Tuesday Art Chat with Kerri

Kerri shares a practical book chat on Austin Kleon’s Keep Going, focusing on how artists can stay creative when time is tight, motivation dips, and life gets noisy.

This episode is especially useful if you want simple, repeatable ways to keep making art without waiting for the perfect mood or perfect schedule.

In this episode, Kerri explores how the book’s ideas apply to real artistic life, from routines and lists to play, gifts, and seasonal creativity. She also reflects on what it means to keep creating for the love of it, not just for output or income.

Kerri Dixon takes listeners back to the 1800s for another Meet the Masters episode, focusing on Mary Cassatt and the practical lessons her work offers modern artists.

The episode is especially useful for pastel artists, but the takeaways apply just as much to composition, mark making, and deciding where detail belongs.

Kerri explores how Cassatt balanced smooth blending with loose, visible strokes, used colored paper as part of the artwork, and made ordinary domestic scenes feel worthy of serious art.

She also connects Cassatt’s approach to wildlife and nature art, showing how historical practice can solve very current creative problems.

You can watch the video chat on Youtube

How to Take Reference Photos With a Painting in Mind

In this episode, Kerri Dixon explains how wildlife artists can move beyond “good photos” and start collecting reference images that actually support a stronger painting. She shares a practical way to see, capture, and design compositions, using her own zoo photography and studio editing process as examples.The focus is on reference photos, composition, and lighting, with a clear message: the camera records the scene, but the artist makes the painting.

Key topics

• In this episode, Kerri Dixon introduces the idea of taking reference photos with the final artwork in mind, not just snapping a nice wildlife picture.
• She explains why it helps to look beyond the animal and scan the full frame for distractions, background shapes, light, poles, fences, and other elements that affect composition.
• Kerri shares a meerkat example from Australia Zoo, where moving slightly to the side removed a boab tree that looked like it was growing out of the animal’s head.
• She emphasizes collecting options rather than hunting for one perfect image, including wide shots, close-ups, verticals, horizontals, and different angles.
• Kerri talks about photographing details like fur, ears, feet, tail, shadows, grasses, and environmental textures so later studio work has more information to draw from.
• She explores how lighting can make or break a reference photo, especially directional light, edge highlights, eye highlights, and strong shadows that reveal form.
• She also notes that soft overcast light can be valuable too, depending on whether the goal is mood, form, color, or clarity.
• In the studio, Kerri describes using a rule of thirds template in Canva, Photoshop, or Procreate to test different crops and placements before drawing.
• She reframes the rule of thirds as a guide rather than a rule, encouraging artists to experiment with centered compositions, negative space, and subject placement.
• Kerri closes with a simple three-step mindset: see it, capture it, design it, then use multiple photos to build a stronger artwork and a stronger artistic voice.

KerriDixon talks about what she learned from watching Portrait Artists of the Year Australia and why it challenged her assumptions about how “proper” portrait art is made. The episode is a reminder that tools like photos, grids, iPads, tracing, and mixed media are not shortcuts to avoid real art, but practical parts of the creative process.In this episode, Kerry connects portraiture practices to wildlife art, showing how the same principles apply when your subject moves, changes light, or won’t cooperate. She also shares a simple challenge to try one reference three different ways and see which method supports your best work.

Key topics

• Kerri explains why she started watching Portrait Artists of the Year Australia and what surprised her most about the artists’ process
• The episode challenges the idea that professional portrait artists must work only from life
• Kerri discusses how artists use photos to capture a specific moment, expression, or angle before the subject changes
• She connects portrait techniques to wildlife art, where taking your own reference photos is often essential
• Kerri explains the difference between simply finding a photo and creating a reference by making artistic decisions first
• She describes the use of grids, measuring, loose sketches, tracing, and digital overlays as tools for accurate proportions
• The episode reframes grids and transfers as scaffolding, not the artwork itself
• Kerri highlights how different artists use the same medium, especially pastels, in very different ways
• She encourages experimentation with pastel sticks, pastel pencils, broad marks, layering, and mixed media to discover personal style
• The main takeaway is that there is no single “proper” way to make art, only the method that helps you create the artwork you want

• Choose one reference photo and draw it freehand, with a grid, and with a squiggle grid
• Notice which method feels most accurate, most freeing, or most frustrating
• Focus on strengthening your foundations before adding detail
• Ask whether a tool helps you make the artwork you want rather than whether it is the “proper” method
• Experiment with materials and mark-making to discover what naturally shapes your style

In this episode, Kerri Dixon breaks down muddy colours, why they happen, and why they are not always a problem. She uses practical examples from wildlife and nature art to show how complementary colours, value, and careful observation can make colour mixing feel much simpler. Kerri also gives a clear method for choosing colours without memorizing the whole colour wheel - start with the right colour family, then ask what is wrong with the colour you have and make one small adjustment at a time.

Key topics

• Carrie introduces the episode as a response to a student question from Aster about muddy colours and colour mixing
• What muddy colour actually means - usually a loss of brightness or intensity, not automatically a bad colour
• The difference between a colour becoming muted on purpose and becoming muddy by accident
• Why overworking pastels and adding too many colours can fill the tooth of the paper and make colour harder to control
• A simple colour wheel refresher covering primary colours, secondary colours, and complementary pairs
• Why complementary colours work like a volume control for intensity
• How orange and blue, green and red, and purple and yellow can neutralize each other into more natural-looking tones
• Why realistic painting depends on observing what is actually there, not what the brain thinks should be there
• The importance of value - lightness and darkness - when a colour looks wrong even if the hue seems right
• How muted colours help bright focal points stand out in wildlife and nature paintings
• Why leaving some colours unblended can create richer texture, especially in fur and feathers
• A practical exercise for making deliberate muddy colours and finding those same hues in nature references
• Two simple questions to use while painting: what colour family am I in, and what is wrong with the colour I have?

Pinterest for Artists: Inspiration, Style Clues, and Copyright

Kerri Dixon wraps up her social media for artists series by showing how Pinterest can work as a visual search engine, an inspiration board, and a practical tool for artists who want to refine their taste and support their creative process. She also covers the big copyright caution with Pinterest and explains how artists can use the platform without confusing inspiration with reference or copying.

In this episode, Kerri Dixon shares how she uses Pinterest to collect colour ideas, composition studies, lighting references, and style clues, while also reminding artists that social media should serve the art, not the other way around. If you want a simple, thoughtful way to use Pinterest more intentionally, this episode gives you a clear framework.

Key topics

• Pinterest is better understood as a visual search engine than as traditional social media
• Artists can use Pinterest like a digital inspiration scrapbook, similar to old magazine tear-outs and folders
• Organizing boards by purpose makes ideas easier to find later, such as colour, composition, lighting, wildlife, still life, textures, and studio inspiration
• Private boards are useful for planning a specific artwork or collecting mood board material before you start painting
• Pinterest images are not copyright free, even if they appear on the platform, so reference use still needs permission and awareness of ownership
• Inspiration and reference are not the same thing, and Kerry encourages artists to ask what they like about an image rather than copying it directly
• Studying composition on Pinterest can teach artists to notice cropping, negative space, focal points, contrast, and visual balance
• Pinterest can help artists explore colour palettes such as rust and teal, coastal tones, autumn palettes, and earthy neutrals
• Kerri suggests a style-finding exercise using two boards: one for work you do not like and one for work that feels like you
• Pinterest can also help people get discovered if they share finished work, work in progress, sketchbook pages, tutorials, or blog content through their own online spaces

Why Artists Should Embrace YouTube as a Learning ToolDiscover how YouTube can revolutionize your art practice—not just through tutorials but as a source of inspiration, research, and community. Kerri explores practical strategies for integrating YouTube into your artistic growth and warns of common pitfalls to avoid.

Key Topics

• How YouTube removes geographical barriers to art learning and inspiration
• The value of learning from multiple artists to find your personal techniques
• Using YouTube for quick answers to technical questions (like drawing white fur or photographing art)
• Researching art supplies through honest reviews and demonstrations
• Creating playlists for organized, targeted learning modules
• Understanding wildlife and subjects to enhance realism and believability in art
• Balancing passive learning with active creation to improve skills
• The three stages of learning: inspiration, education, and practice
• The importance of structured courses and workshops for step-by-step guidance
• How memberships and online courses support detailed, slowed-down learning

• Creative Barn Membership – Online art courses and community support

This episode explores how artistic growth is about much more than improving technique — it’s also about building confidence, finding a clear learning path, and staying motivated through routine and community support. Kerry reflects on the real “wins” from a week of pastel practice and Soft Pastel Week, sharing how small achievements, encouragement, and playful goals can help artists keep creating, especially after workshops end. The episode also highlights the importance of connection and self-belief in overcoming creative doubt and sustaining long-term progress.

If you'd like to continue your art journey with Kerri, head to

The Creative Barn Membership to learn more.

Discover how Facebook can be a powerful tool for artists, not just for sharing work but for building meaningful connections, finding reference resources, and creating new opportunities. Wildlife artist Carrie Dixon shares practical tips, success stories, and strategies to leverage Facebook’s community features effectively.

In this episode:

• Why Facebook remains valuable for artists despite being viewed as outdated
• The difference between Facebook profiles, pages, and groups for art businesses
• How joining niche communities enhances engagement and sales
• Using Facebook groups to find wildlife reference photos and permissions
• The importance of Facebook Live for building trust and accountability
• The role of Messenger in establishing personal client relationships
• The variety of niche and regional Facebook groups for artists
• Precautions for social media safety: owning your website and email list
• A social media challenge: join three groups, share relevant work, comment thoughtfully
• Final encouragement to see Facebook as a community hub for genuine relationships

Wildlife artist Kerry Dixon discusses how Instagram can serve as a digital portfolio for artists, emphasizing the importance of sharing artwork for visibility and community building.

www.kerridixonart.com

Points of Interest

• Artists often create artwork that remains unseen; Instagram offers an online gallery space.
• Instagram as a visual diary to track artistic progress and milestones over the years.
• The platform helps connect artists globally and build a supportive community.
• How to differentiate inspiration from comparison; learning from others rather than feeling discouraged.
• Success stories of artists gaining opportunities like product endorsements through genuine engagement.
• Different Instagram features explained: posts, carousels, stories, reels—each with unique purposes.
• Advice for beginners: start simple, create an account, upload a few artworks, and focus on sharing authentically.
• Encouragement to join or showcase within the Creative Barn community, fostering mutual support.
• The ultimate goal is creating and sharing work that reflects your story, not chasing fame.