Crafted by Robert | Original Art & Loose Painting

Loose mixed media study of galloping horses painted in brown, tan, gray, and green with black charcoal line work on white paper.

How to Paint a Horse Loosely: Acrylic, Charcoal & Mixed Media

Learn how to paint a horse loosely with acrylic, charcoal, and watercolor. Focus on rhythm and movement, then simplify, lose edges, and let the painting breathe.

Loose mixed media painting of three baseball players in white jerseys, covered with thick strokes of red, green, blue, and pink acrylic paint.

Use a Bad Painting as a Palette: How Accidents Become Art

I used a reject watercolor as a throwaway palette for acrylics, and the accident turned out better than the original. Here’s how mixing paint can become art.

Three loose chair studies on white paper: two in watercolor in yellow, teal, and red, and one in magenta paint with scribbled graphite lines.

Chair Painting Exercise: A Loose Watercolor and Mixed Media Workout

Try this chair painting exercise to loosen up. Paint one simple subject several times, starting with watercolor and adding ink, crayon, graphite, and acrylic.

Mixed media collage of nine cups in a grid, each filled with torn painted paper and outlined in black over a mustard orange background.

Mixed Media Cup Collage: Torn Paper and Negative Space Painting

Make a mixed media cup collage with torn scrap paper and negative space painting. A fun, loose project that covers up a reject and turns scraps into art.

Loose watercolor village street with dark purple buildings, bare trees, small figures, and long blue and gray shadows across the road.

Loose Watercolor Isn’t Random: The Structure Underneath

Loose watercolor isn’t careless. Learn the design, value, and movement thinking that supports expressive painting, and why structure makes your work freer.

Loose watercolor city scene with dark buildings, small figures, a red car accent, and soft blue and gray washes that fade into white paper.

Watercolor Focal Point: Push One Thing, Let the Rest Fall Apart

Learn how to choose a focal point in watercolor. Find the one thing that excites you, push it, and combine wet-on-wet with dry brush so the rest can breathe.

My Garage Art Studio: You Don’t Need a Perfect Space to Make Art

Garage art studio with a painting table, hanging rakes and shovels, and a red tool chest in the background.

Loose acrylic painting of two pink and white teacups with bold black and gray strokes over green, teal, and orange layers from an older painting.

How to Paint Over an Old Acrylic Painting (5-Minute Teacup Exercise)

Learn how to paint over an old acrylic painting and let the layers show through. A loose 5-minute teacup exercise that turns a reject into something new.

Loose watercolor street scene with a yellow building, dark trees, small red and black figures, and a blue sky with bold expressive brushwork.

How to Find Your Own Art Style: Stop Copying and Start Interpreting

Want to find your own art style? Stop copying other artists and reference photos, build your fundamentals, and learn to interpret what you see.

Mixed media painting of loose white and black cat silhouettes over a green and blue collaged center and pink striped paper.

Cat Silhouette Painting: A Playful Mixed Media Collage Idea

Paint loose, quirky cat silhouettes over a collaged reject. A simple mixed media idea for beginners that works with any subject: food, birds, dogs, or tacos.

Loose watercolor painting of a red barn with a dark brown roof, a blue sky, a large tree on the left, and green grass in the foreground.

Loose Watercolor Barn: Start With Blocks of Color

Paint a loose watercolor barn by treating the first wash as blocks of color. Let them mingle and dry, then carve light and shadow into soft shapes.

Three loose acrylic and charcoal rooster studies on white paper, moving from a more representational rooster to looser, more abstract versions with bright green backgrounds.

Loose Painting Progression: Paint One Subject From Tight to Loose

Try a loose painting progression. Paint one subject in acrylic, then push each version further from control with splashes, a palette knife, and new colors.

Make Art. Break Rules. Get Messy. Free Art Lesson Inside!

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