Paper boats

This is my watercolour painting of paper boats floating in water puddle

2

I been published in Beautiful Trash for Beautiful People

Much thanks, love and gratitude to @trashcan.media for featuring some of my art and words in Vol. 10 “GROWTH” of Beautiful Trash for Beautiful People, just out and fresh off the press!

@bodythudz_artisanworks #subversiveart

Jennifer Parr

Congrats! That's so exciting!

Zahra

Wow Congratulations 🥳🥳

The Archive of Lost Ideas (Coming July 2026)

1
Digital Illustration

🩰˚˖𓍢 🦢✧˚.🎀 Part of the Madness 🩰˚˖𓍢 🦢✧˚.🎀

Part of This Madness is all about playing with soft, glowing light, bright pops of color, and subtle vintage film textures.

Getting the soft blending on the skin and the subtle warmth of the lighting just right was such a fun process for this study.

How does this color palette make you feel? Drop your favorite emoji below to show some love!

🎨 Art by me

✨ Title: Part of This Madness

🩷 Track Time : 6 h 26 m

🍭 Strokes Made : 4954

🎀 Gallery : byzahraartz-shop.fourthwall.com

🩰˚˖𓍢 🦢✧˚.🎀🩰˚˖𓍢 🦢✧˚.🎀🩰˚˖𓍢 🦢✧˚.🎀🩰˚˖𓍢 🦢

2
Digital Art & Illustration, Painting, Drawing & Sketching, Procreate
Beginner
30–45 minutes
Welcome back to the studio! Today, we’re pulling up a chair to dive into the life and legacy of one of the most masterful figures in art history, Rembrandt van Rijn.

To capture Rembrandt’s signature look: dramatic contrast, rich shadows, and deep psychological moodiness here is what you’ll want to have on your table.

For the Digital Artist (Procreate/Photoshop)

  • The "Chiaroscuro" Brush Set: Rembrandt is famous for his built-up textures and soft light transitions. Look for brushes labeled Impasto, Chalk, or Old Oil. These give you that textured, directional grit that lets light catch on the digital canvas.

  • A "Cinematic Shadow" Overlay: To get that high-contrast, moody aesthetic we love, keep a rich, dark sepia tone layer or heavy canvas texture at the top of your layer stack on Multiply or Overlay at 10–15% opacity.

  • The Selection & Blend Tools: Essential for beginners to map out large, bold shapes of total shadow before softly blending the edges where the light slowly fades away.

  • A Low-Angle Desk Lamp: Turn off your bright overhead lights and position a single lamp to the side of your workspace. Painting in a dim room with one strong light source helps you see real-life high-contrast shadows in real-time.

For the Traditional Artist (Acrylics/Gouache)

  • Medium-Toned Canvases: Instead of starting on stark white, prime your canvas with a warm, transparent brown wash (like Raw Umber or Burnt Sienna). Starting from dark to light makes high-contrast painting feel far less intimidating.

  • An Earthy Palette: You’ll want deep, rich, low-pressure colors—Raw Umber, Burnt Sienna, Yellow Ochre, Ivory Black, and Titanium White.

  • Bristle & Fan Brushes: To mimic Rembrandt’s heavy texture (impasto), use stiff-bristled brushes that leave physical, raised ridges in the paint to capture the light.

  • A Value Sketchbook: Before touching color, use a dark charcoal stick or soft pencil to doodle small thumbnail sketches focusing entirely on blocking out where the black shadows end and the bright light begins.

If you’re a beginner just starting your Artist Study series, don’t feel pressured by complex details. Rembrandt’s genius wasn't in painting every single hair or wrinkle perfectly it was in knowing exactly how to use the dark to make the light meaningful.

Studying the Artist : Rembrandt van Rijn 🕯️

Self-Portrait

1659
Rembrandt van Rijn

Rembrandt didn’t just paint a physical likeness; he captured the quiet ache of the human soul. In a fast-paced world that tells us to illuminate everything all the time, Rembrandt's work stands as a timeless reminder that our shadows hold just as much beauty as our light.

🕯️ The Life Behind the Lens

Rembrandt’s journey was a rollercoaster of immense professional triumph and deep personal grief. While he was once the most sought-after portrait painter in Amsterdam, his later life was marked by financial ruin, isolation, and the loss of his loved ones.

It was during these periods of heavy sorrow that his work evolved into something deeply soulful. Moving away from crisp, flashy commercial portraits, he began creating highly textured, honest self-portraits that refused to hide his aging skin or his grief. His art became a human-first exploration of emotional resilience.

Philemon and Baucis

1658
Rembrandt van Rijn

🎨 Techniques: Chiaroscuro & Impasto

Rembrandt’s style is a masterclass in dramatic atmosphere and physical texture. Here is what made his work so distinct:

  • Mastery of Chiaroscuro: He used an intense contrast between light and dark. His subjects emerge from deep, atmospheric blackness, illuminated by a single, focused beam of dramatic light.

  • The "Rembrandt Triangle": In his portraits, he strategically angled his light source so that a perfect, subtle triangle of light captured the cheekbone of the otherwise shadowed side of the face.

  • Thick Impasto Texture: He applied his paint so thickly that it physically stood off the canvas. This rough texture catches actual room light, making his highlights literally pop forward while his thin, smooth shadows recede into the background.

Lucretia

1664
Rembrandt van Rijn

✨ How to "Rembrandt" Your Own Art (Beginner Tips)

You don’t need to be a master painter to bring cinematic drama into your digital or traditional work. Here’s how to start:

  • Embrace the Unresolved: Next time you paint, don't feel the need to fill the entire canvas with details. Let the background, the clothing, and the edges of your subject melt completely into a solid, dark void. Leaving parts of a digital painting dark isn't "lazy"—it's a powerful storytelling choice that gives the viewer’s eyes a place to rest and breathe.

  • Map the "Quiet Ache": Focus your light on a single focal point—like the eyes or hands—and let everything else drift into shadow. Ask yourself: Where do I want the emotional heart of this painting to be?

  • Work Dark to Light: Instead of painting a face and adding shadows later, block out the entire silhouette in a deep, moody dark tone first. Then, use your light shades to slowly "carve" the features out of the darkness.

Portrait of a Gentleman with a Tall Hat and Gloves

c. 1656/1658
Rembrandt van Rijn

📚 Resources for Your Journey

If you want to go deeper into Rembrandt’s world, check out these favorites:

  • Virtual Visit: Take a high-resolution digital tour of the Rembrandt House Museum in Amsterdam to see where he etched and painted his masterpieces.

  • Watch: The digital gallery deep-dives hosted by The Rijksmuseum for an incredible, microscopic look at the textures of The Night Watch.

  • Tools: Look for "Old Master" or "Thick Oil" impasto brush packs for Procreate to experiment with building up physical-looking ridges on a digital screen.

Artist Reminder: Rembrandt’s late work reminds us that we don't need a perfect, shiny, untroubled life to create something monumental. Sometimes, the most beautiful things are born when we learn how to paint right through the dark.

2
Digital Art & Illustration, Painting, Drawing & Sketching
Beginner
30–45 minutes
Welcome back to the studio! Today, we’re pulling up a chair to dive into the life and legacy of one of the most spellbinding masters of stillness in art history—Georges de La Tour.

To capture De La Tour’s signature look: smooth geometric shapes, a single glowing flame, and absolute, peaceful quiet—here is what you’ll want to have on your "café table."

For the Digital Artist (Procreate/Photoshop)

  • The "Soft Blending" Brush Set: De La Tour’s candlelit scenes feature incredibly smooth, warm transitions from light to dark. Look for brushes labeled Soft Pastel, Airbrush, or Smooth Acrylic.

  • A "Warm Ambient" Color Palette: To capture that timeless candlelit glow, restrict your color selection primarily to rich terracottas, deep burgundies, warm oranges, glowing yellows, and absolute, pitch blacks.

  • The Alpha Lock Feature: Perfect for beginners practicing De La Tour's clean, stylized shapes. It lets you paint smooth gradients inside your subject without accidentally spilling over the edges.

  • A Real Candle (or LED Flame): Place a safe candle or phone light right next to your tablet in a dark room. Watch how the warm light wraps around your hand or an object, turning the edges vibrant orange before dropping off into shadow.

For the Traditional Artist (Acrylics/Gouache)

  • Smooth Panels or Canvases: Unlike Rembrandt’s rough textures, De La Tour painted with a glassy, polished surface. Look for smooth wood panels or fine-grain canvas boards.

  • A Stripped-Back Palette: Keep it simple and low-pressure. You only need Ivory Black, Burnt Umber, Cadmium Red, Cadmium Yellow, and a warm Zinc White.

  • Mop & Filbert Brushes: Soft, rounded brushes are essential for feathering out the edges of your paint to create that magical, smoke-like transition from a bright flame into total darkness.

  • A Geometry Sketchbook: Use a notebook to practice simplifying complex objects or figures into basic shapes (cylinders for arms, spheres for heads) before you start painting.

If you’re a beginner just starting your Artist Study series, remember that De La Tour's focus was simplicity. You don't need to stress over complex lace, jewelry, or backgrounds—his art is an invitation to strip away the noise.

Studying the Artist : Georges de La Tour 🕯️

Georges de La Tour didn’t just paint light; he painted silence. In an overwhelming world that often feels chaotic and loud, De La Tour's work stands as a calm, human-first sanctuary reminding us of the power of complete stillness.

🕯️ The Life Behind the Lens

Georges de La Tour operated in the regions of Lorraine, France, during a century devastated by war, plague, and religious upheaval. Because his studio was located in a turbulent borderland, much of his life story and many of his paintings were physically lost to history for centuries before being rediscovered.

Living through an era of constant external chaos, De La Tour turned inward. He stopped painting grand, chaotic battle scenes or busy landscapes, choosing instead to paint intimate, nocturnal spaces lit by a single candle. His art wasn't about documenting the loud world outside; it was a quiet survival mechanism designed to capture a sense of sanctuary, peace, and internal reflection.

1618-1620, or 1630-34
The Payment of Taxes

🎨 Techniques: Single-Source Nocturnes & Simplified Geometry

De La Tour’s style is a masterclass in atmospheric minimalism and warm contrast. Here is what made his work so distinct:

  • Single, Localized Light Sources: Almost all of his night paintings are illuminated solely by a candle, a lantern, or a tiny oil lamp. Often, a character's hand is placed directly in front of the flame, creating a stunning, translucent orange glow as the light shines right through their skin.

  • Simplified, Monumental Shapes: He stripped away unnecessary, fussy details. He smoothed out wrinkles, simplified clothing into broad folds, and treated human limbs like elegant, geometric cylinders, making his figures look like beautiful, quiet statues.

  • The Quiet Palette: By drowning the background in a unified, deep black void, he used an entirely warm color palette to make the candlelit subjects feel incredibly cozy, safe, and close to the viewer.

1642-44
Saint Joseph in the Carpenter's Shop

✨ How to "De La Tour" Your Own Art (Beginner Tips)

You don’t need to be an expert to use De La Tour’s soothing, atmospheric techniques in your digital or traditional work. Here’s how to start:

  • Simplify to Amplify: Next time you sketch a subject, deliberately erase or leave out minor details like clothing patterns, extra background objects, or stray hairs. Keep your lines clean and your surfaces smooth. Let the simple shapes do the heavy lifting.

  • Hide the Light Source: Try painting a scene where the candle or light bulb is hidden behind a hand, a book, or an object. Focus entirely on painting the gorgeous, warm glow that spills around the obstruction and illuminates your subject's face.

  • Create a Sanctuary Space: Use a completely solid, dark background to block out the outside world. This immediately draws the viewer into a private, intimate moment with your subject, shifting the focus to pure emotion and quiet contemplation.

1645
The Choirboy

📚 Resources for Your Journey

If you want to go deeper into De La Tour’s world, check out these favorites:

  • Virtual Visit: Explore the digital collections of The Louvre in Paris to view his most famous masterpiece, The Penitent Magdalene, and study its smooth gradients.

  • Read: Art history essays on the Caravaggisti movement to see how artists across Europe took inspiration from high-contrast lighting to create moody art.

  • Tools: Experiment with the basic Airbrush or Soft Blend tools in Procreate to practice creating a seamless, glowing gradient that radiates outward from a single point.

Artist Reminder: Georges de La Tour’s work proves that when the world around us is loud and uncertain, we have the power to create our own light. Pull up a chair, dim the lights, and let your canvas be a quiet place to rest.

2
Drawing & Sketching
Beginner
15–30 minutes
Calligraphy is a wonderful skill to have. Whether to decorate your book or room, it brings a personalised artistic look. Even simple calligraphy adds aesthetic to your work. In this tutorial, you'll learn the basic techniques needed to create stylish calligraphy writing step by step.

pencil, eraser

Good quality paper

Brush pens or calligraphy pen

Scale

Calligraphy writing made easy

Calligraphy Writing Tutorial

Step 1: Create Guidelines
Using a pencil and ruler, draw light horizontal parallel lines where you will write your text. Keep the pencil marks very light, as they will be erased later.

Step 2: Sketch the Letters
Begin by drawing the letters lightly with a pencil. All letters should be written at a consistent angle. The top of each vertical stroke should lean slightly to the left, while the bottom should extend slightly to the right.

The first and last letters can be made more decorative and stylized. Feel free to add elegant curves, flourishes, or even create shapes such as hearts. Remember that calligraphy letters have both thick and thin strokes, so leave enough space for the thicker areas. Maintain equal spacing between all letters for a balanced appearance.

The most important letters to practice are I, O, and V. Once you master these basic forms, creating the rest of the alphabet becomes much easier.

Step 3: Refine the Letterforms
Once the sketch is complete, erase any unnecessary construction lines and dark pencil marks. Refine the shapes so the lettering looks clean and polished.

Step 4: Ink with Brush Pens
Using a brush pen, carefully trace over the pencil sketch. Most strokes should flow from top to bottom. Draw with confidence and avoid overthinking each line. Natural, spontaneous strokes often add charm and character to calligraphy.

Step 5: Add Finishing Touches
Enhance your lettering with a glitter pen or metallic marker. Sharpen the ends of the strokes and refine the flourishes to give the artwork a more elegant and professional finish.

Your calligraphy artwork is now complete! With regular practice, you'll develop smoother strokes, better letter consistency, and your own unique calligraphy style.

2
Digital Art & Illustration
Beginner
15–30 minutes
Bring the beauty of nature into your designs by creating a seamless forest pattern in DIYvinci Designette. In this tutorial, you'll learn how to arrange tree elements and transform them into a repeating pattern tile that can be used for wallpapers, fabrics, stationery, packaging, and many other creative projects.

Laptop or iPad.,

Stylus tablet

Good Internet connection

Forest Pattern Design

Step 1: Set Up Your Canvas

Open DIYvinci Designette and create a square canvas. Choose a dark green or dark brown background to create a rich forest feel.

Step 2: Build Your Forest

Open the Elements panel from the toolbar and select a variety of tree elements. Change their colors as desired and arrange them across the canvas. Ensure that every tree remains fully visible within the canvas boundaries, no part of any tree should extend beyond the edges. Fill the entire canvas with trees.

Step 3: Download Your Design

Once your forest composition is complete, download the image.

Step 4: Create a New Canvas

Open a new canvas of the same size and apply the same background color.

Step 5: Create the Vertical Seamless Repeat

Upload the forest image you just downloaded and resize it to fit the canvas exactly. Duplicate the image and position the copies so that half of one image extends beyond the top edge while the remaining half appears from the bottom edge. This creates a seamless vertical connection.

Step 6: Fill the Empty Space

You will notice an empty area in the center. Fill this space with additional tree elements, matching the existing design. Download the completed image.

Step 7: Create the Horizontal Seamless Repeat

Open another new canvas and upload the image from Step 6. This time, create the seamless repeat horizontally by moving half of the design beyond the left edge and placing the remaining half on the right edge.

Step 8: Complete the Pattern Tile

Fill any empty spaces in the center with more trees until the design looks natural and balanced. Your seamless pattern tile is now complete. Download the finished pattern tile.

Step 9: Test the Pattern

Open a new canvas and duplicate the completed pattern tile multiple times. Arrange the copies side by side to see the seamless forest pattern repeat across the page. Your pattern paper is now ready to use for wallpapers, fabrics, stationery, packaging, and more.

2

Mandala book created by me

These two coloring mandala books are created by me. After spending countless hours sketching, designing, experimenting with patterns, and pouring my imagination into every page, I’m so happy to share my two mandala colouring books with you all. These books are not just collections of designs, but pieces of my artistic journey created with a lot of love, patience, and creativity. Every single design is completely hand-drawn and artistically composed with thoughtful detailing and creative storytelling.

In today’s busy world, colouring can become such a beautiful form of mindfulness and relaxation. Whether you are an art lover, someone who enjoys creative hobbies, or simply looking for a peaceful activity, these books are made for everyone whether children, adults, beginners, and artists alike. 🎨 If these books resonate with you or someone you know, feel free to message me

2

Daily well-being prescription

Hi, I created this template on DIYvinci Designette. While this creative prescription is just for fun but it is a gentle reminder of something powerful. Art has the ability to comfort, calm, and heal in ways that words and medicines sometimes cannot. Hospitals worldwide are incorporating art into patient care. Creative activities provide emotional comfort. A few mindful minutes with colors can transform an ordinary day.

1
Good evening 👋

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