recently on the blog
Are you dreaming of combining your love for art with an unforgettable getaway? After the success of our recent art retreat in France, I’m thrilled to announce that our next adventure will be in Portugal! 🎉 In October 2025, we’re headed to the beautiful Algarve coast for an immersive Portugal art retreat—and you’re invited.
November is just around the corner, and I couldn’t be more excited to celebrate a very special milestone, the one year anniversary of my book, Watercolor Made Simple! To commemorate the occasion, I’m launching something extra special for all of you who have supported me along the way: a Creative Book Club, featuring live painting sessions that will bring the pages of Watercolor Made Simple to life, giveaways, and more!
Color isn’t just about aesthetics; it’s a powerful tool to set the mood, draw attention, and connect with your audience emotionally. By understanding the season’s trending color combinations, you’ll have a roadmap to creating visually captivating works that sell. The Winter 2024 Color Trend Report is packed with insight on how to use these trendy shades in ways that feel fresh and inspiring.
Here are my favorite life i design podcast episodes you should listen to if you’re looking to binge listen to something while you are painting and working on your art.
If you’ve been following me for a while, you know I have a creative retreat in France this fall! I am so excited about our week-long trip to the French countryside, practicing art and exploring a new place with fellow artists!
When I released my
Watercolor Made Simple Book
last year, I wanted it to be available to as many people as possible. So I’ve worked with my publishers to release a Spanish version and it is now available! I was also surprised the other day with the Italian translation at my front door!
If you’ve ever admired a beautifully crafted portrait in a gallery and thought, “I wish I could do that,” you’re not alone. Portrait painting can seem like a daunting challenge, especially if you’re just starting out. But what if I told you that mastering the art of portrait painting is something you can achieve, even without any prior experience?
In this post, I’m going to share how you can finally feel confident painting portraits, regardless of your experience or artistic background.
When I first started making money from my art, I really struggled to find time to create art for fun. I thought everything I created needed to be sold or used for a class or tutorial, and it took a toll on me. I see this a lot with artists who make money from their work, and here are some ways I can combat that.
I took some time this morning to write a “Note from Nicki” which I used to send out to my email list quite frequently. As of recently, I’ve been enjoying bringing it back here and there and today I wanted to share it with you on the blog! When I started writing, I let the words flow, and it was quite a long email. So, I’ve actually shared the complete note below with you. Consider this a sneak peek of what my subscribers get sent to their inbox!
Looking for free watercolor resources? Have you checked out the Creative Library? If you haven’t heard my Creative Library is a space where you can access free resources that will help you get painting more.
I often get asked how to take your artwork from paper and turn them into prints and greeting cards. At first this can be hard to learn because there is so much information out there, so I wanted to break down the basics of what I use to scan my artwork and turn it into beautiful prints and greeting cards.
I am so excited to announce this! I’ve been fascinated by portraits for as long as I can remember. Seriously, anytime I'm at an art gallery or museum, I'm usually standing in front of the portraits, observing ALL the details and creative style of the artist, whether they are large, expressive ones or simple sketches found in glass enclosures in the museum.
Growing up the term “starving artist” was something I heard over and over again which was one of the main reasons I didn’t pursue art in the first place. So when I started life i design, I wanted to create a world where I could pursue art full-time and earn a full-time income from it too. I’m grateful to be able to do that and I want to share my knowledge with all of you!
I am the queen of procrastination when I have too much on my plate or days like today when the sun is shining and I just want to be out in my greenhouse. If you don’t follow me on Instagram and haven’t seen the greenhouse my husband and I built last month, check it out here.
You know that feeling when you’re done with a watercolor painting and can’t wait to frame it or put it on display? But once it fully dries, the corners have turned up, and there are ridges from all the water you used. Here’s a tip on how to flatten watercolor paper easily after it has dried.
Color mixing has been a topic of discussion lately so here are some of my color mixing tips and some tutorials to help you on your color mixing journey.
The Watercolor Art Retreat of a Lifetime: join me in France, nestled in a private, 19th-century French château. I’m so excited to lead the upcoming Creative Watercolor Art Retreat hosted by UpTrek, where we’ll have the entire chateau to ourselves for 8 days with a private chef and staff to help us with whatever we need throughout the week!
If you’ve been following me for a while, you know I love Winsor & Newton's professional watercolor paints. They have been a favorite for a long time, and I use them in many of my projects and classes, so I was so excited when they approached me to put together this palette of colors!
As an avid reader constantly seeking inspiration or learning something new, I’ve read many books over the years. In this blog post, I wanted to highlight the 5 best books for watercolor painting artists and a few other resources to help inspire your next art project.
Blog Posts for how to be creative
As the vibrant hues of autumn surround us, it’s a perfect time for watercolor artists to dive deeper into the art of color mixing. Fall colors offer a natural, rich palette full of warmth, depth, and subtlety, making it the ideal inspiration for artists looking to expand their color mixing skills. By mastering these seasonal hues, you can create paintings that genuinely capture the essence of autumn.
Are you dreaming of combining your love for art with an unforgettable getaway? After the success of our recent art retreat in France, I’m thrilled to announce that our next adventure will be in Portugal! 🎉 In October 2025, we’re headed to the beautiful Algarve coast for an immersive Portugal art retreat—and you’re invited.
November is just around the corner, and I couldn’t be more excited to celebrate a very special milestone, the one year anniversary of my book, Watercolor Made Simple! To commemorate the occasion, I’m launching something extra special for all of you who have supported me along the way: a Creative Book Club, featuring live painting sessions that will bring the pages of Watercolor Made Simple to life, giveaways, and more!
Color isn’t just about aesthetics; it’s a powerful tool to set the mood, draw attention, and connect with your audience emotionally. By understanding the season’s trending color combinations, you’ll have a roadmap to creating visually captivating works that sell. The Winter 2024 Color Trend Report is packed with insight on how to use these trendy shades in ways that feel fresh and inspiring.
Here are my favorite life i design podcast episodes you should listen to if you’re looking to binge listen to something while you are painting and working on your art.
When I released my
Watercolor Made Simple Book
last year, I wanted it to be available to as many people as possible. So I’ve worked with my publishers to release a Spanish version and it is now available! I was also surprised the other day with the Italian translation at my front door!
If you’ve ever admired a beautifully crafted portrait in a gallery and thought, “I wish I could do that,” you’re not alone. Portrait painting can seem like a daunting challenge, especially if you’re just starting out. But what if I told you that mastering the art of portrait painting is something you can achieve, even without any prior experience?
In this post, I’m going to share how you can finally feel confident painting portraits, regardless of your experience or artistic background.
When I first started making money from my art, I really struggled to find time to create art for fun. I thought everything I created needed to be sold or used for a class or tutorial, and it took a toll on me. I see this a lot with artists who make money from their work, and here are some ways I can combat that.
I took some time this morning to write a “Note from Nicki” which I used to send out to my email list quite frequently. As of recently, I’ve been enjoying bringing it back here and there and today I wanted to share it with you on the blog! When I started writing, I let the words flow, and it was quite a long email. So, I’ve actually shared the complete note below with you. Consider this a sneak peek of what my subscribers get sent to their inbox!
Growing up the term “starving artist” was something I heard over and over again which was one of the main reasons I didn’t pursue art in the first place. So when I started life i design, I wanted to create a world where I could pursue art full-time and earn a full-time income from it too. I’m grateful to be able to do that and I want to share my knowledge with all of you!
I am the queen of procrastination when I have too much on my plate or days like today when the sun is shining and I just want to be out in my greenhouse. If you don’t follow me on Instagram and haven’t seen the greenhouse my husband and I built last month, check it out here.
You know that feeling when you’re done with a watercolor painting and can’t wait to frame it or put it on display? But once it fully dries, the corners have turned up, and there are ridges from all the water you used. Here’s a tip on how to flatten watercolor paper easily after it has dried.
Color mixing has been a topic of discussion lately so here are some of my color mixing tips and some tutorials to help you on your color mixing journey.
The Watercolor Art Retreat of a Lifetime: join me in France, nestled in a private, 19th-century French château. I’m so excited to lead the upcoming Creative Watercolor Art Retreat hosted by UpTrek, where we’ll have the entire chateau to ourselves for 8 days with a private chef and staff to help us with whatever we need throughout the week!
If you’ve been following me for a while, you know I love Winsor & Newton's professional watercolor paints. They have been a favorite for a long time, and I use them in many of my projects and classes, so I was so excited when they approached me to put together this palette of colors!
As an avid reader constantly seeking inspiration or learning something new, I’ve read many books over the years. In this blog post, I wanted to highlight the 5 best books for watercolor painting artists and a few other resources to help inspire your next art project.
Watercolor pencils are great when you’re on the go, which makes them easy to take anywhere for practice. Here are some of my favorites and ones I’ve seen good reviews on.
Planning your art process is a critical part of growing as an artist. Before using this planner, I would create an initial sketch and just start. Don’t get me wrong, there’s no correct way to plan or create when it comes to your artistic process, but I realized I needed a more organized way to capture all of my ideas. Enter: The Artist Project Planner!
After releasing my newest book, Watercolor Made Simple, I asked for honest reviews in exchange for an invite to my (then) live painting session to paint the swallow project from the book!
It’s the most wonderful and chaotic time of the year! I know how stressful shopping during the holiday season can be, and trust me, I get it. If you’re shopping for an artist in your life or want to send this gift guide to someone who needs ideas shopping for you, this gift guide is the perfect place to start.
blog posts for creative entrepreneurs
Have you ever wanted to learn watercolor painting but aren’t the greatest at sketching or drawing? I get this comment a lot! People tell me they don’t know how to sketch anything; therefore, they can’t paint anything that feels “finished” or “polished,” so I started creating my Trace and Paint books.
We are excited to announce new private lessons and coaching sessions offered at life i design. Come check out what we have been cooking up!
For the first time ever, I am pulling back the curtain on how to design, create, digitize and sell greeting cards! I’m super excited about this live workshop because, well, it’s live and I miss teaching in-person workshops,
Starting and growing your modern calligraphy business from home can be scary, I've been there! I've designed a course and special bonuses to help you get started, create a solid plan, understand how you are going to make both passive and active income, and get your first paid clients.
Working from home as a calligrapher is something that I’ve done since 2012. Over the years, I’ve offered a huge variety of services and products to my clients. In this post, I’ve compiled 5 of my favorite calligraphy projects that I recommend you consider selling too!
A few years ago I was working a lot! I was designing for my clients, printing orders from my shops, creating my first few online classes and teaching workshops all over town. Seven days a week was the norm for me, and my husband also travelled a lot for work, which meant I was the kid’s numero uno.
I kept that pace for about a year and then started to feel burnt out!
Offering calligraphy as a service and on products was what I was becoming known for. Past customers were referring me, current clients kept coming back for more custom designs and my home based print shop was hopping!
A brand new startup is one that is taking a significant risk. You’re heading out into the big bad business world, and you need it to be a success; after all, you’ve poured your everything into this venture! Experience is going to teach you a lot, and owning your own business is going to be the biggest lesson you will ever learn in your life. You are about to embark on something amazing, challenging, and life-changing, so it stands to reason that there will be wise words to hear before you get started!
Years ago I was busy lettering, digitizing, designing, printing, selling & shipping, greeting cards as part of my online shop! It was a very busy few years in my business that required a lot of time and effort from me but I did enjoy creating some fun and sassy greeting cards that quickly became popular in my shop!
Greeting cards are a great way to share a personal message with a friend, say thank you to a client or if you are a calligraphy or letterer, to create a gratifying income stream or two in your business!
I read recently that Megan Markle, as in Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Sussex Megan Markle, had a little calligraphy side hustle going. Before HRH got her big break working on the show Suits, she worked for a paper company and offered calligraphy for celebrity weddings and even taught a workshop! How cool is that?! She prides her self on being very disciplined as she learned and practiced the art of calligraphy!
Everyone’s journey is always so different and inspiring. I thought I’d share this lengthy post about how I got started with lettering and calligraphy as a hobby and a love for writing, and how I turned it into a home based business. Sit back, pour yourself your favorite bevvie and allow me to share with you my journey along with some practical advice!
Back to falling into routine and getting ready to learn!
It’s the perfect time to offer you 50% off all of my online classes!
Now is the perfect time to learn a new creative skill or take an entrepreneurial leap with classes ranging from…
If you run your own business from a home office then you will know just how difficult it can be to concentrate. Whether you’re constantly distracted by your family life or your office space isn’t quite what you want it to be, it is important you’re doing everything you can to ensure you can work efficiently.
Teaching others how to start a home-based creative business has been something that I’ve wanted to do for years. I feel very fortunate to have been able to work from home while my kids were growing up. Working from home allowed me to have independence, to keep a part of who I was, and it gave me a break from being a Mom along with all the other jobs that go along with staying home.
If you are a fellow creative entrepreneur and are struggling to grow your business, then read on!
What I’ve learned most over these last few years of being a creative and building my online business is; how to focus on important tasks, managing my time so I’m not working 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and lastly how to rely on those around me for support and advice!
In reality, the business path can be both rewarding and challenging. When you’re keen to engage with your creative ideas and let the inspiration flow through your mind and body, the last thing you want to be doing is to manage a business.
Who says business management is all about responsibilities, administrative tasks, and plenty of documentation. It’s fair to say that as a creative entrepreneur, you want to lose yourself in the artistic process of giving life to your ideas.
At any point in starting, growing and running a business, I feel like we need inspiration, information, a fresh perspective, and motivation to push through when we need a little boost. Podcasts for me serve all of those purposes and more. So I thought I’d share with you Podcasts that have helped me in my creative business.
If you’ve been following me for any length of time, you’ll know that I balance being a creative and being an entrepreneur, wearing many hats in-between. Becoming a creative entrepreneur can be an interesting clash of two worlds. On the one hand, you have a creative skill that you want to market, whether it's decorating people's homes, producing music or making jewelry. On the other hand, you need to put your business hat on, and get to work promoting your creative skills or products. Growing a business while also carrying on with your creative work can be tough, and require a lot of work. So how can you balance your creativity with your need to grow your business? Take a look at some of these tips.
In a very random but powerful aha moment, I knew that I wanted to create art, share art, and inspire others to surround themselves by art. I knew that I wanted to continue to work from home, on my terms and with freedom to choose, when I worked and how I worked {My kids were still young, but didn’t need me as much}. I knew I wanted to maintain my independence while earning my own money and still be able to contribute to the family budget. I knew I was happiest when I painted, blogged and created.
I believe in taking online courses so much so, that I have taken time away from my art and creative practice, to create courses to help others achieve their personal goals. I’m excited to share everything that I’ve learned over the years in the hopes of inspiring, empowering and saving you time and money! No matter what your goal is. [More about life i design online in another post]
Here are the reasons why I think taking online courses is the way to go! Read to the bottom to see my top online class resources.
blog posts for the home!
Each print is an original watercolor painting that is hand painted and re-printed onto 100 LB, beautifully textured, white cotton paper resembling an original watercolor painting. Read more here!
Whether it’s botanicals, landscapes or even cool looking insects, nature always shows up in my art and is a theme in these new Limited Edition Art Prints I’ve been wanting to create and share for some time now!
New watercolor notebooks and journals to inspire you to embrace every moment of creativity when it hits you!
I hope you’ve enjoyed a little inspiration with adding excitement to your walls with some really great art! Home decor and styling has always been a passion of mine and as someone who works from home, my personal space is really important to me. Being able to break up the boring, everyday, and saying hello exciting, new updates is important to my creativity and frame of mind! Do you agree?!!
I am a huge fan of black on white. I find simple black and white designs very relaxing, my eye has places to rest and it always looks clean and crisp. Bold black designs on white feel more timeless to me. I wear a lot of black or white (add jeans and that's my daily uniform) but I am slowly embracing color. Maybe not so much in my wardrobe, but in my surroundings at home.
Last year I took on a really easy project to update our living room / dining room. I bought 2 cans of black chalk board paint and painted a feature wall in the dining room. Every now and then, we update the wall with doodles, quotes and randomness. Here are some chalk wall inspiration for you to check out!
4 weeks of banging, sawing, men through my 50+ year old home and dust so thick we began to write messages to one-another on the furniture using nothing but our finger and dust!!
blog posts for everyday!
As the vibrant hues of autumn surround us, it’s a perfect time for watercolor artists to dive deeper into the art of color mixing. Fall colors offer a natural, rich palette full of warmth, depth, and subtlety, making it the ideal inspiration for artists looking to expand their color mixing skills. By mastering these seasonal hues, you can create paintings that genuinely capture the essence of autumn.
Are you dreaming of combining your love for art with an unforgettable getaway? After the success of our recent art retreat in France, I’m thrilled to announce that our next adventure will be in Portugal! 🎉 In October 2025, we’re headed to the beautiful Algarve coast for an immersive Portugal art retreat—and you’re invited.
November is just around the corner, and I couldn’t be more excited to celebrate a very special milestone, the one year anniversary of my book, Watercolor Made Simple! To commemorate the occasion, I’m launching something extra special for all of you who have supported me along the way: a Creative Book Club, featuring live painting sessions that will bring the pages of Watercolor Made Simple to life, giveaways, and more!
Color isn’t just about aesthetics; it’s a powerful tool to set the mood, draw attention, and connect with your audience emotionally. By understanding the season’s trending color combinations, you’ll have a roadmap to creating visually captivating works that sell. The Winter 2024 Color Trend Report is packed with insight on how to use these trendy shades in ways that feel fresh and inspiring.
Here are my favorite life i design podcast episodes you should listen to if you’re looking to binge listen to something while you are painting and working on your art.
When I released my
Watercolor Made Simple Book
last year, I wanted it to be available to as many people as possible. So I’ve worked with my publishers to release a Spanish version and it is now available! I was also surprised the other day with the Italian translation at my front door!
If you’ve ever admired a beautifully crafted portrait in a gallery and thought, “I wish I could do that,” you’re not alone. Portrait painting can seem like a daunting challenge, especially if you’re just starting out. But what if I told you that mastering the art of portrait painting is something you can achieve, even without any prior experience?
In this post, I’m going to share how you can finally feel confident painting portraits, regardless of your experience or artistic background.
When I first started making money from my art, I really struggled to find time to create art for fun. I thought everything I created needed to be sold or used for a class or tutorial, and it took a toll on me. I see this a lot with artists who make money from their work, and here are some ways I can combat that.
I took some time this morning to write a “Note from Nicki” which I used to send out to my email list quite frequently. As of recently, I’ve been enjoying bringing it back here and there and today I wanted to share it with you on the blog! When I started writing, I let the words flow, and it was quite a long email. So, I’ve actually shared the complete note below with you. Consider this a sneak peek of what my subscribers get sent to their inbox!
I am the queen of procrastination when I have too much on my plate or days like today when the sun is shining and I just want to be out in my greenhouse. If you don’t follow me on Instagram and haven’t seen the greenhouse my husband and I built last month, check it out here.
Color mixing has been a topic of discussion lately so here are some of my color mixing tips and some tutorials to help you on your color mixing journey.
The Watercolor Art Retreat of a Lifetime: join me in France, nestled in a private, 19th-century French château. I’m so excited to lead the upcoming Creative Watercolor Art Retreat hosted by UpTrek, where we’ll have the entire chateau to ourselves for 8 days with a private chef and staff to help us with whatever we need throughout the week!
If you’ve been following me for a while, you know I love Winsor & Newton's professional watercolor paints. They have been a favorite for a long time, and I use them in many of my projects and classes, so I was so excited when they approached me to put together this palette of colors!
As an avid reader constantly seeking inspiration or learning something new, I’ve read many books over the years. In this blog post, I wanted to highlight the 5 best books for watercolor painting artists and a few other resources to help inspire your next art project.
Watercolor pencils are great when you’re on the go, which makes them easy to take anywhere for practice. Here are some of my favorites and ones I’ve seen good reviews on.
Planning your art process is a critical part of growing as an artist. Before using this planner, I would create an initial sketch and just start. Don’t get me wrong, there’s no correct way to plan or create when it comes to your artistic process, but I realized I needed a more organized way to capture all of my ideas. Enter: The Artist Project Planner!
After releasing my newest book, Watercolor Made Simple, I asked for honest reviews in exchange for an invite to my (then) live painting session to paint the swallow project from the book!
It’s the most wonderful and chaotic time of the year! I know how stressful shopping during the holiday season can be, and trust me, I get it. If you’re shopping for an artist in your life or want to send this gift guide to someone who needs ideas shopping for you, this gift guide is the perfect place to start.
Have you ever wanted to learn watercolor painting but aren’t the greatest at sketching or drawing? I get this comment a lot! People tell me they don’t know how to sketch anything; therefore, they can’t paint anything that feels “finished” or “polished,” so I started creating my Trace and Paint books.
I recently asked my students inside our student-only Facebook group to share some of their artwork from a class they had taken with me, and the results are AMAZING. I always enjoy scrolling through our feed and seeing the beautiful artwork created, and the amount of TALENT everyone has. The passion for creating art really does shine through their work.
LET ME IN THE CREATIVE LIBRARY!
Sign up with your email address to receive news and updates and get the secret password that gives you instant access to the private Creative Library and gain access to exclusive inspiration, tools and resources for you to live a life you design!
As the vibrant hues of autumn surround us, it’s a perfect time for watercolor artists to dive deeper into the art of color mixing. Fall colors offer a natural, rich palette full of warmth, depth, and subtlety, making it the ideal inspiration for artists looking to expand their color mixing skills. By mastering these seasonal hues, you can create paintings that genuinely capture the essence of autumn.