There are many ways to approach your painting practice—and each one serves a different purpose. In this Mini, we’ll briefly explore three core approaches: one-off paintings, painting in a series, and developing a cohesive body of work.

We’ll break down how they differ, and then we’ll dive deeper into building a body of work—what it is, why it matters, and the steps you can take to start creating one with intention.

Mentioned in the Show:

Jennifer Balkan, Ep.108

Debbie Miller, Ep.15

Alice Sheridan, Ep.70

Carrie Waller, Ep.8

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Welcome to the conversation with Jennifer Balkan!

In the feature conversation, you’ll discover how to keep your eyes fresh while working on a painting, why leaving areas unfinished can be a strategic choice, and how to seamlessly integrate colors between your foreground and background.

If you’ve ever wanted to build a body of work, Balkan offers valuable insight into the evolving thought process of an artist—how ideas develop, shift, and take shape over time.

Ad free feature at Art Club here. 

Bonus [Art Club]

In the short bonus, we talk about the very real discomfort you might face when bringing your ideas to life and optical color mixing.

Learn more about Jennifer Balkan:

WEBSITE / WORKSHOPS / INSTAGRAM 

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So many guests on the show encourage their students to do studies. And yet… you still feel resistance. In today's Mini, let’s talk about what that resistance might look like and how to start pushing back. 

Mitchell Albala Interview [Ep.104]

Mitchell Albala Bonus Conversation [Patreon]

How to set up a grid for grid drawing [Instagram] 

5 Pieces of Prep That Can Help You Make Looser, Bolder and All Around Better Paintings [Blog]

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Welcome to the conversation with Kathleen Conover!

Feature Episode:
In the conversation you’ll explore an intuitive way to start your paintings, you’ll learn how to begin to answer the question, “Ok, what NEXT?”  and you'll discover 2 ways you can test ideas before you fully commit to them. Plus a whole lot more.

Extended Cut Bonus [Art Club]:

In the bonus conversation available in the Podcast Art Club, we dig more into composition including talking about compositional formats and you’ll get a great way to train your brain on good composition.

Learn more about Kathleen Conover:

WEBSITE / WORKSHOPS / INSTAGRAM /FACEBOOK

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Each week, discover 3 ideas you can put to work in your next painting. Sign up for free here: www.learntopaintpodcast.com/newsletter

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The #20for20ArtChallenge wrapped up on January 20th, but the lessons from it will stay with me all year.

In this Studio Chat Mini, I break down what I thought I would learn over 20 days—and how what I actually learned turned out to be even more valuable. From managing art time at your worst time of day to rewiring your brain to be less negative, these insights can help any artist.

Want to join us for the next challenge? Learn more here!

Here's my writing about the project by day on Instagram.. 

Day 1 / Day 2 / Day 3 / Day 4 / Day 5 / 

Day 6 / Day 7 / Day 8 / Day 9 / Day 10 / 

Day 11 / Day 12 / Day 13 / Day 14 / Day 15 / 

Day 16 / NA / Day 18 / Day 19 / Day 20 

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Welcome to the conversation with Mitchell Albala.

Widely recognized for his expertise in composition and color, Albala is the author of two must-read books  Landscape Painting and The Landscape Painter’s Workbook.  

And that’s where we’re going to spend the bulk of today’s interview. We are jumping straight into the heart of his process. You’ll discover the transformative power of the BIG IDEA and learn how it shapes his approach to painting. We’ll also take a deep dive into composition, including a crucial step many artists overlook before they start their value studies. And we’ll explore why the format - the square or rectangle, you choose for your painting is far from arbitrary—it can make or break your composition.

If your goal is to improve your understanding of composition, this is a conversation you won’t want to miss.

Podcast Art Club: Find your Ad Free Feature here.

Extended Cut Bonus (Art Club)

In the bonus segment, we turn our focus to color. Mitchell shares insights on why your approach to color might be missing key elements and how to build a more comprehensive strategy. Listen here!

Learn more about Albala:

WEBSITE / BLOG / YOUTUBE / INSTAGRAM /  WORKSHOPS / BOOKS

Links Mentioned in the Show:

• Video Lesson: Exploring Composition through Shape and Notan
• The Landscape Painter’s Guide to Selecting Reference Photos (Differentiation)
• Development of an Abstract Landscape (In the interview we’re talking about a foggy lighthouse.)

More Great Links:

• Book Excerpt: Simplification and Massing in Landscape Painting
• The Power of Color Grouping in Landscape Painting
• Getting the Light Right: The Power of the Color Study
• Exercise: Simplification and Massing in Landscape with Limited Values
• What Color is Your Underpainting? The Monochromatic and Two-Color Methods

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Welcome to this special Art Habit segment with Kerri Fitzpatrick, @kerrifitzpatrickart on Instagram.

In the conversation, you’ll discover how Fitzpatrick went from an artist who struggled to show up to an artist who paints daily. [And side note, the answer was not MORE time. ] You’ll explore the idea of protected space and a few places you might want to double check you have it. Plus learn the questions Fitzpatrick uses to find what works for her. They work great for anyone. And a whole lot more.

This segment is a Podcast Art Club special. It'll be available here on the main feed until January 1st. Then a preview will be available with the feature a Podcast Art Club bonus.

To hear more great Art Habit segments, join the Podcast Art club here.
To find show notes, head here.

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Welcome to the upcoming interview with Ron Stocke! In the feature conversation you’ll discover a unique way to approach the colors on your palette, how to decide whether to paint around or through an object, and what you need in your focal area … and everywhere else. 

Extended Cut Bonus 

In the Extended Cut Bonus, you’ll learn how Stocke gets strategic about his subjects from a color standpoint and some of artist’s favorite combinations of gray. Join the Podcast Art Club on Patreon, here. 

Learn more about Ron Stocke:

WEBSITE / WORKSHOPS / INSTAGRAM / BOOK

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In the Feature Interview, you’ll discover how your artistic heroes  can help you solve problems in your own work, the benefits of working with a split primary palette and why it’s so important to have a plan but then also STICK to the plan.  Plus a whole lot more.

Podcast Art Club: Ad Free here

Extended Cut Bonus [Podcast Art Club]

In the Extended Cut Bonus available to Podcast Art Club , you’ll get a great strategy for dealing with saturation and ideas for how to build a painting process that mirrors how we actually see. 

Learn more about the Podcast Art Club here. 

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Each week, discover 3 ideas you can put to work in your next painting. Sign up for free here: www.learntopaintpodcast.com/newsletter

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In the conversation you’ll discover two totally different approaches you can use to build a painting, everything you need to know about using house paint as your acrylic paint, and how your brush strokes can help you create paintings that are loose and impressionistic. Plus a whole lot more. 

Extended Cut Bonus 

We talk color including how Parker approaches her palette and mixing, how she handles saturation, and how her faith has helped her have a healthier relationship with social media. Listen here.

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Each week, discover 3 ideas you can put to work in your next painting. Sign up for free here: www.learntopaintpodcast.com/newsletter

Support the show