Watercolor Quick Portraits Might be my Fav!
- Jordan Abba
- Apr 10
- 3 min read
This Week's Artistic Endeavors - More Live Painting
Live quick portraits are so much fun! I love this creative alternative for wedding favors.
The live painting aspect of this acts as entertainment for the wedding guests, plus they get to take home a custom, original piece of artwork as a memory of the wedding day!
Quick portraits are also something I offer year-round as custom commissions for people. I enjoy the minimalistic aesthetic of the these watercolor paintings and the quickness of the brushstroke adds this sort of impressionistic, painterly feel to the portraits that I really enjoy.
Check out a little bit of my process on my reel below!
Latest Work - A Nutcracker in Spring
If you didn't know already, I paint nutcrackers! These are so much fun to me. This guy you see here was probably my most challenging labor of love because there were so many colors! My client sent me a few photos of their tree and holiday decor and said color, color, color! So that is what we did!
My favorite part about these nutcrackers is ANYONE CAN DO IT! I just buy them plain, solid, white from Walmart starting around September. They are $129 in store or online, but you have to be QUICK because these are viral. Go search them on TikTok. All the crafters are crafting with these guys.
I was commissioned to do this colorful one after my 2024 window closed, so I started once I started back up in 2025! It was a lot of fun to paint him outside of the craziness of the holiday season. Typically, I paint these for Knoxville local, but I am happy to ship! This will run about +$150-$200 depending on location, but if you are a nutcracker fanatic and are not interested in the endeavor of DIY this viral nutcracker, then I am your girl!
Personally Speaking... Gatlinburg, TN
We recently had the opportunity to join our church on a marriage retreat in Gatlinburg! It was fun, refreshing, and rejuvenating. I am so thankful for the opportunity to come together with Matt and get away from the craziness of everyday life. I would love to invite you to visit our church, Fountain City Church, get connected, and join us on our next retreat!
Matt and I spent some free time and went to Dollywood. They are hosting the "I Will Always Love You Music Festival" and there is all pink everything, everywhere and I LOVE IT! Highly suggest. We got season passes this year! Luca is free until kindergarten and old enough to be excited about rides and attractions. You already know I am counting down the days until summer break for this reason!
Artists Supporting Artists -
Jen Pinkner
Jen is an artist and live painter in the Knoxville area! I am so thankful we got connected a few years ago. I call us the dream team for live guest portraits. She is my go-to gal when we need an artist team for a wedding!
Jen does a lot of originals and commission based artworks . She has created a wide variety of community based pieces, so if you are a Knoxville native, you must check out her shop!
Recently, Jen opened a booth in the Southern Market Shops! You can view and buy her work in person, as well as online!
Be Your Most Creative Self
Personalize your cheap lanyard!!! Maybe lanyards are not customary in your career, but as a teacher, I wear a lanyard everyday.
Last year I took mine and strung random, funky beads and letter beads to read my name around mine and I LOVE IT. I get compliments all the time!
The best part about it is that I did not follow any sort of pattern or color scheme. I really just randomly strung bead after bead and got this super fun, eclectic completed piece. I used letter beads, plastic round beads, wooden beads, and colorful crystal beads.
The most complicated part of this DIY would be sewing the lanyard back together at the end. This is only true if you have never sewn before.
I linked supplies and a sewing demo below! A couple "pro" tips for the sewing this lanyard back together:
it doesn't need to be perfect, it will be on the back of your neck and no one will see the messy string sewn together.
use thick, embroidery thread! This is will be more durable.
overdo it. Go around and around to make sure it's sewn back together really well.
Tie a knot when you are finished.
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