It’s always good to mix things up and try something new, so, in the middle of finishing up the travel journal from my recent trip to France, I decided to take a detour and play around with a concertina sketchbook I’ve had in my stash for awhile. While working on the travel journal, I’d been […]
Category: Step-by-Step
Sketching in Giverny – Monet’s Famous Lily Pond
Years ago, long before I dared to dream of the life I’m now living, I looked at pictures of Claude Monet’s garden in Giverny with a sense of wonder and admiration. The iconic view of the lily pond with its arched Japanese bridge was so perfect it almost seemed unreal. But one day last September, […]
France 2025: Giverny
After two fun-filled days in Paris, it was time to pack my bags and go to work, teaching a week-long workshop with French Escapade in Giverny. I had been looking forward to this trip for a long time and was so excited to finally see Monet’s garden and walk in the footsteps of Van Gogh. […]
Stitch a Slip-on Cover for Your Sketchbook
I always agonize over which sketchbook to take when I go on an important trip, don’t you? For my recent trip to France, I went through my stash of blank sketchbooks, waffling between this one and that, and ultimately decided to use a beautiful hardcover journal that I made several years ago. It’s been “resting” […]
How to Add Title Lettering to a Curved Banner
I happened to come across this sketch the other day and saw that it was finished except for the title lettering. I had drawn and painted the two-page spread on location at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens last winter during my annual teaching trip to Florida but never got around to adding the title. I’ve since […]
England Sketchbook: Victoria & Albert Museum
When I visited the Victoria and Albert Museum in London earlier this summer, I really enjoyed the display of women’s fashion through the centuries. I especially enjoyed looking at all the detailing and hand work on the Victorian dresses. I snapped some photos that day in the museum and later sketched some of the dresses, […]
A Cute Maine Cottage Sketch
The day after Thanksgiving 2023, my mother and I took off for Florida, leaving Fred with all the leftovers from a huge turkey dinner I had cooked the day before. The two of us were tagging along on a Disney trip that my daughter had been planning for the past year. So, while the grandkids […]
World Traveler
Earlier this month, I taught a brand new workshop in Florida called “Creating Composite Sketches,” where I shared lots of great information on how to design sketches featuring multiple images on a page. I showed examples of some of my favorite composite sketches and shared helpful tips on page design, borders, lettering, and painting techniques. […]
Road Trip Ramblings (Step-by-Step)
My mother turned 90 a few weeks ago, and we celebrated with a girls’ getaway to Smith Mountain Lake, in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. My sister, daughter, and niece all joined me and my mom for four days of birthday merriment. My daughter, Sara, and mother, Saundra But we didn’t wait until we […]
New Lesson! How to Make Floral Monograms & Cards
I’m excited to announce that my new lesson on making floral monograms is finally READY! It’s taken me weeks to put this together for you. What started as a brief tutorial turned into a 41-page package filled with step-by-step instruction, actionable information, and creative inspiration. It’s a one-of-a-kind resource you won’t find anywhere else. This […]
