Practice practice practice.

Part of being an artist is of course practicing. And not just practicing, but practicing with intention and pushing the boundaries, stepping outside of what is comfortable and known. If you have spent any time following me on social media or my website you probably noticed nearly all of my work is vibrant and full of colorful splashes, splatters and drips. This is just my natural go-to when I begin to paint without thinking. I. Love. Color.

But there is also a great deal to learn when my palette only holds black and white, painting entirely in grayscale. It reroutes my brain from focusing on colors to focusing on form, light, shadow, and line. In this sketch I was able to learn a lot about how to show differences in values and shape without color, which will transfer over into using those lessons when I do work in color, allowing me to create more intentionally. And of course I look forward to trying some of this black and white work again!