I hope you’re ready to experiment today!

We’re diving into the wonderful world of regular gouache and acrylic gouache—exploring the differences, which surfaces work best, how they flow, how opaque they are, and so much more.

I’ll be testing them on several different papers, along with clear gesso, regular gesso, and transparent watercolor ground. It’s one big creative experiment… and I have to admit, I love feeling a little like a mad scientist in my studio.

We’ll splash paint, make a mess, ask lots of “what if?” questions, and create beautiful flowing, funky collage papers together. Then next week, we’ll take those handmade papers and turn them into something completely new.

Lately, I’ve found myself in a season of discovery. A season of doing what feels easy. A season of asking,

What happens if I try this? Instead of worrying about the finished piece, I’m simply following my curiosity wherever it leads.

That reminds me of one of my favorite books, The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin. If you don’t have it, I highly recommend it. I reach for it whenever I’m feeling a little lost, when life is changing, or when I’m simply unsure of what comes next creatively.

Today I was reading the chapter about seeds (I’ll share more about it in the video), and it felt especially meaningful.

Rick writes that the beginning of every creative process is the seed phase. It’s the time when we’re searching for potential starting points. A seed for a song might be a phrase, a melody, or a rhythm. A seed for writing might be a sentence or a setting.

And for painting? A seed might be a color, a shape, a mark, or even something as simple as swatching a few gouache colors across a page.

But finding those seeds requires us to be present. To notice. To stay curious.

And I’d add one more thing…

We have to be willing to do.

To play.

To swatch colors.

To compare supplies.

To make collage papers just because.

To spend an afternoon experimenting without needing a masterpiece at the end.

Those little moments that may seem insignificant are often where creativity quietly begins to bloom.

Then, when you discover a seed that sparks something inside you, it’s time to plant it and water it.

Follow the thread.

Try the paint.

Then try it again on a different surface.

Turn it into collage paper.

Use it in a journal.

See where it wants to go next.

One little experiment has a beautiful way of leading to another.

The seeds are everywhere. They come from trying something new. They come from revisiting something you forgot you loved. They come from finally using the “good” supplies you’ve been saving. They come from taking the class, opening the new pens, or simply making time to sit down and create.

Every small act of curiosity plants another seed.

So today—and hopefully for a long time to come—I hope you’ll join me in finding those seeds, planting them, and seeing what beautiful things grow.

Let’s go have some fun.

Enjoy the process, and always know that you are loved.

Stencils used: These will be on sale this week!

• Simple Background 7 8×10
• Geometric squares 8×10
• Jumping through hoops 5×8
• Collage Fodder Script & Circles 8×10
• Floral Vine 8×10
• Loop Holes 8×10
• Stepping Stones 8×10
• Numbers Tech large 8×10