I wanted to share my full process from blank page to finished piece because I think sometimes we see final artwork and forget how many small, messy, very necessary steps happen in between.

This is the exact flow I come back to again and again, and it’s what I built this class around, because I kept seeing the same sticking points show up at different stages.

The reason I love it is because it’s not rigid, it’s not perfect, and it’s what helps me move from staring at a blank canvas to actually finishing something.

Here’s how it played out in a recent piece:

1. Idea generation

I had a general direction in mind for a piece of artwork that coincided with one of my Bootcamp programs, and I started building a world around it. At first, my ideas leaned cute but slightly eerie (think stitched-up plushies with glowing eyes), a little abandoned funhouse energy. But the more I sat with it, the more I realized I wanted something lighter, more whimsical and storybook-like.

I started imagining atmospheric buildings, billowy clouds, pops of color, and something that felt playful and alive. Once that clicked, everything else had something to anchor to.

This is actually one of the biggest places I see people get stuck, because it feels like you’re supposed to land on the right idea immediately. But usually it’s more like circling it until something clicks. (If you’re in the class, this is the part where we zoom in a lot more on how to move through that without getting stuck there forever.)

2. Sketching

When I moved into sketching, I immediately hit that moment of, “ooof… this might be more than I planned for.” I wanted to keep things simple, but I also wanted each element to feel intentional and readable. Balancing those two can be tricky.

In hindsight, I wish I had done thumbnail sketches first. Even just a few tiny boxes to test composition would have saved me some back-and-forth here. It’s one of those things I know helps, and yet sometimes I skip it anyway 🙄

3. Color blocking

Once I had a rough sketch, I dropped the opacity down and kept that layer at the top so I could still see everything clearly.

From there, I moved into blocking in color. I always start loose here. I’m not choosing perfect colors yet. I just need something on the canvas to start building from.

For this particular project, I wanted to challenge myself and do a spin on primary colors. So I grabbed any ol’ red, yellow, and blue just to plug them in, and then I wanted to see how I tweak those colors.

I usually:

pick a minimal palette to begin with
keep colors on separate layers (background, midground, foreground)
Let colors evolve as I go instead of locking them in too early

*Note: Although each color has its own layer, that actually means they have designated layers, plural, because of background, mid, and foreground placement of objects.

For example, here’s a peek at my layers:

I walk through this step in real time in the class, because seeing it happen makes a big difference.

4. Details + shading

As the shapes started to feel solid, I moved into refining edges and adding detail where it mattered most.

For shading, I kept things simple. I applied black for shadows and then adjusted the blend mode so it interacted naturally with the colors underneath (my go-to blend modes for shading are Soft light, Overlay, or Multiply).

This step is where everything starts to feel more dimensional, but I try not to overwork it. It’s really easy to keep adding and adding, and suddenly lose the clarity that made the piece work in the first place.

5. Final touches

Even when I’m working with flat color, I almost always at least some subtle texture. For this piece, I brought in paper textures and experimented with blend modes until it gave that subtle, gritty finish that makes everything feel a little more alive.

It’s a small thing, but it changes the entire feel of the piece.

Reflection

Looking back, the biggest takeaway for me wasn’t about doing anything perfectly. It was about staying flexible inside the process.

Some steps took longer than I expected. Some decisions changed halfway through. Some things I’d absolutely do differently next time (hi, thumbnails). But overall, this process keeps me moving. And that’s really the goal.

If you’re following along in the class, I’d love for you to think about which of these steps feels the stickiest for you right now, because that’s usually where the biggest shift happens!

Your turn 👇

Which step feels the hardest for you right now?

coming up with ideas
sketching
choosing colors
adding details
finishing touches

Tell me where you tend to get stuck. I’m happy to help troubleshoot 👀

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Peggy Dean

Artist | Author | Educator | The Pigeon Letters

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