Mother's Day Flower Painting Tutorial

 

 

Happy May! I love the month of May because it is the anniversary of both when I began painting (in my college apt in 2012) and when I started my business (on Etsy in 2013). To celebrate these little art-iversaries (can I call them that? I'm calling them that), I wanted to pop over to the blog today to tell you the story of the former, especially because it has ties to Mother's Day (which is just around the corner--May 15th)!! 

  

I think most people assume I majored in Studio Art in college, but that actually is not the case (though I wish I had)! I genuinely did not believe I could work as an artist so it never occurred to me that I could major in Art (I double majored in Art History and Communication Studies instead--the double major a result of my not knowing what I wanted to do and not me being overly ambitious).

  

Despite the lack of confidence in myself, fate luckily intervened in the form of really amazing friends. The summer before I began my senior year, my friends Korrie and Caitlyn (who had graduated and were moving out) gave me a huge box of craft paints that they had collected from years of painting fraternity coolers. At that time, I had only painted quotes on canvases, but the myriad of colors in this box inspired me to try something new. With Mother's Day a weekend away, I decided to try painting some flowers. I still remember sitting on the couch in my college apartment as I worked on this piece for days! You can see the final result above (shown with my sweet mom) and here (shout out to Instagram for being there to document my entire art career).

 

I'm not lying when I say I haven't put down the paintbrush since (you can ask my roommates who I'm sure were incredibly annoyed with me constantly taking over the kitchen counter with paint). Through that Mother's Day painting, I realized art brings out my happiest, brightest self. Though my work has evolved a ton over the years, one thing remains the same: I'm continually inspired by the love around me and find joy recreating that love with my paintbrush. My best pieces have always started out as gift ideas. Whether it's flower art you can gift for Mother's Day or a pet mug to make a sibling laugh, I hope my work allows you to feel the same love and joy that I feel when I'm painting it. 

 

I also hope I can inspire you to paint something as well, whether it's for someone else or just for yourself. To help you get you started, I did a quick, unplanned instagram live tutorial yesterday to break down some flower painting basics for you.  I think flowers are fun to paint because you can get endlessly creative with color and pattern.  Don't be intimidated by the blank canvas because, in the tutorial, I break down how to approach different flowers and make it so simple. If you know what a circle is, then I promise you can do this! And if you mess up, just let it dry and paint over it! When you finish your masterpiece, please tag me on instagram! I would love to see :) 

 

Wishing you a mother's day that is filled with women who inspire you to be your best & brightest self.  

 

XX
Evelyn