We’re really happy you’re here! ♥️

This is a cozy, creative corner of the internet where we use creativity for learning, play, and wellbeing.

If you feel up for it, we’d love to hear a little about you 👋

Where are you joining from? Is there something you love making, or something you’ve been curious to try?

Lightly draw a few hot air balloons of different sizes on your paper. Place one large balloon in the center and smaller ones around it to create depth. Add simple details like the basket and a few curved sections inside each balloon.

Step 2: Create the Sky

Choose bright colours like light blue, pink, orange, yellow, and purple for the sky. Colour softly around the balloons using the side of the crayons. Colour like we do with any other artist quality materials. Blend the colours into one another to create a dreamy sunset-like background. You can gently rub the wax colours with tissue or cotton for a smoother effect.

Step 3: Colour the Hot Air Balloons

Now begin colouring each balloon with bright and contrasting shades. Use combinations like red and yellow, blue and green, pink and orange, or purple and turquoise. Press a little harder with the crayons to make the colours look richer and more vibrant.

Step 4: Draw the Baskets and Strings

Use brown, black, or dark grey crayons to colour the small baskets below the balloons. Add thin lines connecting the basket to the balloon.

Step 5: Add Clouds and Details

You can use white crayon to add soft clouds in the sky or gentle highlights on the balloons. Small birds, stars, or tiny distant balloons can make the painting feel even more magical. Deepen a few shadows by layering dark colours.

This painting is a reminder that crayons are not just for children, they can create art that is full of colour, warmth, and imagination. A simple box of wax crayons or plastic crayons can turn into a masterpiece . 🎈✨

🌱 Step 1: The Sketch & Base (Planting the Idea)

The Subject

Start with a simple portrait sketch:

• Focus on the silhouette (hair shape, head tilt, shoulders)

• Keep facial details minimal for now

• Think soft, calm expression (closed eyes works beautifully here)

💡 Tip: This style is forgiving—perfection is not the goal, mood is.

Base Colors

On a layer under your sketch:

• Fill in flat colors for skin, hair, and clothing

• Use muted, soft tones (avoid harsh contrast)

Examples:

• Warm beige skin tones

• Dusty pinks

• Soft browns

• Creamy whites

(For skin texture use dry brush 3% or 4% to blend your skin together ;)

The “Bloom” Layer (Your Flowers)

Create a new layer above your character.

Using a soft brush:

• Paint large, loose blobs where flowers will be

• Don’t draw petals yet—think color clouds, not details

Color ideas:

• Pale pink 🌸

• Soft yellow 🌼

• Warm white 🤍

• Peach tones 🍑

📌 Place these blobs:

• Around the edges of the canvas

• Slightly overlapping the character

• Framing the face naturally

This creates that dreamy “surrounded by light” feeling.

🌫️ Step 2: The “Hazy” Depth (Creating Atmosphere)

Blur the Bloom

Select your flower layer →

Apply Gaussian Blur

• Increase until shapes look like:
  

  • Fog

  • Light leaks

  • Out-of-focus flowers

✨ This mimics camera depth of field—foreground blur = instant cinematic feel.

Blend the Character Into the Scene

Lower your character layer opacity slightly (85–95%).

Optional:

• Add a very soft blur (1–2%) to the character edges

• Or lightly erase edges with a soft brush

💡 This makes the subject feel like they exist inside the glow, not on top of it.

🌟Step 3: The “Cinematic Glow” (The Secret Sauce)

This is what transforms it from “nice” → ethereal.

Duplicate & Glow

1. Merge a copy of all visible layers

2. Place it on top

3. Set blending mode to:
   

   • Screen or

   • Add (Glow)

Blur the Glow Layer

Apply Gaussian Blur again (light to medium).

What happens:

• Highlights spread

• Colors soften

• Light starts to “bleed” across the canvas

✨ This mimics how light behaves in vintage film photography.

Control the Glow

Lower opacity until it feels:

• Soft, not washed out

• Glowy, not blurry

💡 If it’s too strong → erase parts around the face to keep focus.

🌼Step 4: Defining the Flowers (Optional Detail Pass)

Now that your base glow is done, you can:

• Add very subtle flower hints

• Use a small soft brush to suggest petals

Keep it minimal:

• A few edges

• Light shapes

• No harsh outlines

✨ The illusion is stronger when flowers are suggested, not fully drawn.

🎞️Step 5: Vintage Texture & Film Feel

Add Grain

1. Create a new layer on top

2. Fill with 50% gray

3. Go to: Filter → Noise → Add Noise

4. Set layer to:
   

   • Overlay or

   • Soft Light

5. Lower opacity to 10–15%

✨ This gives that film texture, making it feel less digital

Optional: Dust & Imperfections

Lightly add:

• Tiny specks

• Soft scratches

• Subtle noise variation

This adds authenticity to the vintage vibe.

☀️ Step 6: Final Light Pass (Warm Glow Magic)

Create a new layer → set to Overlay

Using a soft airbrush:

• Pick a warm color (orange, peach, golden yellow)

• Lightly tap areas where light would hit:
  

  • Edges of flowers

  • Hair highlights

  • Cheeks

  • Background glow

✨ Think: sunlight filtering through petals.

💫 Step 7: Final Adjustments

Quick checks:

• Is the face still the focus?

• Are the colors harmonious?

• Is the glow soft, not overpowering?

Optional:

• Add a slight color balance (warmer tones)

• Slight vignette for focus

🌸 Final Result

You’ll have:

• A dreamy, glowing portrait

• Soft flower “light leaks”

• A cinematic, nostalgic feel

💛 Artist Reminder

Not everything needs to be sharp to be beautiful. Softness can tell a story just as powerfully.

🌌 Step 1: The Background “Bokeh” (Distant City Lights)

Dark Base

Start with a deep, rich background:

• Navy blue

• Charcoal

• Deep purple

Avoid pure black—color gives more depth.

Light Blobs (City Lights)

Create a layer behind where your character will be.

Using a soft brush:

• Paint scattered circles/blobs of light

• Vary sizes (small → large)

Color ideas:

• Neon pink 💖

• Cyan blue 💙

• Warm orange 🧡

• Soft yellow 💛

💡 Keep them uneven and imperfect this feels more natural.

Heavy Blur

Apply Gaussian Blur (high amount)

You want:

• Soft glowing orbs

• No sharp edges

• A dreamy, out-of-focus look

✨ This mimics rainy windows + camera blur (bokeh)

Optional Glow Boost

Duplicate the light layer → set to Screen/Add

Lower opacity until it feels like:

• Soft glowing lights

• Not overpowering

🌑 Step 2: The Silhouette & Rim Light (The Emotion Anchor)

The Character

Create your subject in front of the lights.

• Keep them mostly in shadow

• Use deep blues, purples, or muted tones

• Pose them facing the “window” (toward the lights/viewer)

Ideas:

• Sitting by a window

• Leaning on glass

• Looking out quietly

💡 The less detail, the more emotional it feels.

The Rim Light (Glow Edge)

Pick a bright color from your background (like neon pink or cyan).

On a new layer:

• Use a small soft brush

• Paint a thin glowing line along:
  

  • Hair edges

  • Shoulders

  • Side of face

✨ This creates separation from the background

✨ And gives that cinematic lighting effect

Soften the Glow

• Slightly blur the rim light

• Or lower opacity

It should feel like light touching them, not outlining them.

🌧️ Step 3: Painting the Raindrops (The Glass Layer)

This is what sells the entire scene.

Create the Glass Layer

Add a new layer at the very top.

Everything here sits on the “window,” not the character.

The Drops

Using a small hard brush:

• Draw tiny vertical shapes:
  

  • Short lines

  • “Pill” shapes

  • Small dots

    If you want the rain more realistic use motion blur ;)

Color:

• Soft white

• Pale blue

Scatter them randomly across the canvas.

The Drips

Add longer, slightly wobbly vertical lines.

• Vary thickness and length

• Let some overlap the character

✨ This creates movement and realism.

Light Refraction Trick (Important Detail)

Take a small eraser:

• Lightly erase a thin line through the center of some drops

This creates:

• A highlight + shadow effect

• The illusion of light bending through water

💡 Small detail = huge realism boost.

Optional Glow on Drop

Lightly airbrush:

• A soft glow on some drops

• Especially where light would hit

🌙 Step 4: The “Moody” Finish (Atmosphere & Emotion)

Color Mood Adjustment

If your app allows:

• Add a cool/blue/purple filter

• Or use Color Balance:
  

  • Slightly cooler shadows

  • Slightly warm highlights

• Vignette (Focus Control)

Create a new layer → set to Multiply

Using a large soft brush:

• Paint dark purple/blue around edges

• Leave the center (window area) brighter

✨ This pulls the viewer’s eye inward.

Soft Contrast Pass

Use a soft airbrush:

• Deepen shadows in corners

• Slightly brighten light areas

Keep it subtle this is a quiet piece.

Optional: Add Grain

For a cinematic finish:

• Add light noise/grain (Overlay, low opacity)

✨ Makes it feel like a film still.

💫 Final Result

You’ll have:

• Glowing blurred city lights

• Rain-streaked glass

• A soft, emotional silhouette

• A calm, cinematic night atmosphere

🌧️ Emotional Tip (This matters)

While working, think:

• What is your character feeling?

• Are they waiting? remembering? resting?

Let that guide your choices.

💙 Artist Reminder

Not all art needs to be loud to be powerful. Quiet pieces can hold the deepest emotions.

Cover the lower part of your canvas with a mixture of blue and about 1/3rd burnt sienna. Blend the colours softly so that the base has a muted earthy-blue tone. This will become the foundation for the sand and shore.

Step 2: Create the Sand Texture

Take a little yellow ochre mixed with white on your fingertip. Gently TAP • TAP • TAP over the lower foreground area. Keep layering the paint until you get a soft, grainy texture that looks like real sand on the beach. Add a few lighter and darker areas to make it look natural.

Step 3: Paint the Horizon

Using French Ultramarine, paint a thin horizon line where the sea and sky meet. Keep the line soft and straight so it gives a peaceful, distant effect.

Step 4: Blend the Sky

Above the horizon, use Cobalt Blue to paint the sky. Blend it softly, making the colour slightly deeper at the top and lighter near the horizon. This creates a dreamy sky effect.

Step 5: Paint the Sea

With a fan brush, begin painting the water using a mix of Cobalt Blue, sea green, and cerulean blue. Sweep the brush horizontally to create gentle movement in the sea. Let the colours mix naturally for a soft ocean look.

Step 6: Add the Waves

Continue with the fan brush and use white paint to create the waves flowing toward the shore. Add small curved strokes and highlights where the waves break. Let some of the white blend slightly into the sea colours for a realistic effect.

Step 7: Add Shadows for Depth

with dark French ultramarine blue and burnt sienna, lightly paint beneath the waves and along the edges of the shore. These soft shadows will make the waves stand out and give the painting more depth and dimension.

Step 8: Paint the Clouds

Take a little white paint on your fingertip and gently dab it into the sky to create soft clouds. Blend the edges lightly with your finger so the clouds look airy and dreamy.

Step 9: Final Touches

Look over your painting and add any extra highlights or shadows wherever needed. Brighten the waves with a little more white or deepen the sea with more blue if you wish.

And just like that, your dreamy sea shore painting is ready ✨

We’re really happy you’re here! ♥️

This is a cozy, creative corner of the internet where we use creativity for learning, play, and wellbeing.

If you feel up for it, we’d love to hear a little about you 👋

Where are you joining from? Is there something you love making, or something you’ve been curious to try?

The bakery fave vanilla slice

Hand crafted with polymer clay, it features the classic custard filling and white icing

Finished with an 18” silver plated chain and lobster clasp closure