About PaintZola
A Small Studio Journal, Built One Layer at a Time
PaintZola started as a single notebook of color studies and grew into a home for painters who’d rather learn by doing than by theory alone. It’s written, painted, and photographed by one person — me.
In the studio
How PaintZola Began
I didn’t set out to build a blog. For years I kept a private notebook — failed color mixes, notes on brushes that worked and ones that didn’t, sketches of paintings I never finished. It was messy and personal, and it was mine.
A friend asked me to write down how I’d mixed a particular shade of green for a landscape piece. That one page turned into a short guide. The guide turned into a habit. Before long, I was writing every week — not as an expert looking down from a pedestal, but as someone still figuring it out alongside anyone reading along.
“I never wanted PaintZola to sound like a textbook. I wanted it to sound like the notes I actually wish someone had handed me when I started.”
Today, PaintZola is where I share painting ideas, honest guides, and the techniques I actually use — not the polished, perfect version of art-making, but the real one, brush marks and all.
From the studio archive2024
The journey so far
Milestones Along the Way
First Brush in Hand
Picked up painting as a way to unwind — no formal training, just curiosity and a lot of ruined canvases.
Started Sharing Notes Online
Began posting technique notes and color studies to a small, private mailing list of fellow painters.
PaintZola Was Born
Turned years of scattered notes into a proper site, with a single goal: make painting feel less intimidating.
Crossed 40,000 Monthly Readers
What started as notes to myself became a community of painters, hobbyists, and the paint-curious.
Still Painting, Still Learning
Every guide on this site is still tested on my own easel first — that hasn’t changed, and it won’t.
What I believe
The Philosophy Behind Every Post
Three ideas guide everything published on PaintZola, from a five-minute color tip to a full technique guide.
Curiosity Over Perfection
A slightly wrong color mixed on purpose teaches more than a perfect one copied from a chart. Mistakes stay in the story.
Practice Over Talent
Nobody on this site was “born an artist.” Every technique shared here was earned through repetition, not luck.
Community Over Competition
Painting isn’t a race. PaintZola exists so readers can learn at their own pace, without comparing their first attempt to someone’s hundredth.
From the archive
A Few Pieces Along the Way
A small selection of studies and pieces referenced across PaintZola’s guides over the years.
Let’s Keep Painting Together
New guides, ideas, and honest notes from the studio — straight to your inbox, roughly once a week.
No spam — just paint. Unsubscribe anytime.