“guilty pleasure” art + why you NEED it

Whether you’re a professional or hobby artist, you probably have some form of “guilty pleasure” art. Maybe you’re a children’s book illustrator but love getting your hands into some clay pottery over the weekends. Or maybe you mainly work in your sketchbook, but enjoy finger-painting on canvas from time to time.

Guilty pleasure art is SO IMPORTANT to make as artists. It’s the art we do simply for ourselves with no worries how it’ll turn out. We’re not getting paid for it. We’re not concerned about receiving criticism on it. We do it simply out of love for the creative process.

Narrative illustration is where my heart’s at most days. I love telling stories in big, cinematic paintings. The kinds of paintings you have to really look at to find all the hidden elements. But I have a “guilty pleasure” in my creative practice…

…And that’s painting food. I don’t know, man, there’s something about painting something DELICIOUS that just fires me up! I love exploring different textures of breads, the vivid colors of fruits and vegetables, the shiny and matte surfaces of chocolates. When I want to simply paint mindlessly and get fully lost in the process, I turn to food illustration.

This foodie sketchbook spread from last winter is one of my all-time FAVORITES. And it still told a little bit of a story, too. The story of a cozy morning spent baking in the kitchen, carefully arranging your baked goods in a box to deliver to friends for the holidays.

I finally had the opportunity to turn this spread into a sticker sheet, and I’m SO EXCITED to share that it’ll be available in my shop on Saturday, November 25^th !! Here’s a little sneak peek at the sheet.🤫

Aaaand, you can use the discount code MAILPALS10 to get 10% off your order!

In honor of Thanksgiving this week, I want to say a big THANK YOU to all of your who’ve so graciously invited me into your inbox. I love being able to connect with y’all. 💛