The PNW Coastal Collection: Planning & Gathering Inspiration

 

IN MY SKETCHBOOK

The Pacific Northwest

If you want to stay up to date on this collection make sure you are on my Studio Insider email list— you can get on it here

I’ve been in Oregon for about a month soaking up all the inspiration and solidifying plans for the PNW Coastal Collection. Keep reading for a peak inside my sketchbook and what I’m planning!

 
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colors

I decided on a much moodier color palette this time around to match the aesthetic of the pacific coastline. The coast is overcast and windy with grey/blue/greens making up much of the view. I wanted to keep that cool, windy and grey feeling throughout this series.

I make all of my color palettes into swatches on little pieces of paper because it helps me rearrange and hold different swatches next to a painting or a photo to decide which ones work best together. My design and planning process is very tactile- I like to be able to move things around. You’ll probably spot these little color squares in many of my process photos.

 

planning

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I love the planning phase right at the start of a new collection. I get to buy new supplies and there’s something exciting about starting a new project. Anyone else the kid who loved school projects? Yeah that was absolutely me. Anyways, here’s what I landed on and what you can expect from this coastal PNW collection:

  • Paintings will be on wood panels size 8x10 (6), 16x20 (3) and 18x24 (3)

  • All panel paintings will come framed and ready to hang in a beautiful white modern floater frame

  • Each painting will have a “study” also available for purchase. Studies are 8x10 on paper

 

inspiration photos

The majority of my inspiration for this collection comes from trips to the Oregon and Washington Coast. Many of these photos were taken at Cannon beach and coastal towns nearby. We have several more weekend trips planned so there’s still plenty of inspiration to be had!

 

planning & sketching

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Each painting starts with a study painted on paper. This helps me get my ideas down and work out the kinks before painting it large on the wood panel. The reason I love painting on wood panel is because of the smooth texture. But, that also means it isn’t as forgiving with mistakes as canvas would be. Having these little studies gives me peace of mind to go into each full painting with a plan. These studies will be available as part of the collection and make for an awesome way to collect original art at very affordable prices.

Thanks for sharing in the journey with me and enjoying the process! Again, if you want early access to the collection you can sign up here.

Ella Anderson