Store-Bought is Fine… But Handmade is Better
Lately, I’ve been thinking about the role of AI in art. I strongly considered upgrading my old iPad and Apple Pencil to expand my digital drawing process. While I enjoyed working through a few patterns digitally (still entirely hand-drawn!), something felt like it was missing.
What AI can’t do—at least not yet or ever—is hold a watercolor brush. It doesn’t create those organic bleeds, unpredictable textures, or perfectly imperfect strokes that make a piece feel alive. That’s what I love about painting. It’s human. It connects. And it reminds me why I started watercoloring in the first place—to loosen up, embrace imperfection, and kick rigidity to the curb.
Like Ina says, “store-bought is fine’...but nothing really beats the from-scratch version of handmade art.
Inside My Studio
This love of imperfection has been guiding my latest projects. I got a wild hare this week and started creating playful letters, numbers, shapes, and colors for Bonnie’s room. I was inspired by her learning to count, singing the ABCs, and learning shapes in Spanish. I also massively needed a creative outlet, so painting something not-so-serious felt like the perfect medicine.
I had fun with this. You know you’ve hit magic when you naturally wake up at 5am wanting to immediately paint.
I want my art to feel joyful, handmade, and welcoming—so much so that Bonnie’s own crayon scribbles would fit right in next to it. Never too serious, never too pristine.
This detour into joyful abstraction has also given me fresh inspiration for my garden party tablecloth. Cooking is joy. Imperfect plating is joy. A table full of friends and shared dishes is joy. I want that feeling to shine through in a new illustration of a tablescape.
A pattern made up of abstract tablescape lines, colorful brushstrokes…the vision is there and we will see what shakes out in the next week or two!
What I'm Cooking
A Turkey Burger Patty to Rule Them All
I made turkey burgers with spinach and cauliflower mash this week, and I cannot stop thinking about them. It wasn’t technically in the “quick 15-minute” section, but even with boiling and mashing the cauliflower myself (because I forgot to buy cauli rice), the whole process took me just 45 minutes.
Another 3-Ingredient Recipe: Sugar Cookies
More of a shortbread, technically? We had a sweets craving over the weekend, so I searched for “egg-free cookie recipes.” Bonnie picked this one from the search images, and we went for it. They were ridiculously easy to make, delicious, and topped with our favorite dye-free sprinkles.
Creative Sparks
A New Playlist
I’ve been playing this playlist through my “house speakers” (which is just a fancy way of saying I synced up all my Bluetooth speakers to one Spotify output). Something about it—paired with a cup of coffee—makes me feel like I’m on vacation or settling into my ideal chill artist mode.
Joy
This book is a fabulous read on joy, perfect for appreciating all the little delights each day.
What I'm Reading
After a reading slump, Ali Hazelwood’s novella trio was the perfect bite-sized romance series to get me back into reading. I finished them last night and am already onto another romance! Beach read season is nearly upon us—what’s on your TBR right now? I’ve got my eyes on the new Emily Henry release this month!
What's Next
In the next two weeks, I’ll be refining some new patterns and illustrations inspired by this idea of joyful, imperfect creativity. I’m also experimenting with how to bring the tablescape-inspired wallpaper to life—there’s something about playful abstraction that I think will jive with a food-filled illustration.
Also, I’m competing in the Golden Coil notebook design contest and asked you all to help me choose a favorite colorway—thank you for all your responses! While it didn’t get in the top ten, I’m in love with it and will likely be making curtains for my studio out of the fabric.
Until then, tell me—what’s bringing you joy this week?
Joyfully,
Katie
