Self Taught Artist

As artists, it's crucial for us to pause and reflect on our motivations for pursuing art. What initially sparked your creative journey? What inspired you to pick up a paintbrush, a camera, or a pen? I share several reflection prompts and exercises to help you connect with your artistic motivations on today's episode of the Self Taught Artist Podcast.

Now, let's explore the benefits of reconnecting with that initial artistic passion and vision. When we reflect on the why, we tap into a wellspring of inspiration that can reignite our artistic practice. Reconnecting with our artistic purpose can bring clarity, renewed enthusiasm, and a sense of direction.

Artists - Please take a minute to rate the podcast 5 stars wherever you are listening! It helps me to keep the podcast going and reach more artists.

Today we're kicking off The Artistic Comeback - a multi week series on how to come back to art after a break. It's common for life's demands and responsibilities to sometimes get in the way of our art, causing our artistic passions to be pushed aside for some time. The good news is that many successful artists have experienced similar breaks and come back stronger than ever before. Today, we'll explore the importance of acknowledging these breaks and embracing them as integral to our growth as artists. Let's get started! Artists - Please take a minute to rate the podcast 5 stars wherever you are listening! It helps me to keep the podcast going and reach more artists.

WELCOME TO SEASON 3 OF THE SELF TAUGHT ARTIST PODCAST! We're kicking off Season 3 with a follow up episode to a very popular episode from Season 2 (Episode #44) all about using household items to get interesting effects in your artwork. One of my secrets to getting interesting mixed media artwork is to not use my paintbrushes all the time. Using objects from around the house in unexpected ways can help add visual interest and texture to your paintings. Plus, it's a ton of fun! Today I'm sharing nine more objects you can use as you're making artwork.

Artists - Please take a minute to rate the podcast 5 stars wherever you are listening! It helps me to keep the podcast going and reach more artists.

Gifts are a tradition this time of year for many families. Perhaps you're being asked by family members what you want for Christmas this year and you're trying to make your wish list. Or, you're just looking for an excuse to buy yourself a fun new art supply to try. I love talking all about art supplies, so today I'm talking about gift ideas for artists and art supplies I love (or that I am wanting to try!).

Artists - Please take a minute to rate the podcast 5 stars wherever you are listening! It helps me to keep the podcast going and reach more artists.

Artists, today I'm sharing three ways for you to infuse some gratitude into your art making process. Gratitude is good for your brain, good for your body, and good for your art. Since it's November and I have gratitude on my brain, we're talking about how infusing gratitude into your artistic process can result in better art.

Artists - Please take a minute to rate the podcast 5 stars wherever you are listening! It helps me to keep the podcast going and reach more artists.

Social media is still the best way to grow your audience as an artist. Instagram Reels and TikTok videos have grown massively this year. If you’ve been resisting trying Reels, I’d encourage you to try it. No dancing is required, or even showing your face if you don’t want to. On today's episode, I'm sharing some ideas for simple Reels artists can make without much effort. All of these Reels ideas work for TikTok too.

I hope this list of Reels ideas for artists has inspired you to make a reel, whether it’s your first reel or hundredth reel. If you’re looking to grow your social media accounts, creating video content is the best way to do it right now.

At last I have found the color mixing recipe for the perfect green! I’m sharing it in today’s episode. I have struggled with mixing greens for a while. For some reason I have difficulty mixing the right green, and green straight out of the tube doesn’t give the depth I need to make my greenery and nature paintings realistic enough.

Artists, 'tis the season for selling art and gifting art. Often that means you have to ship art! It's the perfect time to revisit my favorite art shipping supplies, shipping methods, and of course, how to save money shipping artwork. 

Right now I'm feeling creatively burned out and like I’ve lost a little bit of my creative mojo. This week on the Self Taught Artist podcast, we're talking about the signs of Artist Burnout and what to do about it! I share six tips for how to beat burn-out as an artist. 

It's natural for your creativity to ebb and flow; it is a normal part of any creative journey!

This week I’m rewinding the clock and imagining starting over again as an artist. I explore the question: what would I do differently if I were starting from scratch today as an artist?  Here are my Top 5: 

Self Taught Artists - reach out to me with what you'd do differently if you were to start over again!   

Don't fall prey to common scams targeting artists! Today, I describe in detail the most common online scams for artists. Typically, it involves a commission or a large art purchase seemingly out of the blue. Scammers are tricky and use all sorts of methods to trick you. My mission today is to help artists identify the red flags and learn what to watch out for. 

Did you know there are tons of household items you can use to paint? One of my secrets to getting interesting mixed media artwork is to not use my paintbrush all the time! Found objects provide added visual interest to my painting and they’re a ton of fun to experiment with. I love to use them in underlayers or to get unexpected effects in my art. Today, I’m sharing how I use household items to make my artwork, and sharing a list of 12 to try that are probably found in your house right now.

Artists, behold the power of a white border around your artwork! When I work on paper in any medium, whether it’s acrylic paints, watercolors or gouache, I love to include a crisp white border around my art sometimes (using tape.) A white border around artwork acts like a mat in a picture frame. It sets off the painting, provides a bit of contrast and intentionality to the piece. I share my best tips for how to remove tape from paper without ripping it. 

Our agenda for today is to first talk about why you might tape off your artwork in the first place. Second, we’ll discuss the seven advantages of leaving a white border around your artwork. Third, I’ll share what masking tape I use. Fourth, I’ll share my secrets on how to remove tape from a painting without tearing the paper.  Fifth, I’ll wrap up with some thoughts about why I tape my art and why I think it’s important for the composition of art on paper.

I believe you can find room for creativity and art if you really want to include them in your life. On today's episode of the Self Taught Artist, we're talking about how to make the most of a small art studio at home, or, what to do if you have no dedicated art space at home. Lots of great tips are coming your way on how to store your art supplies, maximize vertical space, and even use some creativity to create an art studio out of a closet!

One of the roadblocks I hear aspiring artists talk about is not having an art space and how that gets in the way of making art. I know it is a bit of a hassle to always be rummaging around for supplies and not know where things are or constantly pack and unpack them. So that’s why today we’re talking about how to get creative with designing your home art studio – no matter how much space you have or don’t have! If art is important to you, let’s find a way to make it happen.

Here are some links to items I mention on the show:

My favorite rolling carts for artist supplies: 

Elfa at the Container Store (there are lots of other sizes and styles available that you can add wheels to.)

Have you ever gone art supply shopping at the Dollar Store? I found so many great art supplies on my latest trip to the Dollar Store I knew I had to make a podcast about it. Despite passing this store 2 or 3 times a week for many years, I had completely overlooked Dollar Tree as a great source for art supplies. Today on the Self Taught Artist podcast I'm talking about what art supplies I bought at the Dollar Store, and what art supplies I recommend you avoid buying at the Dollar Store. You know I love talking about art supplies, and good value art supplies are my favorite! Artist friends, tune in to find out more. 

This week on the Self Taught Artist podcast we are continuing our Color Mixing and Color Theory Workshop. This is the continuation of a multi-week deep dive into all things color, color theory, and color mixing. Last week we talked about the three dimensions of color: hue, value, and chroma. Today we learn how to use these three dimensions of color to mix any color of paint (using three easy questions).

FREE PAINT CHIPS LINK: Sherwin Williams will actually mail you 10 paint color chips for free! You get to pick the colors. Free delivery. (US + Canada)

This week on the Self Taught Artist podcast we are starting our Color Mixing and Color Theory Workshop. This is the beginning of a multi-week deep dive into all things color, color theory, and color mixing. First, let's take a few minutes this week to talk about the three dimensions of color: hue, value, and chroma. What do these artist terms mean? How do they connect to your artwork? How can mastering these three dimensions of color help you to improve your art? Tune in to find out! Next week, we're going to use these three dimensions of color to talk about how to mix any color of the rainbow with your paint (using three easy questions). 

Artists, I think you'll love this color mixing and color theory series because it will help you to go a level deeper with your understanding of art and your artist materials. 

Artists - it's time to start preparing for the Holidays! This episode is for everyone, not just those who sell their art. You can use art as a wonderful gift for loved ones. Let’s talk about gifting, artsy gift ideas, what holiday items to make if you are selling your art, how to add some pizazz to your presents with artistic gift wrapping, and other art ideas for the holidays. Fellow self taught artists I want to get you excited now so you can get prepared for the holidays!

If you’re looking for an excuse not to paint, you’ll find it. Perhaps you know the feeling... you're tired after a long day at work and you just want to sit on the couch and turn your brain off, even though you know that painting would help you feel better than the TV would! Sometimes it takes a lot of activation energy to get us into art making mode, so we make up excuses to put it off for another day. Today, I'm giving you some tips that I use to paint more often. The more I'm painting, the more skilled of an artist I become, and the more I love painting.  The tricky part is getting me off the couch and into my art studio sometimes! This episode is for any artist that can relate. Together, let's get rid of excuses and paint more often! Practice really does make progress!

Please take a minute to rate the Self Taught Artist podcast 5-stars on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Plus, don't forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode.

Today I’m making the case for painting small. It doesn’t matter what kind of painting you like to do – acrylic painting, watercolor painting, gouache painting, or oil painting – this episode applies to all kinds of artists! For a long time, I thought “bigger is better” when it comes to art. I wrongly equated size to quality and impact. This week, I’m telling you all about my experiments with painting small studies and small paintings. I’m convinced, especially for learning, small substrates can’t be beat!

Small paintings can be great for studies, trying new compositions, experimenting with your artistic style and finding your artistic style, getting lots of practice, and even for selling your art!  Small paintings can be a great entry point for a wider pool of potential art buyers.

Listen to this episode of the Self Taught Artist podcast to learn more about why I’m loving painting small.

Please take a minute to rate the podcast 5-stars on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Plus, don't forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode.

Let's make it a summer to remember. Today's episode is about how to have an Art STAYcation. Even if you're not traveling somewhere this summer for vacation, you can make awesome art memories at home. Today I'm talking about how to plan a memorable staycation, what kinds of projects are perfect for an artist staycation, and the benefits of doing an art staycation in the first place! For me, summer is all about creating fun memories and an art staycation is a way to bust out of your normal routine and dive more deeply into your art. Depending on how much time you have, you can scale up or scale down your art staycation -- it could last just an afternoon, a whole day, or a whole weekend!!

Self taught artists, I hope you use this summer to express yourself creatively no matter where you are in the world!

Please take a minute to rate the podcast 5-stars on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Plus, don't forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode.

It's summer time and I know a lot of people go traveling this time of year. On today's podcast, we're talking about how to bring your art supplies with you on vacation! I'm going to share my favorite way to paint on vacation and share my art with others (hint: postcards!!), my favorite vacation painting medium, and the supplies I'd pack if I had a trip coming up. 

Don't leave your creativity at home...Vacation is the perfect time to make some art! Vacation provides a new perspective and a new set of surroundings. How better to capture the feeling of being on vacation and capture the memories than through art!?

Self taught artists, I hope you use this summer to express yourself creatively no matter where you are in the world!

Please take a minute to rate the podcast 5-stars on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Plus, don't forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode.

The artist's signature is such a small part of a painting, but it carries huge weight! Today we're talking about why you should sign your art, how to sign your art, and why I think signing your art is an important part of the process of really owning the title of "artist." You (yes, you!) are an artist!! So you should be signing your art. I had some hangups that led me on a journey from not signing my art, to signing it with an illegible scribble, to now proudly signing my artwork whether I sell it or not! On today's episode, I talk about my journey as well as discuss some different ways to sign your art.

Please take a minute to rate the podcast 5-stars on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Plus, don't forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode.

If you want to reach out, my email is laurenkristineart@gmail.com

This week's episode is a quick and easy hack to improve your color mixing. When I say it's an easy artist hack, I mean it! It's a shame that I didn't do it for YEARS! I had no idea I was holding myself back and mixing muddy colors for this reason. Any painter needs to listen to this episode to make sure you're not making the same mistake I was. I think this podcast applies to acrylic painters, watercolor painters, gouache painters, and oil painters alike. If you're a painter, you should listen!

Please take a minute to rate the podcast 5-stars on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Plus, don't forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode.

If you want to reach out, my email is laurenkristineart@gmail.com

I saved the best tip for last. I think this method is a *game changer* for Self Taught Artists because it helps to train your eye with what is important! If you want to loosen up your painting, or just become better at painting from a reference photo, this episode is for you. I'll walk you through my favorite method for loosening up my painting step by step.

 It takes just a little bit of technology magic to make it happen. 

Download the PRISMA app here:

Today's episode has some "tough love" for people who want to sell their artwork. Selling artwork is hard and it takes a lot of time to build up an audience and collector base. In the early stages of selling your art, or if you aspire to sell your artwork I have a big tip for you: conduct market research. What do I mean by this? Listen to the podcast to find out! Today's episode is for people who are new to selling their artwork, people who want to sell more artwork, and people who are frustrated they're not selling more artwork. In short, it's all about art business sales!

Please take a minute to rate the podcast 5-stars on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Plus, don't forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode.

If you want to reach out, my email is laurenkristineart@gmail.com

Can’t draw? No problem! Today on the podcast I'm sharing 3 methods to bypass drawing altogether and just get painting. A perceived lack of drawing skills stops a lot of people from getting into painting. They think they can't paint if they can't draw well. Guess what!? That's 100% not true. You don’t have to draw to be a good artist. If you are good at drawing, you may also be interested in today's episode because these methods can speed up your artistic process by using some of the tools I talk about.

Do you hoard your art supplies? Do you buy the "good stuff" and then find yourself waiting for the "perfect" time to use it? I do!! I'm going out on a limb here and guessing that I'm not the only person who does this. I've been working on it and have 5 ideas to share with you.

I think it's usually my inner perfectionist that emerges and stops me from using my favorite art supplies. I will perpetually wait for the right time, wait the best idea to emerge, or delay until my skill level increases a bit more... you name it, I've used all the excuses in the book. I've been working on this and trying to use some strategies in my art practice to get myself using my favorite art supplies again. Today on this episode, I'm first going to do a deep dive into understanding why I hoard my art supplies and find myself instinctually holding back from using them. Next, I'll share 5 different ways I've addressed this myself and how I made a change. I took off the pressure of perfection and started using the art supplies that bring me joy. 

Please take a minute to rate the podcast 5-stars on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Plus, don't forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode.

If you want to reach out, my email is laurenkristineart@gmail.com

Let’s talk about impostor syndrome as an artist! The #1 way that I see Impostor Syndrome come up for artists is a belief that they're not a "Real Artist" if they didn’t go to art school. Guess what, even if you have ZERO formal training, you are still an ARTIST. If you enjoy making any kind of artwork for fun or as a business, you are an ARTIST.  We’re talking all about Impostor Syndrome today, breaking it down, and banishing it for good! On this podcast you'll get a motivational pep talk with a lot of different ways to blast impostor syndrome thoughts out of your brain. Bookmark this one for any day you need a creative pep talk to get you painting again!

Please take a minute to rate the podcast 5-stars on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Plus, hit the "subscribe" button so you never miss an episode.

If you want to reach out, my email is laurenkristineart@gmail.com

So much of painting, art, creativity is mental! The easiest way to feel more free, expressive, and painterly is to reduce the pressure from yourself when you're painting or making art. My secret to better painting is to work on multiple pieces of art at one time. Sometimes I am painting 3 or 4 canvases at a time in my art studio! Painting Multiples is such a great method of painting and on today's podcast I'm telling you all the advantages. I hope you try this in your art practice and enjoy the painting process.

Please take a minute to rate the podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Plus, don't forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode.

If you want to reach out, my email is laurenkristineart@gmail.com

Today on the Self Taught Artist podcast I share three apps I cannot live without! These have helped me so much as an artist to share my work and do a better job of marketing my work. If you want to share your work on social media or sell your work online, you have to get good photos of your work. It's a necessity. If you want to build up an audience for your artwork - how else will you get people's interest if you don't have good photos? As a result, I've spent a lot of time figuring out how to take good photos of my work, how to edit them, and how to share on social media to achieve my goals for my art. 

3 Apps on my phone get used all the time to help me share my artwork with the world. Listen today and I'll tell you all about them and how I use them. 

I think finding your own artistic style the topic I see talked about the MOST among Self Taught Artists. I have been collecting my thoughts for a while and thinking about three big questions: Do you need to have a distinct artistic style? If so, how do you find your artistic style? Does it make you a better artist if you have your own style? Let's discuss…

Here's what we cover in today's episode:

1. We talk about where this expectation of having your own unique artistic style comes from.

2. We talk about what happened when I tried to force my style and how I've started thinking about this concept of artistic style ever since.

3. How did famous painters of the past approach style? What about current contemporary artists?

4. Next, we take a ride in the social media time machine. My favorite part of this episode.

5. I give you my formula for finding your own unique artistic style. It's not a shortcut, but it's the one I use and 100% believe in. 

6. I talk about how painting in collections can be a great "hack" to making it look like you have a style or common thread in all your work. 

Today the agenda is pretty relaxed… we'll talk about art shows, markets, and fairs and I'll give you the update from my art show last week. Second, we'll talk about trying new things and branching out to painting new subject matter. Do you have to be consistent as an artist? Finally, I finish up the episode talking about my favorite paint colors right now and an encouraging note to keep your eyes on the long game as a Self Taught Artist. This is a great episode to paint along with - so get out your paint brushes, squeeze out some fresh paint, and let's get going!

This odds & ends episode format is new - it's where I talk about what's going on in my art studio and whatever artsy topics have been on my mind lately. I hope you enjoy this week's episode of the Self Taught Artist podcast!

I'm sharing why you need to LOVE your artwork and 3 secrets to creating art you love. It's an artistic pep talk to get you falling in love with your art all over again. 

This episode is great for all kinds of artists, painters, and creatives of any kind. 

How to Achieve Special Effects with Acrylic Mediums and Additives

An acrylic medium is a substance that is added to paint to change one or more of its properties. Essentially, Acrylic mediums and additives are liquids or gels that you mix into your acrylic paint. They can help you create different effects, textures, and finishes by making the paint thinner, thicker, glossy, matte, slow-drying, textured, and more. Just another tool you can consider adding to your painting and art supply toolbox!

I'll talk about the most common acrylic mediums one by one. I'll quickly note that Mediums are incredibly versatile, and a lot of them can serve multiple purposes and you'll notice that really quickly as I talk about them.

The acrylic mediums and additives we talk about today are the following:

Mediums are fun to experiment with as a painter and they can help you get unique effects in your artwork. These are optional, but I share them with you in case you've been scratching your head wondering how to get a certain effect in your art!

So you've made a sale... now what? You have to manage all the logistics to get your masterpiece safely delivered to your art buyer. This episode talks all about packaging and shipping art. I'm diving into all the details on how I ship stretched canvas, paintings on paper, and more like where to buy discount shipping supplies. Shipping art isn't my favorite part of being a Self Taught Artist, but it is a necessity whether you're selling art or just gifting your art to friends or family. 

This episode is the second part of this week's discussion on what to do after you sell a piece of art. For part one of this conversation, please listen to Episode 12: How to Turn a One-Time Buyer into a Repeat Art Collector (Elevate the Buyer Experience)

This week you get not one, but TWO new episodes. This episode is part one: How to Elevate Your Buyer Experience and Turn a One-Time Buyer into a Repeat Collector. We're talking about artist branding, including little extras in your packages, and finishing touches that can WOW your buyers. When I sell a piece of art, I look at it as the beginning of a special relationship between me and the collector - so I want them to be impressed when they receive the art and unbox it. Here's the catch: you have to be really strategic about your little extras because if you're not careful they will eat into your profits big time. I'm giving away all my tips and tricks for wowing your art collectors without spending too much money. 

I provide different levels of branding and special touches you can include in your art business, whether you're completely new to selling art or if you're an art selling pro. If you have more tips for artist branding and elevating your buyer's experience, let me know on Instagram.

Don't let fear stop you from creating! Fear is a very common emotion, but it can hold you back if you're not intentional about pushing past it. Letting fear stop you from moving forward creatively would be a shame. Today, I'm sharing my 4 step process for pushing past fear and creating your best art yet. I get personal about my 2 biggest fears that I experience sometimes when making art. 

What fears do you have regarding your art?

I want to encourage all of you out there to push past any fears related to your art - good things will happen. You have something special to share with the world, and you can gain so much personally from expressing yourself creatively. Wouldn't it be a shame if fear held you back from sharing your gifts with the world?

This is a different kind of episode than I've made in the past - if you liked it, would you please send me a note on Instagram? If you like it, I'll make some related episodes in the future.

In Episode 5 we talked about priming or preparing your surface for painting. Today I thought it would be a good idea to talk about the opposite -- how to varnish an acrylic painting. Today's podcast applies to acrylic painting only - oil painting has different rules. I've been varnishing a lot of paintings over the last few weeks to mail out to clients - it's not my favorite part of being an artist, but it is a super important part of making art that lasts.

There are some common misconceptions about varnishing acrylic paintings and the information that's out there isn't always clear to beginners - so I'm going to clear that up today.

Here's our agenda for this episode:

This long-awaited episode of the Self Taught Artist Podcast is finally here! I've been getting a lot of DMs lately about how to start selling your artwork. Today we're talking all about how to start selling your art. We're getting into the nitty-gritty details: what platform should you start with and why? We talk about selling art directly on Instagram or Facebook, starting your own Etsy store, and when is the right time to invest in building your own online eCommerce store for your paintings or artwork. Learning how to sell your art online doesn't have to be complicated. I introduce my concept of "moving up the sales ladder" to help you grow sustainably. 

Today on the Self Taught Artist podcast, we are talking about how to get un-stuck when you have creative block. Slumps in your creativity are completely normal parts of the artistic journey. I'm sharing ten ways to kick start your creative engine again! This episode is great for artists and painters of all skill levels, and other creatives too. Here are ten things you can do when you have artist's block to get creating again...

Today we're talking about priming or preparing your painting canvas for acrylic painting. We'll talk about:

Let's get started!

There are a few aspects of commissions we discuss this week on the Self Taught Artist podcast:

For any artist or painter who is considering taking on commissions, this podcast is for you! I've started taking commissions very recently and this week I'm talking about some of my considerations and the challenges I've gone through. I tell the story of the big commission I'm working on right now, how it came to be, and how it's going.

Today we're diving deeper into the world of acrylic paints. We're going to talk about three things:

1. What makes a good quality acrylic paint 

2. The paint brands I love and why 

3. How to save money on paints as an artist

Connect with me: