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Painting Is My Favorite Way to Slow Down
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items A creative space to find inspiration, learn through beginner-friendly guides, join fun challenges, and explore gorgeous galleries that keep me coming back for more.
Sections
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Start Here: Painting Without Overthinking It
Painting Ideas for “I Have No Idea What to Paint” Days
Beginner Tutorials
If Watercolor Is Calling Your Name
Acrylic Painting When I Want More Freedom
Galleries I Visit When I Need Inspiration
Start Here: Painting Without Overthinking It
The hardest part of painting isn't always learning the technique. Sometimes it's simply deciding what to paint. I find that starting with something simple makes the whole process feel much less intimidating.
When I first enrolled, I was really hesitant because drawing people has always intimidated me. But now? I feel so much more confident drawing anyone—even myself.
Why it's here:
It's not simply about producing polished artwork. It focuses heavily on drawing and developing a creative habit.
That makes it a good entry point for beginners.
Google Arts & Culture feels less like an online database and more like unlimited, front-row access to the world’s best museums right from your desk. From high-res brushstroke details to AI-curated color matching, it’s one of the best free places ...
This is one of the strongest resources for your list.
Google Arts & Culture currently brings together content from more than 2,000 cultural institutions and offers a huge amount of artwork and exhibitions to explore.
Painting Ideas for “I Have No Idea What to Paint” Days
I have those days too. So instead of waiting for inspiration to magically appear, I like having a few simple subjects ready to go.
A little reminder: You don’t need a “perfect” subject to make a good painting. Start with something familiar, keep it simple, and let yourself experiment. The point isn’t to paint something impressive every time — it’s to enjoy the process and see or...
I have those days too — when I want to paint, but suddenly nothing feels interesting enough to put on the canvas.
So I stopped looking for complicated ideas.
Sometimes, the best subjects are already sitting right in front of you. A flower from your garden, the coffee beside you, or the view from your window can become a surprisingly lovely little painting.
Here are a few of my favorite things to paint when inspiration decides to hide:
🌷 A flower from your garden — Pick one you love and don’t worry about getting every petal perfect.
☕ Your morning coffee — A cozy cup, a little sunlight, and suddenly you have a painting.
🌅 A sunset — Keep it simple. A few colors can create a beautiful sky.
🏡 A tiny house — Add a little garden, a path, or a warm glowing window and let your imagination do the rest.
🪴 Your favorite plant — Plants are wonderfully forgiving subjects, especially if you enjoy loose, relaxed painting.
🪟 A window view — Paint whatever you see outside. Even an ordinary view can look completely different on paper.
📚 A stack of books — Add a cup of tea or a pair of glasses and you've got yourself a cozy little scene.
🌊 A quiet beach — You don't need a detailed seascape. Just play with the colors of the sky, sand, and water.
🍎 A simple bowl of fruit — Pick a few pieces of fruit, arrange them on the table, and paint what you see.
🎨 Your workspace — Your brushes, sketchbook, coffee cup, and little creative mess can make a surprisingly personal painting.
And here's the trick: don't wait for the perfect idea.
Pick the easiest one.
Set a timer for 15–20 minutes.
Paint it badly if you have to.
The goal isn't to create a masterpiece every time. Sometimes, the real win is simply getting the brush moving again.
This article by professional artist Celeste Duffy shares a reassuring perspective on art block, reframing it not as a flaw, but as a completely natural, universal phase of the creative cycle. Drawing from 25 years of experience, she explains that fig...
Art Block Solutions: 20 Ways to Reignite Your Creativity — CELESTE DUFFY - Original Art
Beginner Tutorials
There are thousands of painting tutorials online, which sounds great until you don't know where to start. I prefer resources that actually break the process down instead of making everything look effortless.
A good place to start if you like clear instructions. The lessons break paintings into manageable steps, so you can focus on one part at a time instead of wondering what to do next.
World of Paintings — Start with the basics
If you’re the kind of person who learns better when someone shows you exactly what to do next, this is a nice place to start. The lessons break paintings into simple steps and cover acrylics, watercolors, and oil pastels, with techniques and traceable sketches included. It feels much less intimidating than trying to figure everything out on your own.
Perfect if you want to learn before spending anything. There are free step-by-step lessons that cover the basics, making this an easy place to explore if you're completely new to painting.
Art by Carol May — Learn without rushing
I like this one because you can start learning without immediately committing to a course. There are free, step-by-step watercolor and oil painting lessons, along with a beginner's guide that helps you understand the basics before jumping into a full painting.
For a slower, more relaxed approach to watercolor. I like the gentle, step-by-step style here—it feels more like painting alongside someone than trying to keep up with a complicated class.
Louise De Masi — Slow, calm watercolor lessons
If you prefer learning at a relaxed pace, I think you'll enjoy Louise's approach. Her tutorials are clear and gentle, with plenty of step-by-step guidance. There’s also a free full-length beginner class, so you can get a feel for her teaching before deciding whether you want to explore more.
A lovely option for watercolor beginners. The free demonstrations take you through an entire painting, which makes it easy to grab your supplies and simply paint along.
Nature Studio — Free watercolor classes
This is a lovely one to bookmark if watercolor is what you're curious about. The free classes walk you through the painting process from beginning to end, so you can paint along without feeling like you’re being thrown into the deep end.
If Watercolor Is Calling Your Name
Watercolor has a mind of its own, which is probably why I find it so addictive. I love the loose, imperfect quality you get when you stop trying to control every little thing.
For when you want to take watercolor a little more seriously. This is a much more structured option, with plenty of lessons to work through at your own pace. I’d save this one for when you’re ready to go beyond the basics and really understand the me...
Watercolor College
It offers a structured watercolor curriculum with more than 100 hours of lessons and 200+ lessons, so I'd position it as an option for someone who wants something more systematic.
Start with the boring stuff—it actually helps. Before attempting a detailed landscape or bouquet, spend a few minutes practicing washes, thin and thick lines, and simple shapes. Once your hand gets comfortable with the brush, painting becomes much mo...
BigBrush Watercolor Lessons
Good complement because it has free demonstrations.
A useful personal tip:
"Don't start with a complicated landscape."
Spend 10 minutes practicing washes, lines and simple shapes first.
Acrylic Painting When I Want More Freedom
Acrylic is the medium I’d suggest when you want to experiment without being too precious about every brushstroke. Made a mistake? Let it dry and paint over it. That freedom makes it a lot less intimidating.
A really friendly place to start with acrylics. The tutorials take you through the painting one step at a time, and many include templates and simple instructions. I especially like that the projects feel achievable rather than intimidating — perfect...
Step By Step Painting
Great if you want to actually paint along with someone. Erin offers free, full-length acrylic tutorials, including recorded lessons you can follow at your own pace. I like the relaxed feel of this one — you can simply grab a few basic colors, put on ...
Free Acrylic Painting Tutorials
Galleries I Visit When I Need Inspiration
Sometimes I don't want another tutorial. I just want to look at beautiful art for a while. These are the places I'd browse when I need to refill the creative tank.
This is a particularly strong recommendation because visitors can explore artists, mediums, movements, historical periods, exhibitions and museum collections.
Feed — Google Arts & Culture
This gives the section a recognizable major museum destination.
Musée du Louvre Official Website
Excellent for modern and contemporary art exploration.
Tate
This gives you a bridge between art inspiration and contemporary artists.
Saatchi Art
Simple Exercise That Changed How I Look at Paintings
Instead of immediately asking whether I like a painting, I try to figure out why it caught my attention in the first place.
What do I notice first?
Then:
Why?
Is it:
the brightest color?
the darkest area?
the face?
the composition?
the empty space?
the direction of the brushstrokes?
5 Art Exercises to QUICKLY Improve Your Painting Skills
This video provides 6 beginner drawing exercises centered around manipulating basic planes (0:13). These progressive, building-block drills train your perspective, spatial awareness, and ability to construct complex 3D forms (1:09).
6 Beginner Drawing Exercises to Improve Quickly!
Painting Challenges When I Need a Little Push
Sometimes I don't need more inspiration. I just need a tiny deadline. Painting challenges are surprisingly good at getting me past the “I'll do it tomorrow” stage.
It provides a 28-prompt format designed to make it easier to simply choose something and start painting.
Daily Painting Challenge
The concept of art challenges is also very familiar within online sketching communities, where people regularly share prompts, critiques and creative exercises.
Skool
My Little Painting Ritual
The ritual matters almost as much as the painting itself. A drink, some music, a clean little workspace and my phone somewhere out of reach. Sometimes I paint for an hour. Sometimes it's only fifteen minutes.
This is my time to write down a simple list. Feel free to write your own listings.
My 15-Minute Painting Ritual
☐ Make a drink
☐ Put the phone away
☐ Choose one subject
☐ Set a 15-minute timer
☐ Paint without correcting everything
☐ Stop judging the painting
☐ Save it
This video guides you through a simple daily art therapy ritual using watercolor, salt texture, and gold foil to encourage creative relaxation and letting go of control.
A Simple Art Therapy Ritual for Daily Self-Care | Watercolor + Salt + Gold
What I Wish Someone Had Told Me Earlier
You don't need to be talented to start painting. You don't need expensive supplies or a beautiful studio. Your first paintings are supposed to be awkward. Mine were too.
The goal isn't to become someone who paints beautiful things overnight.
It's t...
This Brush Work video presents five daily 3–5 minute mark-making exercises, such as cross-hatching and tapered lines, to improve hand control and enrich your visual language. These drills focus on pressure variation and texture, ranging from random s...
How to Improve Your Drawings with 5 Easy Daily Exercises
This video outlines 8 easy daily drawing exercises designed to build a strong artistic foundation, improve precision, and enhance your control.
How To Improve Your Drawings With 8 Easy Daily Drawing Exercises