Festivals, Ornaments, & More- Dec 7th Patreon Newsletter (Patreon)

Hey Artnerds!

Lately, I've been inspired to edit some relaxing timelapse watercolor videos

French Bread Watercolor TimelapseRice Watercolor TimelapseRoux Watercolor TimelapseI have many more in the backlog that I can edit like this, so please look forward to it if you enjoy chillind out to painting timelapse videos. I find Kaiteki Art's videos inspiring and very relaxing, so these are inspired in a way by hers. I'd still love to do some ASMR art videos at some point, but my house is too noisy in an obnoxious way for that to be feasible.

I've been trying to catch up on my regular editing backlog

Drawing City Silhouettes

I've gotten better at using Premiere, which makes creating timelapse watercolor videos so much easier! I've also been painting!

Jambalaya Illustration

Paul Rubens 48 Color Set Elf Girl Field Test

Paul Rubens Floral Fieldtest

Pop Up Christmas Cards

(currently working on editing the video)

Keep an eye out for the class presentation- I've already shared the printable Mr Bingle lineart!

This weekend has been busy! We went to the Deutsches Haus Christkindlmarkt (Christmas Market) for fun. I love going to craft and art shows, even when I'm not tabling, and I really enjoy shopping for handmade gifts!

But the main event for this weekend was tabling at the New Orleans Bookfair on Saturday!

New Orleans Book Fair

Those of yall who have hung out with me for awhile probably remember me flying back down to New Orleans to attend NOCAZfest. The New Orleans Book Fair is the spiritual successor to that

Sales weren't what we hoped- we think the nasty drizzly and cold weather kept people from coming in, but sales have been bad all this year, so perhaps we're just keeping with the going trend.

That said, we bought a lot of cool zines and comics, traded with other creators, and got to chat with lots of interesting people, so while it was financially a bust, it was interpersonally a win! It's a joy seeing people from past shows and having the chance to reconnect, and being surrounded by other makers is so inspiring for me. If you've missed me at any of my shows or don't live near me, I do have an online shop! If you don't see something in the shop that you liked from past show photos (like a particular art print, Christmas card design, or tote design) please don't hesitate to email me! I don't have everything listed in the shop, as we're forever in the process of updating the back end.

Working on this year's Paperchild illustration

I'm painting this AS I'm writing this Patreon newsletter (I'm also rendering a video, because if I don't multitask, nothing gets finished).

The inspiration behind it:

70's Medieval Revival

Ben Gibb's dress:

Illuminated Manuscripts

This week's Youtube release will hopefully be the pop up holiday cards tutorial, but I hope to share the papercraft ornament video & printables soon!

Sketches & WIP's

a Cajun night before Christmas- magnolia blossoms, eggnog (probably Kleinpeter) and ginger nut cookies.

I doodle these on my iPad using Procreate. This isn't meant to be a sales pitch, but if you're always busy and you struggle to find time to sketch, a tablet can make a huge difference! You might remember I was rolling around with a cheap Android tablet, using Medibang paint for awhile, and while I really enjoyed the flexibility that the tablet offered me, I heeded the call of several friends and other artists, and asked for an iPad last Christmas. I use it almost exclusively for sketching in Procreate, and I love it. It makes sketching for illustrations so much easier, as I can just chuck my iPad into my backpack and take it with me.

My life is full of weird slices of time that is challenging to use- 30 minutes before church, while hanging out and chatting at my mom's house on Saturday's, waiting in the car for fast food or while we drop off a poo sample from Bowie to the vet. I used to feel really frustrated by this, as I just never seem to have the time I need to keep up with traditional media, but that first little cheap tablet allowed me to use all those weird slices of time.

I'm forever guilty of having more ideas than I have time, and Sjogren's has further made that an issue.

Will I ever get to painting these sketches? Who knows. These are an expansion on my Louisiana food series to include native plants (bald cypress and magnolia) along with a few festivals, both real and semi-wished for.

I would absolutely LOVE to do more festival art, but unfortunately, those opportunities are hard to come by, and made harder still when festivals use Generative AI to create the imagery for their posters.

Looking for Feedback!

I'm currently working on creating a Bec's Recc's list for 2025. Maybe you can help me out?

While I'm always open to your recommendations for things to try, were there any products I reviewed that you particularly liked or found eye opening/game changing?

This is what i have so far:

Bec Reccs for 2025

Arrtx Acrylic Marker Set

Lacey Walker Book

Hotu Markers (ohuhu dupe)

48 Color PR Set

Chinese watercolor weights

I'll probably put together a curated playlist later this month and POSSIBLY a video introducing all the products for new viewers, totally depends on how December goes, because right now it is busy!

And in general, your feedback & encouragement keep me going. Thank you so much- I may not always respond, but I try to see every kind word and helpful suggestion!

This year has been really rough for me- art and employment-wise. It would be really encouraging and inspiring to know if there was anything I shared here on Patreon or on social media that you found meaningful. Not only will this help me decide what sort of things to make and share in 2026, but it will also just inspire me in general, as views and engagement have been way down. Do you like when I share Backer Exclusive class presentations & materials? When I share printable coloring sheets? Did you enjoy the Drawing Fundamentals series? Do you love when I do reviews, or prefer just watching me paint? Is there a style of video I make that you put on when you can't sleep, or are struggling with anxiety? Please let me know- I feel very lost this year.

I hope you guys have a safe, warm, and merry week this week! If you're looking for some festive activities or art projects, I've decked out the channel with tutorials to keep you inspired during those long winter nights, and I hope you'll check it out!