After I finish a large painting that I’ve been working intensely on for weeks in a row, I usually find myself having some sort of painter’s block. Luckily, a great lady I follow on Instagram called Opal Unicorn, started the Opal Unicorn Art Challenge, featuring unicorn themes for 28 days. So bye bye painter’s block 🙂

How to battle painter’s block

When I find myself in the abyss called painter’s block, I usually keep myself occupied with chores that keep laying around when I paint. Like tidying up my studio…
When I was cleaning up, I checked an old pile of half finished paintings. One of them was this one, although she had another head painted on her before.
The idea back then (about 4-5 years ago) was to create a fantasy painting, with a fairy queen as the focal point, walking through a magical forest, surrounded by butterflies. Needless to say, I got to a point where this painting was collecting dust, so I put it away.
But just as an in-between thing, when I had some time while my little boy was doing a nap, I started repainting her head in the style that has become mine these last few years.

I actually kind of like it in a way, that now I want to go ahead and finish this painting :-P. Let’s just see how it goes.

Having fun after naptime

And then my little one woke up. He’s a 23 month old, but already has a mind of his own. As an Aries, he knows exactly what he wants, and he’s an expert dramaqueen when it suits him.

Lately he’s showing a particular interest in my attic studio. I can understand why, with all the whimsical collectibles standing and hanging on my shelves and walls. But the most interesting things to him are my paint brushes and canvases. So, like a miniature expert painter, he takes my brushes and starts brushing over my Cloud lady painting (still in progress…). Luckily a dry brush. This will make a nice art project. Just give this little one a big canvas which he can do anything he wants with. I look forward to all the waddles of paint on the floors ;-).

Opal Unicorn Art Challenge

This month also features the Opal Unicorn Art Challenge on Instagram. California based Opal Unicorn is another member of the Surreal Harmony Art Collective, and a great lady. Her art is always accompanied by a beautiful contemplation. And she really has a style of her own.

With the Opal Unicorn Art Challenge, she has thought up 28 daily themes all featuring unicorns. The first prompt is ‘the last unicorn’, which was of course an eighties anime movie. One that I’ve seen a couple of times as a kid, and is still on my to-watch-again list. (Yes, some movies I can watch over and over and over again, I’m on the spectrum…). Check how Lady Amalthea looks like in the finished illustration.

I really look forward to do at least some of the prompts. I have been working on the first four prompts which are the Last Unicorn, Hello Kitty unicorn, My Little Pony unicorn and mer-unicorn seahorse. Now all I have to do is find the time to finish them… 
I went with the idea of small circle shape illustrations, that will make for nice stickers in the future.

While I’m writing this, I can see my little boy on the camera starting to wake up after another nap.

If you want to keep updated on all my art, the you should definitely follow me on Instagram. See you next time!