Crafted by Robert | Original Art & Loose Painting

Loose watercolor harbor scene with sailboats, a red boat as the focal point, yellow buildings on the left, and a light blue sky above dark trees.

Watercolor Composition Mistakes to Avoid

Before you paint a loose watercolor landscape, run this quick check: avoid symmetry, tangents, and a horizon that splits your painting in half.

Three loose watercolor landscapes: a yellow and red house overlooking a harbor, a busy street scene under a blue sky, and a dark brick building with a tall green tree.

No Fear Watercolor Landscapes

An advanced watercolor landscape course with 6 step-by-step demos. Learn design, composition and focal points.

Loose mixed media painting of a carton in blue and orange on canvas, surrounded by a burst of yellow collage strips and purple crayon marks.

What to Do With Unfinished Paintings: Keep Exploring, Don’t Refine

Come back to an unfinished painting and want to “fix” it? Don’t refine it. Keep exploring with new ideas like hard edges, bursts, and collage.

Watercolor course preview showing layered wash and color mixing exercises with handwritten notes, a loose watercolor chair, a sphere and cube value study, and a street scene with vehicles.

Watercolor Workout: Basics & Beyond

Build your watercolor fundamentals with 5+ hours of video exercises, from first washes to finishing projects. Great for beginners and experienced painters alike.

18 Day Watercolor Challenge

18 days of easy, fun watercolor challenges. Start from scratch with simple objects and build confidence in value, color, and composition.

Loose acrylic painting of a carton in blue, orange, and white on canvas, surrounded by yellow paper strips and purple crayon marks.

Stop Painting Halfway: An Exercise to Avoid Overworking Your Art

Overworking your paintings? Try stopping on purpose, way before you think you’re done. A simple exercise to keep your art fresh, loose, and raw.

Sketchbook page of loose portrait drawings in pencil, charcoal, and crayon, with a speech bubble that says habits.

How to Break Your Drawing Habits (Change Your First Decision)

Stuck drawing the same way every time? Try this: whenever your brain says where to start, do the opposite. A simple loose portrait exercise.

Page of loose drawings of the same bottle, starting with a careful construction sketch and getting looser, bolder, and more colorful, with the words construct and explore.

Why I Paint the Same Subject Over and Over (and Why You Should Too)

Why I’ve painted the same simple bottle for 12+ years: the subject is just a way to explore. Construct it, push it, and find new ways to paint it.

Loose acrylic still life of a red bottle with a white label on a yellow background, layered over collage paper in red, blue, and olive.

How to Get Better at Painting

Looking for the one secret to better painting? There isn’t one. Show up, make ugly paintings, find your own way, and layer over your rejects.

Loose acrylic painting of a yellow and blue package with hand-lettered red and navy words, surrounded by green and teal layered brushstrokes.

How to Loosen Up a Tight Acrylic Painting (The Paper Smear Trick)

Acrylic painting feeling too tight? Smear it with paper and a spray bottle, use a paper straight edge, and balance crisp and messy edges.

Playful mixed media painting of six green cats outlined in navy, layered over floral and purple collage paper.

Easy Cat Painting: Paint Symbols, Not Every Whisker

Skip the 47 whiskers. Paint loose, playful green cats over collage paper and a reject using simple shapes, bold color, and a little line work.

Loose watercolor painting of several red pipe wrenches in different sizes and brush styles on white paper, with the words pipe wrench lettered in the corner.

How to Take More Risks in Watercolor (Stop Painting So Safe)

Painting too safe? Paint one object several times, change the color, size, and detail, and let your watercolor surprise you. Plus a Savannah dinner story.

Make Art. Break Rules. Get Messy.

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