The Fearless Brush is a space for open and honest discussion about artist struggles, techniques, inspiration, and the never-ending quest to level up.
Oh, and making a living along the way.
What is in this blog?
Each week I use this space to create informative posts covering a variety of art topics, as well as a place to organise my in-depth painting tutorials.
- Painting tutorials (Watercolor, Gouache, Acrylic, and Oil Paint)
- “Learning How to Learn” – advice for self-taught artists
- Art critiques
- Plein air painting
- Making a living as an artist
- How to schedule and work towards your goals
- How much to charge for a painting
- Painting gear and reviews
- How to use social media (and grow a following online)
- Common artist struggles
- How to make video content
- Self-expression, intuition, creativity
Blog Categories:
- 100 Day Challenge
- Art
- Art Business
- Artist Diary
- Artist Spotlight
- Gouache Reviews
- Inktober
- Learn
- Paint Gear
- Plein Air
- Start Here
- Swatches
- VLOGS
As time goes on, more topics may be added.
Subscribe to The Fearless Brush and never miss a new post!
You’ll be notified when I update my blog! (this is different to my newsletter, which are almost-monthly emails I send)
About Me
My name is Sarah Burns.
I’m an artist and a teacher, and very much a nature lover. I’ve been a full-time independent artist since mid-2015, and over the years I’ve been making a living through various online platforms such as Twitch live streams, Etsy, and Patreon. You can read more about how I make a living online here, and get some ideas for yourself!
I frequently paint outdoors, or “en plein air” in order to hone my ability to see and capture accurate colors. Plus, I’d much rather be outside than in a studio, no matter how fancy it is. Interested in plein air painting? Check Out my post about affordable plein air setups.
Since I’ve been teaching for a few years now, I know what the most common struggles are for new self-taught artists and that’s what I hope to cover in many of my posts.
I have a long history of blogging, going back as far as 2004 but more recently, I maintained a personal blog on my website, which I now reserve for personal things such as travel photos and news about my business.
You can read it all here.
Thanks for being here, and I hope you find what you’re looking for.
Latest Posts
Painting Rocks & Cliffs with my Dried Gouache Palette (mainly outside in Scotland)
Using dried gouache for painting rocks and cliffs (mainly outside in Scotland)
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Creating a Limited Watercolor Palette for Painting Outside
In my most recent episode of Behind the Brush on Patreon, I shared my strategies for creating a custom limited watercolor palette for plein air. These are all Daniel Smith colors chosen from my larger studio selection. But I just thought this diagram was a fun way to explore it, and was worth sharing here.…
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Meeden Gouache Review – First Impressions
Meeden just launched their own line of gouache. It falls into the ‘hobbyist’ (student grade) category. Here is my first impression review of the “MEEDEN Gouache Paint Set 24.” If you’d like to see more gouache brand reviews, check out my Gouache Rankings page. Basic Information Tube size is 0.4oz/12ml which is in the middle…
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Painting Outside Every Day in April – PleinAirpril 2023 Recap
Let’s talk about the 30 day plein air challenge known as PleinAirpril. I’ll also show my sketchbook scans from the entire month and share some thoughts about what I learned.
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