• Techniques

    How to Paint a Tree in 3 Easy Steps!

    Do you struggle with painting trees? It looks easy, but then why do our trees end up looking like blobs?  There’s nothing more frustrating than creating a beautiful project and then have your focal image, the beautiful trees, not work out.  If this happens to you, you’re not alone. Painting trees can be easy if you understand a few fundamental things to help you get the best results. Hop-A-Long Studio is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission at no cost to you. Learn more. Taking Inspiration from Nature Before we start painting, let’s talk about what we’re trying to draw. When we…

  • Nadine Milton Value Drawing of Moraine Lake
    Artist's Journey,  Techniques

    My Journey in Learning How to Draw

    Learning how to draw can feel challenging and intimidating. Many of us learn to draw as children but don’t practice drawing as we get older. As an adult, how do we regain our drawing skills and improve on them? Today I will be sharing a few simple ideas to start you drawing again and my personal journey in this process through a drawing course.  I Can’t Draw Have you ever told anyone that you can’t draw? I have said these words too many times over the last few years. Learning how to draw has always been an area where I struggled. Often I compared my work to others and felt…

  • Traveler's Notebook Examples
    Art Journal

    How to Use a Traveler’s Notebook

    Have you ever used a traveler’s notebook as part of your creative practice? Today we will be discussing how to use a traveler’s notebook to elevate your creative practice. What is a Traveler’s Notebook? The Midori style traveler notebook that kicked off the craze started in 2005, but the concept of a traveler’s notebook or journal has been around for a long time. They were used for taking notes and observations when people were traveling. A traveler’s journal includes a notebook cover that has an elastic strung through the middle to hold a notebook, or notebooks in place. The covers can be made of a variety of materials, including leather,…