I’ve been taught to surround yourself with people who know about things than you do. @Thomas Richards is just that and the dude has even a been on TV 📺. (I’ll let him tell that story.) Not only is he a VERY VERY helpful guy, he very willing to share what he knows. And he’s a total wise ass! The more shit you give him, the more loved he will feel. So what does Tommy know? This dude knows color!!! 🌈 He’s known all over the country for his ability to mix color right the very first time. And because automotive paint is SOOOO expensive 💰, his skills were very sought after. He also is one of the rare people that can draw well from memory. 🧠 I just wanted to take a minute to appreciate that he is here. I would appreciate you showing him some SASSY love and drop a welcoming GIF in the comments below.

If you’re new to SKOOL, from the bottom of my heart, thank you and Welcome. SKOOL ORIENTATION 🪄 Participation is the magic here. Post. Comment. Ask questions. Pass notes. That’s how the community thrives. Learning thru discussion. 💛🗝️💛🗝️💛🗝️💛🗝️💛🗝️ You will notice several tabs at the very top. COMMUNITY - this is where the daily activity happens. Check in here daily. It has subcategories. ALL - all posts, all categories can be seen here. HOME ROOM - anyone can make posts here. This is kind of a generic space to talk. New lessons will be announced here. You are encouraged to create a new post about whatever you like. SHOW AND TELL - You are encouraged to create a new post about your previous or current work, paintings or drawings in progress or reference images you would like to paint. TIPS AND TRICKS - You are encouraged to create a new post about a cool thing you learned. I’ll be posting here too. I NEED EXTRA HELP - post here if you are stuck on something. Seek help from your friends in the community while you are working on something. SUPPLIES AND SETUP - Post your space or studio here. We learn from seeing what others do. I will be posting about some products that I love. What do you love? Post it here. CLASSROOM - I will be building lessons in here. Some will be free, some will be affordable. SKOOL makes it easy for you to purchase a course or a subscription. Soon, you will see both here. MEMBERS - learn about others in the community here. This part is great! Meet people that don’t stink. MAP - see if anyone is close to you geographically. LEADERBOARDS - this shows who the teacher’s pets are. HINT - the more points you have, the more free stuff you get. ⭐⭐⭐ Points are earned by: • posting • commenting • helping other members ABOUT - this tells you what this community is AND has a little video. No art snobs. No ego competitions. Encouragement and curiosity win here. Teachers pets may receive gold stars. ⭐ @Thomas Richards @Shari Walker Kearney @Gretchen Cyr @Betty Cowin @Kay Savage @Gerry Moore @Julie Flaskamp @Gail Whittet

The one on the left is oil paint. The painting on the right was done in acrylic paint. They were painted one year apart. ONE. YEAR. No angels descended from heaven and anointed my paintbrush. No sudden burst of divine talent. What changed? SKILL. I Stopped GUESSING. I found help. Then, I developed and tested a system to teach others to paint realism. You CAN learn this too. The painting on the left sold for $2,500. Prints and cards of it have brought in over $7,000. This is PROOF. Painting isn’t magic. It isn’t a gift only handed out to mysterious left-handed children. (Literally I used to believe that.) It’s a learned skill. And if a former Stick Figure Drawing Dropout like me can figure it out… You can too. Are you drawing anything now? Even a digital drawing is ok @Kamal Webb. Even an adult one if you are willing to share.

I have something so fun planned for the community and I am so grateful you are here. YOU are a FOUNDING member and that means so very much to me. Thank you. 🙏🏻 Please help me set the tone. 🤡 I’ll be the Class Clown. You will hear me joke and sometimes say “shit” or maybe an “F-💣”. Those are signs of ENTHUSIASM! This space is nothing like your trips to the art museum. The only thing I ask is that when you see a post that makes you FEEL something, jot the thought down in the comments. You never know when your words help someone make a baby step to a more positive head space. Encouragement here is like oxygen. WHY PAINTING? 🖌️ 📴 Painting is an activity that makes the rest of the world stops screaming. You put on your headphones, and get lost in making marks on a canvas/panel. It allows the brain to go to that space that allows resolution, problem solving and healing to take place. Painting literally puts “Stress” on the F’n chopping block. I’ve watched it. I’ve experienced it. My goal is to give you confidence. YOU CAN PAINT but only if…… you WANT to. You got this. Even if you can’t draw a stick figure. Come on, let’s go.

There’s no right or wrong answer here. I’m curious what your instinct says. 🖌️🎨 After teaching many brand-new painters, I’ve noticed one struggle comes up more than any other. I’ll share the answer later today.