Why We Still Paint at All Today
In an age where a machine produces an image in seconds: why I still paint by hand, and why so many people are picking up the brush again right now.
Magazine
Thoughts, techniques and insights from my studio.
The Thistle Becomes a Card – Making a Layered Folding Card by Hand
How the thistle motif from the August package turns into a layered folding card, step by step, and why this particular thistle is so special to me.
The Perception of Color – How Colors Feel to Me
Why I don't just see colors but feel them, experience them in phases of life, and tell them apart more finely than most. A look through my eyes.
The Swatch Card and the Color Wheel – Building a Whole World of Color from Three Pigments
Why a swatch card and a small color wheel made from just three pigments are the best way to truly get to know your colors.
Finding Your Own Style – and What My Neurodivergence Has to Do With It
About my style, an art professor who didn't like my fineliner, and what autism and ADHD have to do with the fact that the norm was never my goal.
Ribwort Plantain, the Little Healing Herb of the Wayside – with a Recipe for Homemade Candies
Why the unassuming ribwort plantain is more than a motif: its traditional uses, and a recipe for homemade candies to color in and to make.
The Friendly Wild Ones – Why I Now Paint the Flowers of the Meadow
Why I now paint the wild, often unloved flowers of the meadow, about conservation, the quiet strength of the overlooked, and the path from my own photo to a hand-drawn, waterproof template.
How I Design a Package – and Why It's More Than Templates
Why I completely rethought my Atelier Plus package, and how the August package makes getting started with painting as easy as possible.
Why I Paint and Love Flowers
Why I have loved flowers since childhood - from my grandmother's hollyhock to the calm that painting brings me. A very personal look behind my motifs.
Little Helpers That Spark Creativity - and One I Avoid
Fineliners, watercolor pencils, stamps, washi tape and more - little helpers that make painting more playful. Plus one I deliberately do without.
My Perfect Color Palette – The Colors I Reach For Again and Again
I analyzed my last 22 watercolors and looked at which colors I really use. What emerged is something like my personal palette – surprisingly small, almost entirely single-pigment, and with hardly any mixing.
Using Watercolor Templates – Why They Aren't Cheating, but Make Getting Started Easier
Why templates aren't cheating, how to transfer them onto watercolor paper – and why the outline, for me, is a starting point rather than a limit.
Watercolor Techniques – The Most Important Basics, Simply Explained
Wet-in-wet, glazing, gradients, negative painting and more – the essential watercolor techniques as tools for botanical motifs.
Mixing Watercolors – The Basics for Luminous Flowers and Botanical Motifs
Warm and cool primaries, complementary colors and pigments on damp paper – how I mix colors deliberately instead of by chance.
The Best Watercolor Brushes – Why More Expensive Doesn't Automatically Paint Better
Why more expensive doesn't automatically paint better – and what really matters with watercolor brushes: water capacity, shape and care.
Choosing the Right Watercolor Paints – Why I Don't Recommend Standard Sets
Why I don't recommend standard paint sets – and how I learned to choose watercolors by their pigments instead of their names.
Choosing the Right Watercolor Paper – My Recommendations After Countless Paper Tests
Why 300 gsm and 100% cotton don't automatically make the best paper – and the two papers I actually work with today.