Taking A Dessert Break!

When I’m not really sure what to paint, you’ll often find me indulging in a bit of doodlewashed dessert. This one isn’t on the actual menu that Philippe and I have been making this month, so I’ve no idea what the recipe is, but it’s certainly colorful enough to satisfy today’s prompt. The actual dessert this evening is Philippe’s leftover birthday cake which I cleverly bought at a size large enough to ensure we would just have to spend the entire weekend finishing it. There’s really nothing sadder than the tease of running out of wonderful dessert too soon. Also, a quick note that if you’ve experiencing any page loading issues on Doodlewash.com, I’ve been updating quite a lot of things and hopefully it should be working again now. Just shoot me a note if you’re experiencing any problems as there are a TON of awesome new features happening all at once and this can create little issues. Just hang in there with me as we continue to make this big little watercolor community the best on the planet!

After months of diligently working to transform this site into a proper community, I’m feeling a touch exhausted and yet exhilarated. I can’t thank you all enough for your help, patience, and well, confidence that I might just be able to figure all of this out. The good news is, for the most part, I have! And soon, I’ll be able to jump back into the wonderful conversations happening here and spend more time viewing the incredible art that shows up each day. As I ramble on each day, I sometimes don’t step back and realize just how far we’ve all come together. You’ve made this site amazing with your art, your knowledge, your stories and your passion. Thank you to each and every one of you! Even if you’ve just arrived and are reading this blog for the first time, thank you for taking the time to be part of a watercolor revolution. Together, we’re making a brand new art world that defies the norm. Our world is one that invites anyone with an interest or passion and makes them feel like they belong. That, from the very beginning, has been my vision for this site and the reason I keep striving to make it better and better.

Because, in the end, you deserve it. You’re awesome, inspiring, amazing, and so creative. Whoever you are, reading this right now, I’m talking to you. You’ll find that I’m incessantly writing about childhood here, and I might seem like a big kid much of the time. But, in truth, I refuse to give in to adult notions that people are all that different. Sure, there are masters who have painted for years and years and people who just picked up a paint brush this very day. The former is far better at execution, but both have the exact same desire in that precise moment. What is fine art and what makes a fine artist? The truth is, there’s no definitive answer to that question for most of us. It’s one we all ask ourselves and argue about. Sure, there are creative geniuses who need to be acknowledged for what they bring to the world. But in the end, we all just know what we like and what we don’t. Art is subjective and always has been. No technique alone makes one piece of art better than the next. In the end, it only matters what someone feels while enjoying it and what emotions it brings to the individual. In a way, art isn’t all that hard to explain. While scholars may argue into the wee hours of the morning, the rest of us will know that art can sometimes be as simple as just taking a dessert break!

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About the Doodlewash Da Vinci Paint Co.: Yellow Ochre, Red Rose Deep, Da Vinci Red, and Ultramarine Blue. Lamy Al-Star Safari Fountain Pen with sepia ink in an A5 Hahnemühle Watercolour Book.

Charlie O'Shields

Creator of Doodlewash, founder of World Watercolor Month (July), World Watercolor Group, and host of the Sketching Stuff Podcast. Sharing watercolor illustrations and stories while proudly featuring talented artists from all over the world!

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