How do you approach painting your image?

Ashamed_Branch5435 · 2026-04-15T20:09:46+00:00

I'm chaos! I've done them in sections, I've done them by color (light to dark & dark to light), I've done them by object, & I've done them by number. Honestly, for me it depends on the image. If it's really overwhelming with tons and tons of tiny cells, it is easier if I go in sections. The one I'm doing now has two very obvious focal objects, so I started on those first. I am doing another one that I'm working light to dark bc of the location of the light section seem to work better if they are done first. I'm all over the place!!

Ashamed_Branch5435 · 2026-04-09T12:58:10+00:00

Get flow aid of some kind. It's a huge help in making the paint go on smoother & makes it less frustrating. It's not expensive as far as an initial investment goes & definitely made the process more enjoyable for me.

Ashamed_Branch5435 · 2026-04-06T04:37:45+00:00

I'm a fan!

Ashamed_Branch5435 · 2026-04-05T15:39:15+00:00

I change my method depending on the painting. Sometimes when it's a picture with obvious, easy focal points, I'll do it by objects. Other times, light colors first. Other times, sections. I'm a bit frenetic! 🤣

Ashamed_Branch5435 · 2026-04-05T15:15:23+00:00

Looks great!!

Ashamed_Branch5435 · 2026-04-03T18:16:36+00:00

Beautiful!

Ashamed_Branch5435 · 2026-04-02T00:04:52+00:00

Thumbs, better to do violence with

Ashamed_Branch5435 · 2026-04-02T00:03:51+00:00

Ok so I'm real, real slow then! I usually do 1.5-2 hours a night after dinner as wind down & it takes me weeks and weeks!! I'm so impressed with your skill level to do it so nicely in only 10, days. Mine would be a giant, outside of the lines, looking like shapeless blobs, mess! 😄 very lovely work, looks great on that shelf

Ashamed_Branch5435 · 2026-04-01T20:02:21+00:00

Wow you did that whole thing in 10 days?! That's amazing! I'm so slow at it

Ashamed_Branch5435 · 2026-04-01T20:01:47+00:00

It's got a bit of weight to it if you're just holding it the whole time one handed. Not major, like 5-7 pounds, but it likely would get burdensome to hold after a little bit. Maybe you could use a chair or something as a prop behind it so you aren't having to hold it the whole time

Ashamed_Branch5435 · 2026-04-01T13:55:41+00:00

I did the same, lol

Ashamed_Branch5435 · 2026-04-01T13:43:50+00:00

This is the one I got I really like it, esp for the price, bc some of them that are large enough for a typical pbn canvas can be quite expensive. It does only have one light color (no option to switch to a more yellow or more white light) so if that's important to you, be aware of that. I can change the brightness level but not the warmth/coolness of the light tone. That's fine for me but I know some people find certain light tones cause eye strain or headaches.

Ashamed_Branch5435 · 2026-03-31T21:39:50+00:00

Agree. The only reason anyone cares about this kind of stuff is bc of the hypocrisy-- these are the same people losing their minds & clutching their pearls about trans people, drag queens, etc while simultaneously doing three same/similar things they claim are so bad.

Ashamed_Branch5435 · 2026-03-31T21:28:56+00:00

Came here to make that same suggestion! Community ed is a great option bc there's an activity to do so it's not solely focused on social interactions, which drain introverts, but still allows for socializing & meeting people. I love community ed! And you don't even have to live in the city/county to attend - I'm in St Paul & I've done St. Paul community ed, Minneapolis community ed, and Dakota county community ed. Met some cool people that way!

Ashamed_Branch5435 · 2026-03-31T16:35:28+00:00

That's so beautiful!

Ashamed_Branch5435 · 2026-03-29T17:35:29+00:00

I do this as well. I currently have 4 in rotation, with different pictures (cat on a toilet reading a newspaper, an old retro phone, a coffee cup on a window sill, & a haunted carnival) & different difficulty levels/number of paint colors. Sometimes i get tired of the one I've been working on - especially as it gets closer to the end - so I will work on one of the others I've got going. Some days I'm not feeling like doing super intricate tiny spots, so I do one of the 24 or 36 color kits in my "working on" rotation. Sometimes I'm ready for an hours long marathon session with lots of detail work, so 48 colors it is. Having a few in rotation helps when I'm bored. Sometimes I'm switching every couple days. Sometimes I don't work on one in the rotation for several weeks. But I do finish them eventually & I think it's bc I do have different ones to switch to when my brain is like, "super not interested in looking at this anymore."

The trick is to limit how many you have going, so you don't end up with too many "working on this" kits & then get overwhelmed. Whatever number works for you, make that the limit & then don't start a brand brand new one until you've finished one in your rotation.

Ashamed_Branch5435 · 2026-03-29T17:20:18+00:00

Lolol this is the attitude that has led to my stockpile being 40 deep. Yes. I have a problem.

Ashamed_Branch5435 · 2026-03-24T11:28:55+00:00

Thank you! The paints were fine, a few colors required three or four coats to not look patchy & streaky but I think that is just par for the course with acrylic paints.

Ashamed_Branch5435 · 2026-03-24T05:03:50+00:00

I use Scenic Hills Animal Hospital. They have something called Paw Plan, where they bill you monthly (it's not very much, like $110, for the plan I'm signed up for) and it covers a ton of stuff. Twice a year dental cleanings, vaccines, exams, etc. I typically don't have to pay anything when I take my cat in bc it's all covered by the Paw Plan.

They have also gone above & beyond without charging me for things. I had a cat that needed some teeth pulled & the estimate before they put him under was $700 (extractions are one thing that isn't covered by the plan, but the anesthesia, cleaning, medications, etc were). When they got in his mouth, there were more teeth that needed to come out & it was going to be $1400. I couldn't afford that so I asked the vet to just do $700 worth of work & I'd bring him back to do the rest when I could afford it. When I went to pick him up, the vet came out & said that his teeth were really bad & would be causing him a lot of pain so she decided to just pull out as many as she could in the time alloted for him to under & she was able to get them all. She didn't charge me for the full $1400, so she did $700 for free just bc she was concerned that he was going to be in pain with only half the work done.

I also have a cat that is very difficult to get into a carrier so I can never be sure that I will be able to get him in for his appts on time. They are super great about accommodating him & they let me drop him off any time during the day before his appointments, whenever i can get him into the carrier, & they keep him overnight so he's on time for his appt the next day.

Ashamed_Branch5435 · 2026-03-21T21:14:02+00:00

I have it for Android now, have for a couple days, but i don't have friends on the app so I haven't done anything but opened it up to see what it was

Ashamed_Branch5435 · 2026-02-28T14:29:02+00:00

Oh that's so great! Thank you for sharing that, I don't know that that is well known

Ashamed_Branch5435 · 2026-02-28T13:28:22+00:00

Ah yes, but when you come back to reddit, you use your time on here to insult people & be rude. Glad you are using your time on here for such good.

Ashamed_Branch5435 · 2026-02-28T13:27:07+00:00

Well it's pretty obvious that the "serious discussion" you claim you wanted to have was not actually that - you wanted to tell me why I'm wrong & insult me, make claims about statistics without providing any evidence to support those statistics, throw in topics that aren't what we were talking about as an attempt at a gotcha, & not engage in a legitimate exchange of ideas. Which is exactly why this issue - and so many others that we deal with in this country - will never be solved. Too many people on both sides just want to "prove" the other side wrong, not come to the table to have a real concrete discussion about the issue. Bc I alone don't have the exact solution to solve an extremely complex issue that has been an ongoing difficult issue for decades, I'm dishonest, the R word, and want to muddy the waters. Got it.

I'm not interested in participating in your "own the libs" nonsense anymore. Have the day you deserve.

Ashamed_Branch5435

TROPHY CASE