Welcome to January (Patreon)

Hi everyone, welcome to January (following what I hope was a good festive break).

I want to wish you all a very happy new year with no obligation to achieve too much in these first few months of 2026. There can be so much focus on resolutions and fresh starts which is truly admirable but it is also a great idea to just take it slow and emerge when you feel like it - Spring seems like a better time (for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere at least). Therefore we are going to take it gently into the new year with a focus on techniques and simple watercolour pieces that get us back into the painting groove.

For anyone who is feeling like they want to take one positive step with their watercolour painting this year I have one suggestion, and it's a GREAT one. Join one of my livestreams. Come along to a watercolour hang out (wild rose, cherry blossom tier) or the monthly livestream class (cherry blossom tier) and have a go at painting with me in real time. You can change your membership on your account page any time. Your video can be off and you can be on mute but the act of painting with others and reacting in real time to a session with me has been one of the most effective ways to improve your painting and creative confidence. You just need to ask your fellow Patrons - it's the most consistent piece of feedback I receive, that the livestreams are a game changer for:

Boosting creative freedom and the confidence to paint your own original pieces.

Calm knowledge that the finished result is not the main aim.

Excitement about your painting process

Joy and community from painting with others however much or little you interact.

Check below for livestream dates and times for this month.

January News

We are starting the month a few days in but we are so lucky to have hundreds of tutorials waiting for you in the Collections if you’re ever in need of some painting inspiration.

We completed the mini flower series at the end of last year (you might have noticed a flurry of uploads yesterday as we filled in the gaps) and have welcomed many new painters who are keen to paint along with the seasonal series. Start here and you will then find everything you need in the Mini Flower Tutorial Collection. You need to be in the Daisy Tier to access these tutorial.

If you like painting miniatures you will love the Floral Alphabet project.

In January we often have a break from the You Choose Youtube feature as I love to go back through all the ideas that didn’t quite make it from the previous months. However, we are going to be answering one of your most asked questions on Youtube this month: what is in my 2026 palette but this year! We’re going all in with plenty of detail about each colour so consider this your ultimate You Choose Youtube!

We still have some of our 2026 Paint your own calendar in stock if you would love to paint a monthly masterpiece that doubles as a handy calendar. It’s full of nature inspired exclusive tutorials that I had so much fun painting.

I started work on a new book in December and I continue to spend much of my time on that. If I can, I will try and share some sneak peeks!

Livestream Dates and Times

I am offering some later time options in an attempt to allow our early rising Southern Hemisphere members to come along to the livestreams. The Livestream class is always put to a poll and the watercolour hang outs are decided by me.

I am in the UK on Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). Please use this to help work out your timezone. https://www.timeanddate.com/date/duration.html

Watercolour Livestream class 

Sunday 11th January 7pm GMT (Cherry Blossom)

Watercolour Hang out Dates (Cherry Blossom, Wild Rose)

Wednesday 21st January 7pm GMT

*Second date UPDATED TO Wednesday 28th Jan 7:30pm GMT.