Behind the Process: Honesty, Adaptability & Art

Welcome to my studio corner. I believe in complete transparency about how my work comes to life. Every medium I use—from traditional ink to digital lines—is a reflection of where I am, how I adapt, and how I work through the world around me.

Here is an honest look at how each piece is made:

If you look closely at my pen-and-ink work, you’re seeing a deeply personal compromise between my traditional artistic roots and the reality of my body today.

As I’ve gotten older, my hands aren't as steady, my eyes aren't as sharp, and chronic pain sometimes keeps me couch- or bed-bound. In the past, traditional sketching on paper triggered an exhausting cycle of perfectionism and OCD: every smudge and paper indentation meant throwing the sheet away and starting over. To create sustainably, I developed a hybrid method:

• The Base Sketch: I sketch the initial linework digitally in Procreate, where I can easily refine and erase without damaging the canvas.
• The Paper & Ink: I print that original sketch onto fine art paper and complete the final ink work entirely by hand, drawing intuitively.
• Limited Series: I use a single base sketch a maximum of 10 times before retiring it permanently. Because every piece is hand-inked intuitively, no two are ever identical—making each one a unique, limited-edition original.

There is a common misconception that digital art is "cheating" or "easier." As someone who spent years working solely with traditional tools, I can confidently say it isn't easier—it’s simply a different medium.

For a long time, I was actually against digital art because I missed the tactile feel of pencil on paper. But as chronic pain worsened, the physical demands of setup and cleanup caused me to stop making art altogether. When I was gifted an iPad, everything changed.

Digital tools gave me a way to create anywhere, at any time, without needing a room full of supplies. When pain confines me to bed with a heating pad, my iPad allows me to keep making art. It reignited my creative healing and gave me a quiet space to process the mental chaos that chronic illness often brings.

My mixed-media pieces are all about tactile play and layered storytelling.

• The Foundation: I draw the base composition directly onto a wood canvas.
• Color & Dimension: Instead of relying solely on traditional paint, I use a blend of acrylics, textured papers, and collage elements to build up rich color and depth.
• The Details: When inspiration strikes, I adorn pieces with dimensional accents—rhinestones, ribbon, rope, and string—giving each work a distinct physical character.

I don't carry a heavy, expensive setup; currently, every photograph I take is captured on my iPhone.

While I’d love to own a high-end digital camera one day, my phone is practical, convenient, and always in my pocket. It allows me to immediately snap a photo the moment something piques my curiosity—capturing fleeting light, subtle textures, and spontaneous moments of magic in real time.