"Even if I wasn't born with talent, maybe it was possible for me to LEARN how to draw and paint." 

When Valerie joined Awesome Art School in her 50s, she believed talent was something you either had or you didn't. After years of starting projects, getting discouraged, and hiding unfinished artwork away, she finally discovered that drawing is a skill that can be learned, and that mistakes are simply part of the process.

Today, Valerie confidently creates whimsical watercolor paintings and fantasy characters, but the biggest transformation happened in her mindset. She no longer lets self-doubt decide whether a painting gets finished. 

As she says in her own words 💜

"I do not throw my mistakes away or hide them anymore."

At 65, Judith D'Ambra is proof that it's never too late to try something new.

Before joining Awesome Art School in 2021, she truly believed she couldn't draw. "I couldn't draw a line. My hands would shake. I thought I would never be able to draw."

Today, drawing has become a joyful part of her daily life. Along the way, she discovered that creativity isn't about talent; it's about giving yourself permission to learn, make mistakes, and keep going. 

In her own words 💜

"I thought I had to have a talent for it. I realized that is not true. I just needed to give myself a chance."

 When Carla was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2024, art became much more than a hobby.

During daily radiation treatments, she discovered Karen's YouTube tutorials and found something she hadn't felt in years: inspiration.

After becoming cancer-free, she joined Mixed Media Society and began developing skills, confidence, and a daily creative practice.

Today, at 69 years old, she's creating artwork she never imagined possible - and has completed three commissioned paintings for paying clients.

In her own words 💜

"Art has changed me in many ways for the better. I am a lot more happy and have so many positive things to focus on."

"I really thought I couldn’t do this…"

Audrey joined Awesome Art School convinced she “couldn’t art at all.”

She even took her first lesson just to prove it.

But something unexpected happened.

Something clicked.

What started as one simple lesson turned into a daily creative practice she now looks forward to.

Her confidence grew.
Her skills improved.
And she found something she didn’t even realize she was missing.

💜 In her words

“I started with zero skills… and now I feel so much more confident.

It feels like coming back to myself."

"I didn’t think I could do this…"

Covina spent years painting - but always felt limited.

“I didn’t know how to draw or use other mediums besides oils.”

Then she discovered Awesome Art School. And everything changed.

Her very first drawing - especially that first face - sparked something.

“It wasn’t good… but it wasn’t bad. And I couldn’t wait to do more.”

From there, her skills grew.
Her confidence expanded.
And her entire art world opened up.

Now she’s creating in ways she never thought possible—and connecting with a supportive community along the way.

💜 In her words

“Art gives me focus and meaning… it has helped transform my mental and physical health and my heart.”

From "I can't draw a face" ... to Day 97

At 70, Jeanette decided to finally go for it.

No formal training.

Just a lifelong desire to draw - and the courage to start.

What followed wasn’t perfection… it was progress, persistence, and a whole lot of joy.

Her biggest shift?

“If you screw it up… who cares? Just keep going.”

One face at a time, she began to see differently - shapes, shadows, expressions - and her confidence grew with every drawing.

 In her own words 💜 

“I just can't believe that I can draw such amazing faces! I have shocked myself!”

“Art didn’t exist for me…”

Leanne started her creative journey with no experience at all.

“I couldn’t draw a crooked line.”

She joined the Drawing Club, and then the Wonder Bundle, and simply kept showing up.

No big breakthrough moment.

“Not 1 lesson… all of them helped me learn.”

Step by step, everything began to change.

Now?

“I can actually draw.”

And the best part? In her words 💜 

“It helps my confidence.”

"I didn’t think I could do this…"

Jillian started her art journey full of doubt.

“I thought maybe I could do it… but I wasn’t sure.”

She struggled with perfectionism - and it kept her stuck. Then something shifted.

She watched a lesson where mistakes were part of the process… and it clicked.

“If she can make mistakes, maybe I can too.”

That moment changed everything.

She let go of needing it to be perfect and finally started creating.

Now her imagination is coming through, and she’s making art she never believed she could.

In her own words 💜 

“I never believed I could actually create something like this.” 

"I didn’t think I was good enough…"

Gill rediscovered art after years away - but confidence was her biggest hurdle.

“Believing I was good enough.”

She hesitated to share her work and doubted herself every step of the way.

But something changed.

With encouragement from the community, she began to show up - and share her art.

And little by little, her confidence grew.

Now?

She no longer hides her work.

She shares it proudly - and encourages others to do the same.

In her own words 💜

“You are so much better than you think you are.”

“Art saved my life…”

Joanna found her way back to art during covid lockdown just to “keep her sanity.”

She practiced daily in graphite and charcoal…but something was missing.

“Faces scared the life out of me.”

Then she found Karen on YouTube and joined the Celtic Collective…and soon became a Wonder Bundler.

That’s when everything changed.

“I got out of my own head…”

She found confidence.

She found friendship.

She found joy again.

In her own words 💜 

“I poured my heartache into my art…"

and turned a negative into a positive.

“Letting go of perfection didn’t lower my art… it set it free."

Dawn has always had art in her life… but like so many artists, one thing held her back:
perfectionism.

When she joined the Celtic Collective (for the most delightful reason, “I wanted to be part of a fairy club!” 🧚‍♀️💜), something began to shift. Slowly, steadily, she started to loosen her grip on “perfect”… and everything opened up.

One simple shading lesson changed everything:
“I hadn’t understood it before… and then all of a sudden something clicked.”

Now her skills and her mindset are in a completely different place.

But what really stands out isn’t just her improvement - it’s what art has become for her: a lifeline, a purpose, and a way to process life.

In her own words 💜

“I feel like I can pretty much draw anything now!”

"I was always afraid to try something… but now I just try and do."

Patricia joined Awesome Art School back in 2019 after years of coloring purchased images and dreaming of learning how to draw her own art. 🎨

At first, her biggest struggle was believing in herself.

But little by little, through lessons, practice, and encouragement, her confidence began to grow.

She started in the Fun Fab Drawing Club, explored Mixed Media, and eventually found her creative home inside the Celtic Collective because of her love for all things magical and mythical. 🧚‍♀️🐉✨

One of her biggest breakthroughs came with watercolor.

She was once too nervous to use “real watercolours” and fully relied on templates … and now she’s becoming more confident drawing faces freehand.

In her own words 💜 

“Creating art is my escape, my little place of peace.”

“I could barely draw stick figures.” 

Julie Melder only began her creative journey last summer after taking one simple acrylic painting class with her son “just for fun.” Then one day she clicked on an Awesome Art School ad completely “on a whim”… and discovered a creative side she never knew she had 💜

After joining the Fun Fab Drawing Club (and later the Wonder Bundle), everything started to click, especially when she learned to draw faces.

“Learning to draw a face showed me that I can actually draw pretty well so I kept going.”

Now she’s creating whimsical storefronts, female faces, and full-figured drawings she never imagined possible before. But perhaps even more importantly, art has become something deeply healing in her life. In her own words:

"It’s my therapy. It’s where I go when life is beating me down and I always feel better after creating something.”

"Even if I wasn't born with talent, maybe it was possible for me to LEARN how to draw and paint."

When Valerie joined Awesome Art School in her 50s, she believed talent was something you either had or you didn't. After years of starting projects, getting discouraged, and hiding unfinished artwork away, she finally discovered that drawing is a skill that can be learned - and that mistakes are simply part of the process.

Today, Valerie confidently creates whimsical watercolor paintings and fantasy characters, but the biggest transformation happened in her mindset. She no longer lets self-doubt decide whether a painting gets finished. As she says in her own words 💜

"I do not throw my mistakes away or hide them anymore."

"After months of watching her videos I saw a big transformation. I could not believe at first that those were my drawings."

Jackie O'Rourke joined Awesome Art School looking for a way to take her art to the next level after years of loving creativity but struggling with subjects like faces, fantasy art, animals, and dragons. What she found was more than lessons...she found a supportive community, encouragement, and the confidence to keep trying.

As she worked through the projects, she began seeing something she never expected: real progress.

After months of learning and practicing, Jackie could hardly believe the transformation in her artwork. Today she tackles subjects she once avoided, experiments with watercolor, and approaches her creativity with a confidence she never had before. As she says in her own words 💜

"I thought I'll never learn or I'm not talented enough. Then it clicked that I can learn and my art is beautiful."