Category Archives: Painting

Ash Wednesday and Lent Painting Tutorial

In today’s tutorial, I walk you through how to paint a Lenten painting with a crown of thorns and a cross symbol step-by-step. A great project for your Catholic small group or family!


Support the channel! Buy Me a Coffee (and support my art supply wish list): https://www.buymeacoffee.com/amyheyseart

Original artwork created by Amy Heyse.

Supplies:

Canvas, Board, or thick paper of your size choice (I used an 8×10” Artist’s Loft Canvas from Michael’s)
Dick Blick and Master’s Touch (Hobby Lobby) are also great canvas options
Acrylic Paint (I used Lamp Black, Titanium White, Metallic Bronze, Metallic Silver, and Violet Artist’s Loft Paints)
(Artist’s Loft, Master’s Touch, Dick Blick and Liquitex are all great cost-effective brands. Brands like Craft Smart and DecoArt can be too thin depending on the color)
If you want a non-permanent water soluble option for little kids, I highly recommend gouache or tempera paints. My kids love these gouache sets.
Paint brushes (One big and one small, though a medium sized option could be nice too)
Water
Paper Towels
Palette (or paper plates)
Apron or a Shirt that you wouldn’t mind getting messy
Chalk or a Pencil
Optional: Hair Dryer

Once acrylic paint dries, it is permanent. If you get paint on your clothes, try to wash it out as soon as possible. I like to use Murphy’s Oil (Pine Sol, nail polish remover, or isopropyl alcohol work too) and the abrasive part of a sponge to scrub paint out of clothing. If it has dried, soak it in a little bit of one of the solutions listed above for at least 10 minutes before scrubbing off the hardened paint.

(Note: Some of the links provided are affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a small commission at no cost to you. This allows me to continue creating free content for Catholic artists of all ages! I only recommend products that I use and love. Amy Heyse Art is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates)

How to Paint a Mini Fiat Painting

In today’s tutorial, I walk you through how to paint a decorative Fiat painting with gold and flowers step-by-step. A great project for your Catholic small group or family!

Support the channel! Buy Me a Coffee (and support my art supply wish list): https://www.buymeacoffee.com/amyheyseart

Original artwork created by Amy Heyse.

Supplies:

Canvas, Board, or thick paper of your size choice (I used an 8×10” Artist’s Loft Canvas from Michael’s) Dick Blick and Master’s Touch (Hobby Lobby) are also great canvas options
Acrylic Paint (I used Lamp Black, Magenta, Pthalocyanine Green, Titanium White, and Metallic Gold Artist’s Loft Paints)
(Artist’s Loft, Master’s Touch, Dick Blick and Liquitex are all great cost-effective brands. Brands like Craft Smart and DecoArt can be too thin depending on the color)
If you want a non-permanent water soluble option for little kids, I highly recommend gouache or tempera paints. My kids love these gouache sets:
Paint brushes (One big and one small, though a medium sized option could be nice too)
Water
Paper Towels
Palette (or paper plates)
Apron or a Shirt that you wouldn’t mind getting messy
Chalk or a Pencil
Optional: Hair Dryer

Once acrylic paint dries, it is permanent. If you get paint on your clothes, try to wash it out as soon as possible. I like to use Murphy’s Oil (Pine Sol, nail polish remover, or isopropyl alcohol work too) and the abrasive part of a sponge to scrub paint out of clothing. If it has dried, soak it in a little bit of one of the solutions listed above for at least 10 minutes before scrubbing off the hardened paint.

(Note: Some of the links provided are affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a small commission at no cost to you. This allows me to continue creating free content for Catholic artists of all ages! I only recommend products that I use and love. Amy Heyse Art is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates)

How to Paint the Sorrowful Heart of Mary Using Watercolors

In today’s tutorial, I walk you through how to draw and paint an Our Lady of Sorrows heart step-by-step. We use simple lines and shapes. Feel free to use your favorite art supplies!

Support the channel! Buy Me a Coffee (and support my art supply wish list): https://www.buymeacoffee.com/amyheyseart

Original artwork created by Amy Heyse.

Supplies needed:

Watercolor paper (Student Grade) or Arches Hot Press

Pencil

Water

Paper Towels

Masking tape and something sturdy to tape your paper to (like cardboard)

Master’s Touch Watercolors or Winsor and Newton Watercolors

Brushes (I used my Kolinsky travel watercolor brushes)

Optional:

QoR Watercolor Iridescent Gold

Salt

Ruler

(Note: Some of the links provided are affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a small commission at no cost to you. This allows me to continue creating free content for Catholic artists of all ages! I only recommend products that I use and love. Amy Heyse Art is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates)

How 15 Minutes a Week Every Sunday Inspired My Faith and Art

After giving birth to my daughters, I didn’t have a lot of time to create, but that desire was written on my heart. I decided to start with 15 minutes every Sunday creating artwork inspired by my “one takeaway” from mass. This is how I got back into art and how I became a Catholic artist/illustrator. No more waiting for the so-called “perfect moment” (or until retirement) to pursue your passions!

What in your life does God want you to carve out 15 minutes a day for?

It can be a challenge finding the perfect time for those 15 minutes a day. Take a look at your current daily habits and really scrutinize how you spend your day. Do you waste time on Netflix or social media scrolling? You probably have more pockets of time than you think! If you’re most productive in the morning, you can schedule your 15 minutes before you begin to get ready for work. Part of a lunch break can be utilized for pleasure reading or taking a walk. 

If you want to work on a bigger passion project, think about how you can tackle it in smaller pieces. What is the easiest first step that you can take? For example, 15 minutes of prepping ingredients for baking the day before can make the task more enjoyable the following day.

If an activity like knitting or journaling is what brings you joy, you can make up a “go-bag” with the supplies you need so they’re all in one place and ready-to-go. A go-bag activity can easily be tackled in between classes on campus, while you’re waiting in the pick-up line at your child’s school, or when you have a scheduled break at work.

Suggested Supplies:

Hand Book Travelogue Drawing Book 5.5×5.5” Square https://amzn.to/3EvrQOS
Reeves Gouache Paint Set https://amzn.to/3IlBGDV
Alvin Draft Matic 0.3mm Pencil https://amzn.to/3ILkCJ8
Trekell Synthetic Watercolor Paintbrush Set https://amzn.to/3TKBYsV
Studio Series Artist Tiles (these were the first things I used because they were what I had on hand) https://amzn.to/3Sk7eP3

(Note: Amy Heyse Art is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. She is also a participant with Blick Art Materials Affiliate Program.)

Intro to Icons with Elizabeth Zelasko

My friend, Catholic artist and iconographer Elizabeth Zelasko, was generous enough to share her knowledge of iconography for my YouTube channel. I initially envisioned a short 10-15 minute interview geared towards K-12 students, but it ended up being so in-depth it was hard to edit!

I decided to compromise and release TWO videos. Today’s video is a “short and sweet” version of our interview and next week will premiere the full-length interview.


Elizabeth is very knowledgeable and incredibly talented. She learned Russian Orthodox Iconography from the Prosopon School of Iconology and has created original works of art for Catholic publications and institutions. You can see more of her work at elizabethzelasko.com and follow her on Instagram.

Behind the Scenes: The Holy Family

Every Advent, I like to work on a personal piece of artwork to help me contemplate the season. I decided to work on an image of the Holy Family after the birth of Jesus. I would work on it a little at a time using my iPad and an art app called Procreate.

Today’s video is a behind-the-scenes look at how I go from concept to sketch to final artwork. It’s hours of work condensed into a short sneak peek look at my process.

This image is also available as a print on my website.

Supplies used:

Procreate app https://procreate.com/

Beginner’s Guide to Digital Painting in Procreate https://amzn.to/3gPASgv

iPad Pro 11 inch https://amzn.to/3KV8Fjw

Apple Pencil 2nd Generation https://amzn.to/3BdAm2D

Procreate Watercolor Brushes https://creatoriq.cc/3mrQUAy

(Note: Amy Heyse Art is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.)

How I paint in my Catholic Journaling Bible

In today’s tutorial, I will walk you through how you can use watercolor ground to paint and draw with any kind of pen in your journaling Bible without it bleeding through the pages.

Supplies needed:

Winsor and Newton Watercolors https://amzn.to/3qi5MzK

Master’s Touch Watercolors https://www.hobbylobby.com/Art-Supplies/Painting-Supplies/Watercolor-Painting/Watercolor-Paint—48-Piece-Set/p/80881200

QoR Watercolor Iridescent Gold https://amzn.to/3x1jw5r

Trekell Synthetic Watercolor Paintbrush Set https://amzn.to/3TKBYsV

Daniel Smith Transparent Watercolor Ground https://amzn.to/3VsSTzK 

Blessed Is She Catholic Journaling Bible https://amzn.to/3jA9vbP 

The Great Adventure Catholic Bible https://amzn.to/3FYMhU9 

Water

Gluestick 

Bible in a Year Podcast: https://ascensionpress.com/pages/biy-registration 

Blessed Is She http://blessedisshe.net 

(Note: Amy Heyse Art is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.)

Learn to Paint a Simple Monstrance

In today’s video, I walk you through how to draw and paint a simple monstrance. I use gold watercolor paint on black paper, but you could also use gold acrylics, gold sharpies, crayons, pastels, etc.

Suggested Supplies:

Black Paper

White Colored Pencil

QoR Watercolor Iridescent Gold https://amzn.to/3x1jw5r

Trekell Synthetic Watercolor Paintbrush Set https://amzn.to/3TKBYsV

Water

(Note: Amy Heyse Art is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.)

How to Draw and Paint the Chaste Heart of St. Joseph

Today I’m walking you through step-by-step how to draw and paint the Chaste Heart of St. Joseph. You can follow along with me on my YouTube channel to create your own Chaste Heart.

Suggested supplies for this project:

Strathmore Watercolor Paper https://amzn.to/3x12ODo

Arches Hot Press Watercolor Paper https://amzn.to/3RfGU7v

Crayola Washable Watercolors https://amzn.to/3x1X0JU

Winsor and Newton Watercolors https://amzn.to/3qi5MzK

Master’s Touch Watercolors https://www.hobbylobby.com/Art-Supplies/Painting-Supplies/Watercolor-Painting/Watercolor-Paint—48-Piece-Set/p/80881200

Winsor and Newton Colourless Masking Fluid https://amzn.to/3qi5ZTy

QoR Watercolor Iridescent Gold https://amzn.to/3x1jw5r

Trekell Synthetic Watercolor Paintbrush Set https://amzn.to/3TKBYsV

Scotch Blue Painter’s Tape https://amzn.to/3RLaHF3

(Note: Amy Heyse Art is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.)

How to Draw and Paint the Immaculate Heart of Mary

Today I’m walking you through step-by-step how to draw and paint the Immaculate Heart of Mary. You can follow along with me on my YouTube channel to create your own Immaculate Heart.

Suggested supplies for this project:

Strathmore Watercolor Paper https://amzn.to/3x12ODo

Arches Hot Press Watercolor Paper https://amzn.to/3RfGU7v

Crayola Washable Watercolors https://amzn.to/3x1X0JU

Winsor and Newton Watercolors https://amzn.to/3qi5MzK

Master’s Touch Watercolors https://www.hobbylobby.com/Art-Supplies/Painting-Supplies/Watercolor-Painting/Watercolor-Paint—48-Piece-Set/p/80881200

Winsor and Newton Colourless Masking Fluid https://amzn.to/3qi5ZTy

QoR Watercolor Iridescent Gold https://amzn.to/3x1jw5r

Trekell Synthetic Watercolor Paintbrush Set https://amzn.to/3TKBYsV

Scotch Blue Painter’s Tape https://amzn.to/3RLaHF3

Salt

(Note: Amy Heyse Art is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com)