Artist Judy Woods - An Artist's Life, Practical Tips and Tricks, and the Creative Process

abstract artist

Finding Your Next Best Painting in 3 Easy Steps

Finding Your Next Best Painting in 3 Easy Steps

This video shows you an easy way to create new ideas for your next painting without spending hours, days, weeks, and months staring at blank canvases trying to think of what to paint. The answer is right in front of you, in your current work.

Harmonious Color and Design Exercise

Harmonious Color and Design Exercise

As I said last week these little exercises are great for fine-tuning your DESIGN-EYE - you will become more discerning with the more you do. So watch the Vlog and see if I can't tempt you to come with me on a little DESIGN tangent!!

Simple Exercise for Abstract Design

Simple Exercise for Abstract Design

The other day I took a break from my paintings and I did a little design exercise which was fun. It's a bit like practicing your scales when you play the piano - it limbers you up, tunes the eye for when you need to analyse your paintings and make design decisions. Have a look and then have a go. Watch the Vlog.

Creating Your Best Art

Creating Your Best Art

In this weeks Vlog I share with you two aspects of my process that I think make the biggest difference to creating my best work. Watch the Vlog.

How To Paint With Courage

How To Paint With Courage

In this week's Vlog, I'm sharing a hack with you. How to EASE yourself into being courageous while painting. Soon you'll find yourself making all those bold moves that you think only OTHER crazy kamikaze artists do...

Have a look.

How to Get Your Painting Started- When It's Hard

How to Get Your Painting Started- When It's Hard

In this week's Vlog, I break down how I got myself into these new paintings - from actually getting myself into the studio to the first marks I made and how I moved forward.

Hope it helps if you're starting some new work or finding some resistance to keep working on some tricky paintings.

Authenticity In Your ART

Authenticity In Your ART

One of the ways I do this when I'm building my layers at the beginning of a painting is to embed the work with drawings, words, shapes, colour, and collage that has direct relevance to my life at that moment.

Watch the Vlog to see this process demonstrated in my work, and stick around to the end to see bossy old Ginny.

Soft Painting Using Sketchbook

Soft Painting Using Sketchbook

So when I decided I was well enough to spend a little time in my studio I was in a quiet frame of mind. No strong value contrasts, no loud music.... just soft colours, subtle differences and gentle play.

I switched on RECORD, and this little session in my studio is the subject of this week's Vlog.

Painting With Mixed Media

Painting With Mixed Media

I made a Vlog where I played with paint and mixed media in my sketchbook. I didn't know what I was going to do, I was all out of ideas, so I just started (and filmed it on my camera, just in case). Fortunately, I liked the result, and so here it is.

Creating Textures With Collage and Black Paint

Creating Textures With Collage and Black Paint

This week's Vlog is another sketchbook exploration - this time playing around with thick and thin black paint and seeing what texture you can create with collage and black paint. Have a look!

Playing with Paint

Playing with Paint

When I start my paintings I begin with play. I had to learn to play with the paint and the tools and whatever else I had to use just like a curious kid. "What happens if I use this?" "What happens if I do that?"

I recorded it, so you can see what it takes to play if you are like I was and sometimes find it hard to let go, forget about what you're making, and just get lost in the MAKING. Watch the Vlog.

Your Shapes

Your Shapes

This week in my Vlog I'm talking about digging into your past and finding things in your memories that can be included in your Art to make it more authentic. Finding SHAPES that you enjoy and that for some reason have some resonance for you, and how including these in your work can build connections with others. That's where the Witches Britches come in... Have a look!

The Opposites and Differences In Your Abstract Art

The Opposites and Differences In Your Abstract Art

In this week's Vlog, I'm talking about DIFFERENCES and I show you an exercise you can do quite quickly to tune your eye into looking for differences to add some surprise to your paintings.

Free & Loose Botanical Drawing

Free & Loose Botanical Drawing

Develop a loose and dynamic approach to drawing botanicals, using simple line and colour combinations, pen, pencil and paint.

Learn how to read the foliage and structure of the subject then create rich texture, form and detail in your drawings by making expressive marks with a brush, pen or pencil.

What's Your Hero?

What's Your Hero?

Abstract painting can often look like 'wallpaper'. It has no focal point and the viewers eye is left to roam often unable to discern what the artist wants them to see, feel or gain from their painting. What these paintings need is a hero. Here I talk about deciding on a hero when developing an abstract painting.

Taking A Painting Backwards

Taking A Painting Backwards

We all want to finish our paintings, but sometimes we have to take them a few steps backward in order to finish them. This takes courage and big moves, but in my experience always results in a better outcome. In this short Vlog, I demonstrate the process of taking a painting backward to finish it.

Artists are WEIRD

Artists are WEIRD

I think everyone’s a little weird – even though most of the time we try to hide it. But artists are especially weird. I mean, it’s a bit looney-tunes to get really excited about a dribble of paint, or a torn edge of paper or a smudge next to a lump. Those are some of my pet loves, I wouldn’t mind betting you could match mine with a few of your own.

Permission To Paint

Permission To Paint

Do you give yourself permission to paint? When there are pressing demands on your time it’s worthwhile to evaluate the importance of the attention you give to your Art. What it means to you and why you want to spend time playing with paint.

About Winning Art2Life 1st Prize

About Winning Art2Life 1st Prize

So last Wednesday when I sat at my computer on that Zoom call and one by one watched the other Artists get their awards and then finally when the 2nd place was announced and I knew I had won – I heard a whoop from my partner in the bedroom - and I cried…