Hello my friends! I’m back. Or about to be.

The video posted here isn’t about me being back, but….it’s one I’m tickled pink to share. My friend Charlie O’Shields and I recorded this on Tuesday, and he just makes me grin from ear to ear when we talk! (And now apparently after this video, we’re committed as lifelong friends, which also makes me happy!)

Charlie’s an encouraging soul, a big kid, a guy with a lot on his plate. He started World Watercolor Month (pick up some swag for charity here), he has written books, he posts at Doodlewash and you can keep up with him on Instagram.

After my hiatus from Substack, you might have some questions, and I hope I’ve anticipated them below! (no paywall on this post!)

Thanks for reading Sandy's ArtStack! Subscribe and join me as I figure out what’s going to be rebuilt here.

“Why are you back?”

As I’m crossing my 12th anniversary soon, it’s time to have a little rethink! Things never change if we don’t reassess, and a business milestone is a great time to do that.

The online world is very different than it was back in 2013. I was “hot” on both YouTube and my blog. My struggle then was on social media, but YouTube carried me. Then as YouTube became crowded in successive years, the social media scene was where it was at. I grew there - but then that’s slowed significantly with all the changes in algorithms and AI.

Watching some sites changing and growing while others shrink is super hard - but nonetheless, we can’t embrace the new and keep all the old. So, what’s an artist to do? Try something different.

I’d attempted a Substack when this site first appeared. The owners made some sketchy business decisions, and I’d worried they’d turn into the blogger version of X. That may be true in some areas of the site, but I’ve seen enough individuals and companies growing here that I think the good outweighs the Nazis. :)

And also - Substack offers an opportunity for more folks to contribute to supporting my work. I’ve got a Patreon page too (more on that later) but some folks really don’t care to open an account over there when they’ve already got themselves set up here. Thus, I’ll be meeting the people where they are!

“What’s the Substack plan?”

I’d like to do more storytelling writing than I’ve been doing on my blog - since no one really reads those posts anymore (play me a sad violin!), I’ve not been putting my efforts into writing. I want to write where there are readers. And that means you!

I’ve been enjoying writing articles in my newsletter, Creativity in your Inbox, that has been sending for a year now, and will continue that, but I’ll be bringing that voice even more here on Substack.

For free subs:

* Backstory - why I made the art, the thinking behind it

* Encouragement - helping us keep a positive attitude about our art and life

For paid subs:

* Everything above

* Growth tips - more ideas that there weren’t time for in the video; other projects using related techniques; other artists who do related work

* Personal stories - my own history as an artist and things learned along the way

* Study of the day - a sketch and its explanation (from my free Daily Sketches but with more to learn from)

* A monthly live broadcast, chatting with paid subscribers while I work.

For all star members:

* Everything above

* A sketch from me once a year during your subscription

I hope my art and writing will reach more people this way—if you know someone who’d be interested, please do let them know by sharing - or forwarding the email if you’re a subscriber!

Sandy's ArtStack is a reader-supported publication. Join in now for a discount through the end of September 2025!

“How does this differ from your Patreon?”

Right now Patreon is focused on the drawing book I’m writing. Or trying to write! I’ve posted about 30 posts with sketch doodles of things I’m thumbnailing out for myself, topics to cover, some with draft posts about a technique or a concept. I’ll soon be sorting through all of that and making myself a wall of stickynotes to help me organize it into a teachable outline, then start deciding what drawing subject will be best for each chapter, etcetera. $10/month+ folks get weekly posts, others get them less often. Plus, $10/month+ patrons automatically get a Substack membership for free!

Patreon content won’t change; eventually when I get further into the book, I’ll be sharing video snippets with patrons, as my plan is to include technique snippets through QR codes in the book.

Substack will be more of what I’m currently working on in public. Like tutorials, classes, fine art, etc.

“Well, what about your blog?”

I’ll be posting here differently than on my website’s blog. I’m going to include a stripped-down post over there, embedding the YouTube video and a few keywords just for the sake of the Google machine, but the “blog” tab will convert to an “archive” tab, and if those who go to my sandyallnock.com site tap on “New posts” they’ll be directed here instead.

The archive will always be there for anyone who wants to read it - and in every YouTube video I’ll include a link to wherever the writing portion is included. Now that’ll be Substack.

If you’re a subscriber to my blog and you get it from Wordpress (ie you get the ugly ones that WP sends out, right at the moment they go live), then you’ll get them, but with only the videos in those posts. You’ll need to go to YouTube to find the supplies, and the posts will include a direct link to easily get there for that information.

“What does this mean for newsletter subscribers?”

I’ll still be writing my newsletter, and linking to new videos on YouTube, but also linking here to Substack. Videos will be here too, so newsletter folks can decide where they want to watch.

Since some of the content here is just for paying subscribers, some may decide just to stick with YouTube and that’s all. Totally fine! For those who want more tips, ideas, and examples of the same idea in the artwork shown in the video? Just subscribe here and you get the whole enchilada.

”Why are you confusing us with so many sites?”

Ha! If only you knew how confusing it is for me to keep up with them all! And every time things change, my whole posting routine does too. I’ll be wading through it all with you. But the real reason for the confusion is trying to find where I can best spend my limited time; posting on my blog isn’t getting me anywhere, since so few people read blogs, and I’d like to figure out a better way to live this digital life.

The TL;DR…..

If you want ONE place where you get ALL the news, all the links to tutorials, art, sales, new classes - my newsletter will be the hub. It’ll link out to all the places. I’ll be including much of that here on Substack, too, but I don’t want anyone to feel like they have to pay for Substack just to get the important stuff.

And I hope, in time, you’ll come to see which location has the content you want to see or read. Remember, you’ll be able to do a test subscription here and view a few previous posts, so you might wait til September when you can go back through and see if this is the place you want to be.

Study of the day

Yesterday I planned on going to the free sketchwalks at Sketcherfest in Edmonds - but when I got to the place the website said was the hub of Saturday activity, the lovely gal at the front door said they’d moved to a different location. I tried to find parking at that location, near a very busy Farmers Market, and unfortunately would have been walking half an hour to get there. And of course by then everyone would have dispersed and I wouldn’t know where, or what time to return, or if they’d return to see each other’s work….you can see how this wasn’t going to work.

I almost decided to stop at another place in town and sketch on my own, but was too frustrated to even think about drawing at that moment. I drove home, debriefing with a sketching buddy who, lucky Lisa, is at Yellowstone National Park right now. I got to hear her stories of the silly things tourists were doing - as well as the sad story of a bison who wandered into a hot spring and was slowly cooking. :( I thought they were smarter than that?!

I returned to my home as I saw on the weather app that the sun would be out in a few hours, and was rewarded by said sunshine when I made my way over to Tacoma. I stopped to sketch the Murray Morgan Bridge, which I’d had on my list for a while; a big hill ends at the bridge with some small rollercoastery hills near the end. I love this old clunky bridge; it was built in 1913 as a “lift” style bridge to replace a “swing” style bridge constructed there in 1894. A few decades ago the bridge was nearly torn down, but Tacoma convinced DOT to give it to the city to maintain. It closed in 2013 due to its condition (fortunately Highway 509 was in place so traffic could go around), and was repaired for a while just for bikes and pedestrian, then eventually to full traffic. I cross this bridge to go to the other side of the Thea Foss waterway to sketch, and you can see the view from there in this recent video.

I once would have considered this too much for a sketch; I’d have included every window, every sign, even that fire hydrant. I’d have been glad for the lack of cars and people in this photo, taken after cars had moved and while pedestrians weren’t wandering! And I’d also have gotten closer to the bridge to get a better look at the detail to draw.

But in recent months I’ve been practicing the art of simplicity. Trying to learn how to edit a scene in front of me and not include it all. And I also have to say, now that my eye surgery is behind me, I could actually see the bridge from up here on the hill! My sight had been failing so much in the past few years that many of my art decisions were made because I couldn’t see much at all. (You’d think that would have helped me eliminate overly detailed drawings, but I think I tried to make up for it by sitting too close to a subject!)

I was thrilled with this sketch - the many things that were cut out, and those included the dude with the long hair and winter coat (?!?!) carrying a huge box, the cars that I caught while still parked, a family down the hill with their dog. I once didn’t include cars or people, and would create “post-apocalyptic” drawings with no vehicles or humans! This is loose enough to make me feel happy, it was done quick, and I also played with a new-to-me mix for greys: cobalt teal blue and pyrrol scarlet.

Pop into the comments

I’d love to know what you think about my return.

* Is there something specific you’d like to see, or to hear about?

* Is there a tidbit you’d like to see tucked into Substack as a benefit just for paid subscribers?

* What questions did I not answer above, or were some answers a mushy mess of confusion?

I’ll be officially doing a “substack relaunch” with a video on August 2, which is my actual business anniversary, detailing these changes being made. I’d love to have your input before then so I can get my ducks in a row and be as clear as I can about what I’m doing. Haaaaalllllppppp! :)

Create something every day,Sandy