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I’m Jenna Rainey.

I'm an artist, self-taught designer, and multi-faceted creative entrepreneur who is hell-bent on teaching everyone how to find their inner creative voice.

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Resources for Creatives

5 Common Mistakes Artists Make When Painting Shadows (And How to Fix Them)

Painting shadows used to confuse me too. In this story-driven watercolor guide, I share five common shadow mistakes artists make and the simple fixes that changed my paintings. Learn how to create richer watercolor shadows, believable light, and beautiful depth in your work.

Delicate watercolor illustration of pink roses with soft gradients and leafy green stems. The petals bleed gently into the paper, creating a light, airy composition that highlights fluid brushwork and natural color transitions.

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Art Tips

Two small glass jars with cork lids sit on a worn tabletop, filled with earthy-toned pigment powders. Blurred jars of brushes and pens in the background create a moody studio feel, highlighting raw materials used in painting and color mixing.

Oil Painting vs Watercolor: The Real Differences

Close-up of bold red and pink floral watercolor with flat brush, demonstrating wet-on-wet and wet-on-dry methods from a watercolor techniques cheat sheet.

Watercolor Techniques Cheat Sheet: Wet-on-Wet, Wet-on-Dry, and More

Overhead view of watercolor supplies and finished floral illustrations arranged for creating a DIY calendar with monthly artwork and vibrant blooms.

Seasonal Watercolor Projects: Creating a DIY Calendar with Monthly Themes

Close-up of hand painting a detailed color chart with watercolor squares, demonstrating step-by-step color mixing for beginners and how different pigments shift in value and tone.

Color Mixing for Beginners: Understanding Consistency, Value, and Tone

Woman standing on rocky shoreline at sunset, embracing coastal light and inspiration before a day of plein air painting.

Watercolor Retreats That Combine Art, Travel and Creative Community

A close-up of a hand mixing warm orange and red pigments on a well-used ceramic watercolor palette. Tubes of paint, brushes, and a blank sheet of watercolor paper sit nearby on the studio table, showing the setup and tools behind the painting process.

Build Your Own Watercolor Palette (Warm & Cool Primaries + Mixing Colors)

A rustic studio shelf displays an organized collection of watercolor inks, swatch charts, and jars filled with brushes and pens. Below, small labeled containers of pigment sit beside color tests, capturing the behind-the-scenes setup of watercolor supplies and artistic experimentation.

Watercolor Supplies 101: Must-Have Paints, Paper and Brushes

A woman in a white suit walks barefoot across rocky terrain near the ocean at dusk. The gentle pastel sky and reflective water create a quiet, contemplative mood as she moves through the landscape.

I Let Creative Burnout Push My Music Aside… Here’s What Brought Me Back

Woman smiling in front of a large, colorful floral watercolor mural, wearing layered denim and a light jacket in a bright, creative studio space.

Things to Paint in Winter (And What They Teach Me About Slowing Down)

Woman seated in front of a large floral watercolor backdrop, wearing denim and holding a paintbrush, smiling gently in a bright studio setting.

What Are Muscle Memory Drawing Exercises (And Why Every Artist Needs Them)

Loose watercolor roses in shades of red and pink with layered green leaves, painted on textured paper with a watercolor palette visible at the top.

2026 Watercolor Trends: What I’m Seeing and How You Can Use Them

Woman smiling outdoors in soft sunlight, wearing a light-colored jumpsuit, holding a small object in her hand with greenery and bamboo plants behind her. | watercolor projects for valentine's day

Heartwarming Watercolor Projects for Valentine’s Day

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Colorful practice sheet showing flat, graded, and blended watercolor washes in a variety of bright watercolor hues.

The Beginner’s Guide to Watercolor Washes: Flat, Graded, and Variegated

Artist filming a watercolor tutorial at an outdoor table with paints and supplies, perfect inspiration for a watercolor paint night.

DIY Watercolor Paint Night at Home: The Complete Guide to Hosting a Watercolor Party

Artist walking along a reflective shoreline at sunset, capturing inspiration for painting water reflections.

Watercolor Tutorials

Painting Water Reflections in Watercolor Made Simple

Close-up of loose watercolor florals in bright pink, blue, yellow, and peach tones on textured paper.

Back-to-School Guide for Artists: How to Set Up a Creative Semester (Even If You’re Not in School)

How to Be More Creative

Painting Your Summer Travels: A Watercolor Travel Journal Guide

How to Be More Creative

Summer Watercolor Challenge: 30 Days of Painting the Season

A woman in a patterned pink blazer and jeans stands on a rocky beach under a glowing sky. The warm light and cloud textures echo watercolor sky techniques, capturing the natural gradients and color transitions found in evening coastal scenes.

Watercolor Sky Techniques Every Artist Should Know

An artist in a green sweater examines bright floral watercolor paintings in a cozy studio. The artwork’s rich color transitions and tonal balance highlight painting with values, emphasizing how light and shadow shape expressive floral forms.

How to Build Depth in Your Art by Painting with Values

A woman in a white suit crouches on coastal rocks at dusk, smiling as waves roll behind her. The soft pink and blue sky glows with fading light, evoking the calm, luminous atmosphere artists aim for when painting a night scene in watercolor.

Watercolor for Beginners

My Top Tips for Painting a Night Scene Without Losing the Light

A woman sketches at a white standing desk in a sunlit studio filled with plants and art tools. Her relaxed, focused posture evokes the peaceful rhythm of watercolor beach scenes and the creative process behind ocean‑inspired art.

7 Watercolor Beach Scene Painting Mistakes (And the Fixes That Actually Work)

Close-up of a brush mixing warm orange tones on a watercolor palette surrounded by paint tubes and paper. The rich blends and limited color areas highlight the process of a painting challenge that encourages color mixing and creative exploration.

Resources for Creatives

Try This Limited-Palette Painting Challenge: 3 Colors, 1 Composition, Endless Creativity

Overhead view of an artist painting loose watercolor florals surrounded by palettes and brushes. Multiple compositions show how varying size, color, and placement can create a strong focal point in art while keeping the overall design balanced and expressive.

Resources for Creatives

What Is a Focal Point in Art? A Beginner’s Guide to Composition Magic

My favorite posts

01

Which Watercolor Paper Should I Practice On?

02

The Ultimate Guide to Watercolor Brushes

03

3 Reasons You Haven't Found Your Artistic Style

04

5 Health Products That Changed My Life

My 40-page watercolor companion to help you find my best tips, resources and tutorials on the topic of watercolor!

The Complete Beginner's Guide to Watercolor

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Don't leave without these!

A free class on how to scan, digitize and edit your artwork. I'll walk you through the equipment you need and the tools for cleaning up your artwork!

How to Digitize Your Artwork

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(on YouTube!)

It's like binge watching Bob Ross videos on Netflix only with a slice of dry humor and an extra helping of the greatest art tips you ever did see!

Hang Out With Me

The Complete Beginner's Guide to Watercolor

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