 250 years for this to happen.

Daily walks are critical for my mental and physical health and offer me great creative brainstorming moments. I walk by this tree regularly, and every time, I imagine a friendly character popping up to say hello.

Here’s a short animation, and I hope it sparks your imagination the next time you see an opening in a tree on your walk.

Creating this animation, I realized how much joy it brings to my creativity. You’ll see one of these or a stop motion in almost every newsletter. My skills are improving, and I will share more of the learning process with you. Let’s have some FUN, and I hope these bring a smile to your inbox.

Paintings in Progress On My Studio Wall

Sitting in the morning having breakfast, I look at a white wall full of paintings in progress. These are not pieces I work on regularly, and they quietly await their turn to be finished.

Sometimes, there is a creative game that I play with myself to see if one is ready for change. I dab a few random color blobs to see if they spark a new direction. If I feel bold, I use white gesso with a big brush to block out a large section of my painted canvas and shake up the composition. Today is a blobby day, but it’s only noon, so a couple more dabs may shift that momentum.

This painting shown below frankly irritates me! It needs to move on.

Elephant Painting Phase One

At first, the elephant was working with the yellow background, but then it was not!

Elephant Painting Phase Two

I thought adding the red would add exciting energy, but instead, it made me want to scrap the elephant.

Goodbye Elephant Painting Phase Three

The duck became a gull, and the fish cup transformed interestingly, so these two will stay…I think. The vase and blue ball now show as uncomfortable elements that will be painted over. Acrylic paints are fantastic to work with for this reason.

My latest epiphany about this painting happened the other morning as my very strong cup of coffee hit the bitter, not-tasting good phase. As I gazed at the painting, the title, “Dog, Duck, and Gull With A Cup,” flashed overhead. The design layout is clear…I think!

I’ll share the final art in my next newsletter. Right now, I’m off to dab away and simplify my composition!

Visualizing Ideas Is Powerful

I came across this stop motion, which feels as powerful today as when I first filmed it. People need to envision the world they want to live in more than ever to make wondrous things happen! I’m definitely on board for this!

What are you envisioning for 2025?

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Mount Rainier At Sunset With Ikat Clouds

As the sun slowly sank, the shape and colors of these clouds were awe-inspiring!

Mount Rainier With A Sunset Cap Cloud

When a cap cloud appears over Mount Rainier, it usually means the weather is changing. Did you know there is a Cloud Appreciation Society? Here’s an informative share about cap clouds if you’re curious.

Unsettled Weather Brings Rainbows

The joy of unsettled weather in Seattle is that the rain showers bring colorful rainbows! This helps one shake off the weight of weeks of grayness. I’m not phased by this as I grew up in Syracuse, New York. It’s ranked as the 8th cloudiest place in the United States. Do you know which city is number one?

Thanks for being here.

With a small paid monthly subscription, you would support and encourage the ongoing growth of this newsletter. I love putting these together and making them an entertaining, informative, and worthwhile read. Free subscribers are always welcome to follow along.

As the fall arrives in Seattle, rainbow season begins!

Of all the places I have lived, I rate Seattle as the number one for rainbow sightings. The number of rainbows over the past 14 years has been amazing! This double rainbow far outshines all the others to date. I was out walking and it lasted for 25 minutes so I kept stopping to take pictures from different vantage points. Seeing a rainbow is an instant spirit lifter and we need lots of them these days!

As I was walking on the day of this sighting, a woman was gardening with her back to these rainbows. I wanted to share this special gift from Mother Nature, so I asked her to turn around for a moment to look at something. A brilliant smile spread across her face as her eyes focused on these brilliant arcs of color, and a huge thank you filled the air. Sharing with others is important, especially when they might miss an opportunity to see something wondrous like this.

Join me for a moment to doodle a few doggies.

Doodling in Procreate is one way I’ve discovered to relieve stress. Drawing colorful blobs and making them into characters has been a great activity for brief, relaxing escapism, and the future will need a lot more of this!

For the above demonstration, I used my iPad and the Procreate app. I love dogs, so this was my focus on this doodle page.

Here’s Another Idea For You To Try.

Take an assortment of markers or colored pencils. Draw some freeform circular shapes on blank paper of any kind. Use a black Sharpie or pencil to make eyes, noses, and mouths. Try drawing some silly hairdos. Hopefully, my page of sample faces below will inspire some ideas and feel free to copy these. Gift your funny faces to someone you care about and tell them you created this just for them :) There will be smiles all around and a special warm feeling in your heart!

Here’s a fun unboxing to share with you!

These fabulous brushes were made by the talented artist Leslie Rottner. She makes these unique brushes as well as offering online classes and beautiful collage art for sale. After I created this video for you, the large bristle brush was used on a large acrylic painting to make bold textures in the background. These are lovely creative beauties to display on your desk too!

Close-up of the different brush strokes and mediums used.

The black ink, gouache, and watercolor all were successful to use with these brushes. I would highly recommend these to anyone who loves to get unique textures in their art.

Wren And Her Friends Were Always Off Somewhere Together

Wrens are such distinctively shaped birds and get especially fluffy in the fall. They love to pop out of the shrubbery and scurry about when I see them on my daily walks. Imagine if human beings could fluff out like this!

Green Loved To Dance While The Carrot Leaned.

I’ve discovered that coloring in my sketchbook doodles is FUN! It’s a type of quick coloring book experience with brilliant colors and I have a huge assortment of black & white doodles to use. Would you like to see free downloadable PDFs offered here so you can have some coloring time? Please let me know if you are interested.

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Fall is my favorite time of year, and photographing everything inspiring is an ongoing activity. I’m very happy with the quality of pictures that my iPhone takes and the color palette ideas are especially beautiful in Seattle now. Below is a sampling of my best photos to date. We’re having a big windstorm as I type this, so my fingers are crossed that the power does not go out, and there are also some leaves left on the trees!

The above is a collage of four photos filed with color inspiration, especially the leaves in the lower left. The variety of colors on the leaves that appeared in that bottom left picture in the sunset lighting was unexpectedly beautiful!

Fly Agaric mushrooms stop people in their tracks when they appear in their red spotted cap brilliance this time of year. When I see them in person, it is like a magical world is about to unfold before my eyes!

This gorgeous leaf was being held in place on my upper deck until the moisture sashayed away. The illumination of the shape was a wonder to behold. I was sad today when I checked. It had faded to a brown crinkle form which means the fall season is departing so winter can arrive.

When I awoke this morning and looked out the window, the Cascade Mountains across the lake greeted me with a blanket of white snow. I’m not ready to see this yet!

See You Soon!

Thanks for being here and taking a glimpse into the meanderings of my creative mind.

With a small paid monthly subscription, you would support and encourage my development of this new publication. Free subscribers are always welcome to follow along. Thank you for stopping by.

Wildebeest

A NEW ANIMAL has arrived in my menagerie! To begin this newsletter differently, I made a demonstration video for you all! This unique and wonderful wildebeest jumped out at me from my research book and I was smitten!

Wildebeest Sketchbook Demo Video

I hope you enjoyed watching this and please let me know your feedback. If you have any questions about any of the art materials or process, I would be happy to answer them.

Old Abstract Finds New Life

I have a true admission! Tearing up old art, especially when it never makes you feel positive, is an activity that I enjoy! When I clean out my full art drawers or look through old sketchbooks, the raw sound of ripping paper as I shred the “culprits” feels good!

“The Exploding Tomato” was an old art piece that needed to go away and was taking up space in my file drawer. Scissors were my tool of choice as the shapes needed crisp lines. As shown below, I started putting the pieces back together, and these bug-like characters appeared.

Abstract Art Bugs

Yippee! I love these two and want to do a bug series! Now, I’m back in the art file drawers to find more art that needs a new life :)

Paper Paint Palette Cut Up Pieces

Continuing on my sketchbook explorations with different artistic techniques, I’ve been keeping my paper paint palettes with interesting mixed colors that look like characters or parts of them. Check out below what appeared as I glued and doodled.

Paper Paint Palette Thingamajigs Three And Four

My favorites are the little alligator with the bird and the red-nosed fish.

For these pieces, I used Acryla Gouache colors, and the finishing details were black pencil or paint lines. The paper palette mixing surface is very shiny, and everything wants to flake off once dry. I have to trim the shapes right up to blobs of paint before gluing them down. In the end, a coat of Modge Podge Matte protects them.

Dancing Crab On The Ocean Floor

I like to imagine what secret things sea creatures do that we cannot see!

Daily doodling keeps my ideas flowing and surprises of characters continue to appear. I’m expanding my inspirational research books to include more exotic animals like wildebeests!

Thank you for reading to the end of this newsletter. Was beginning with a demo video a good way to begin? Please let me know, as I’m always trying to make this a more interesting read for you all.

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Night Before Full Moon Rise

Happy full moon rise tonight! I took this series last night, and Seattle has overcast skies for the official moon rise tonight, so I’m happy to have caught this. The atmospheric palette showed off the moon so beautifully! I’m not a landscape artist, but this may inspire a painting or two with my animal characters :)

Supporting this publication with a small paid monthly subscription would bring joy and encouragement to my creativity if your finances allow this. New free subscribers are always welcome too. Thank you!

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Masterson’s Sta-Wet Palette Filled With Holbein Acryla Gouache

I highly recommend getting one of these for your studio, especially if you use acryla gouache or acrylics. Your paints will not dry out for a couple weeks!

Here’s a simple tip to keep your palette usable for a couple weeks.

Use a spray bottle to spritz your paper inside the palette with a very light coat of water daily. This keeps it moist and ready for the next day’s project.

Elephant Vase On The Move Via Cat With Pup Passenger

I painted this whimsical sketchbook page using the colors in the palette above. The cat on wheels just brings a big smile as does the pup happily tucked in the vase to get a ride!

Creating a theme for a series of sketches is a fun challenge. I decided to try doing a group of vases being moved by different wheeled characters. Every time I begin sketching, I flip through the pages painted so far and let a random idea flow onto the paper. Erasing is allowed and embraced. This design is my favorite so far!

Hand Carving A Catapillar Stamp Design Demonstration

Practice, Practice, And More Practice

Imperfections are important to embrace with hand-carved stamps, especially if you are an irregular carver like me. I really enjoy making these and they are always a reminder that everything does not need to be perfectly represented from your sketch.

In college, I was trained to render textile illustrations in gouache that had to be perfect for scanning. Computers with quick fixes did not exist and you spent very long hours creating your projects from sketch to final art. I have completely flipped from this mindset and now love making imperfect art of all kinds.

Coco Carved Stamp Collection

I pulled some of my favorite stamps out of my drawers to share the above page with you. Time to go carve another one!

Hey, would you be interested in seeing this design offered as a t-shirt or tote bag? My website will soon have a shop, and you’ll be the first to know about this exciting event!

Wing A Things Sketchbook Page Doodles

Doodle Cat Bee Character Sketch To Color

I have wanted to explore taking some of my sketchbook doodle characters and translating them into color art. For the next few weeks, I’ll be sharing a black and white doodle tranformed into a colorful character in this newsletter. The hardest part of this will be deciding which doodles to use.

For this art, I worked on an 8” X 10” illustrations board using Holbein Acryla Gouache and Carandache Neocolor II Aquarelle pastels.

Coco Studio Happenings Board

This is not a traditional mood board, so I’ve changed the name and direction. A format like this frees up my ability to include all the different things I have to share with you around the studio. If you have questions or want more information, please ask me by leaving a comment. I’m happy to pass along whatever I know and maybe inspire you to try something new.

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My Favorite Daily Walk View of Mount Rainier

I love to walk and try to get 3 - 4 miles in every day. Beauty and awe are treasures to seek out in our lives no matter how large or small. I’m always looking around to find gems in the most unexpected places.

My sense of humor could not resist sharing a photo of this gas station moment! This perfectly juxtaposes the view photo and shows how my mind skips around. I appreciate creativity in signage!

I would love to see any signage fun from you. Once you start looking, they are everywhere.

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Thanks for being here and reading this newsletter. Next time, I’ll be sharing a video about this new watercolor set, making color swatches, and creating a couple of pieces of art with them.

Supporting this publication with a small paid monthly subscription would bring joy and encouragement to my creativity if your finances allow this. New free subscribers are always welcome too. Thank you!

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Dogs are my current favorite subject. The next steps are improving the eyes and adding the fur details.

What breed should I try next?

I’m checking out the new Substack feature of being able to post instantly from my phone app, not just from my desktop. It will be fun to share more spontaneously with you, my wonderful readers.

Thanks for being here and sharing my creative journey!

Coco

Santa Fe’s Canyon Road

Whenever I visit Santa Fe, New Mexico, I always walk up Canyon Road, which sparkles with creativity. A favorite stop is to see the intriguing sculptures of heads by the talented artist James Tyler at the Nuart Gallery. Click on his name to see this intriguing short video on YouTube showing how he constructs these massive pieces.

When I stand next to them, I smile, thinking that this is how the scale of my head feels, with all the ideas bopping around in my imagination!

Jeffie Brewer creates with such colorful simplicity and joy! The rabbit, titled “Big Blue Bunny,” is a pure delight and the first sculpture design that launched his career. I’m now a huge Jeffie fan! He wants to bring happy art into this world, and I totally relate to this life mission! His colorful sculptures are mostly displayed in public spaces to bring joyful smiles in cities or towns.

Kevin Box has transformed the Japanese art of origami to a whole new level! Collaborating with world-renowned origami artists and creatives, he developed a process to take the small origami that we all enjoy into huge museum-quality metal sculptures.

Experience a world filled with origami that towers above you. Some are kinetic beauties that surround you with a symphony of meditative clickings!

This family photo show you the scale of this Ken Box sculpture

The gift shop display shows the unfolded paper design of the origami Pegasus.

I apologize that I could not crop this video above better, but it is still fun to watch. Make sure your volume is up and enlarge it to full screen size!

My 94-year-old mom suggested we go on this field trip to the Box Studio, which is a half-hour south of Santa Fe. It was fabulous! This is definitely on my recommended must-do list if you visit the “City Different.”

After this immersive art experience, when your stomach gets growling, have lunch at the hidden gem of a restaurant in Los Cerillos, Black Bird Saloon, about five minutes down the road. In this memorable setting, you’ll feel like you stepped back in time to the 1880s. I will forever crave their burgers, homemade potato chips, and Crows Nest fries! We will absolutely be going back here on our next trip!

Last And Not Least! Embrace And Support Local Bookstores!

My partner, Erik, snapped this photo above when we visited our favorite bookstore in Santa Fe. At Op.cit Books, the stacks never get smaller, and you must be ready to spend time finding everything. It’s a true treasure-hunting experience!

Thanks for being here and reading this newsletter! This differs from my usual writings, but I thought you would enjoy hearing about Santa Fe from an artist’s perspective. There is so much going on there that this is just a little snippet. I could go on and on!

Supporting this publication with a small paid monthly subscription would bring joy and encouragement to my creativity if your finances allow it. New free subscribers are always welcome. See you soon!

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Let’s step back together to the year 2015. This photo was taken the other day as we were rehanging paintings, and it started a mental time travel jump backward!

Working on a smaller scale had always been my comfort level, and one day, I had this uncontrollable desire to paint big! The bold floral painting on my right changed everything back in 2015! Purchasing my first 40’ X 60” blank canvas was exhilarating, intimidating, and scary!

The first step was to eliminate the white, so I grabbed some available mixed golden acrylic colors from my drawer of paint containers. I relaxed, breathed deeply, and let the brush loose! Paint colors consumed the blank canvas. Without thought, I grabbed a bold black Posca pen and scribbled lines upon the surface. Hidden flowers and leaves appeared as if by magic! I stepped back in shock, seeing what had emerged from my dreamy journey through the portal of creativity!

Today, I enjoy working in all different sizes, and it keeps me artistically curious, challenged, plus growing.

Do Artists Look Like Their Characters?

My partner, Erik, snapped this photo above the other day too. I grabbed this painting to find a place to rehang it nearby, along with the other ones. When I looked at the photo, I wondered whether we looked like our characters. Do the cat and I look alike? I started researching artists I admire and could see this as a possibility. I would love to hear your thoughts.

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Peek In My Mind

Welcome to my imagination! This mood board theme above seemed like a great starter point, and you might find it interesting to peek inside a creative mind for a second. I do jump around from one artistic project to another.

Discovering the Pinterest collage board capabilities is an eye-opener! Thank you to , for sharing a great tutorial to learn how easy it is! I’m not sure where this will lead me but I’ll bring you all along for the ride of inspiration if you are interested. Color, animals, pattern design, books, fellow artists, DIY projects, art techniques, and things yet to be discovered will be headed your way.

Cutting Out Hearts Brings Happy Thoughts

This is a great activity to do using any colorful materials you have around. I used paint swatches and made a loosely drawn heart shape template, which I traced on each piece of paper before starting my scissors cut-out time. Each one is unique in shape and color, just like people. The hearts can be used for making cards, garland, putting on a gift, leaving on a pillow at bedtime, in a car seat or on a windshield, etc… The possibilities are endless! Where would you like to leave a heart today?

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Thanks for being here and reading this newsletter. I appreciate each and every one of you!

Supporting this publication with a small paid monthly subscription would bring joy and encouragement to my creativity if your finances allow this. New free subscribers are always welcome too. Thank you!

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