DISCLAIMER: This post contains affiliate links you can use to purchase the supplies I use. If you purchase items using the links, I will receive a small commission from the sale at no additional cost to you.

My art and craft production tends to ebb and flow with the seasons. One season I am knitting up a storm, and the next I am sewing myself a leather satchel. Some crafts come around and after the initial excitement, I realize that I don’t enjoy the process quite as much as I thought I would.

One method of creation that I always come back to is drawing and painting. If I had to choose one creative outlet for the rest of my life, this would be it. So this autumn, I am prioritizing a daily art practice, even when I only have 10-20 minutes in a given day.

To jumpstart my daily practice, I decided to go with something fun and colorful, yet small enough to finish within a couple of hours. I found this lovely photo of a jumping spider after a quick google search. It took me a bit of time to remember all the “rules” for using oil paints, since it feels like forever since I picked up my brush.

The colors are not as accurate to the reference as I wanted them to be, but I love how the spider turned out and have decided to add it to Sylphrena’s bug collection gallery. I “relearned” a lot during this process - color theory, layering techniques, and more, all started seeping back into my brain. My goal is to do at least 1-2 small oil painting studies each week so that I continue to improve and retain the things that I learn.

Here are the materials I used for this 2.5” x 3.5” painting:

Making Time for Art Again