"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."

"Art has become part of my soul. It has made me grow as a person." 

When Gail joined Awesome Art School in June 2025, she was a total beginner. She didn't know how to draw, where to start, or even what to create. After discovering Karen's encouraging teaching style, she quickly went from one club to becoming a Wonder Bundler—and today she's creating artwork she never imagined possible.  

Today, Gail spends time in her art room every day, proudly shares her artwork online, and has found more than a creative hobby. She found confidence, joy, and a supportive community that helped her discover a part of herself she never knew existed.

In her own words 💜

"You don't have to have talent. It comes with time and practice."

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.”

Jen Halterman never expected to become an artist. Her creative journey began 13 years ago after the devastating loss of her daughter and her daughter’s entire family in a car accident. When words failed her, a friend arrived with paint and a canvas and told her, “You don’t need words. Just put color on the canvas and move stuff around.” That became Jen’s very first piece of art.

Over the years, art has grown from an outlet for grief into a source of joy, confidence, and even physical therapy as Jen navigates life with MS. She began with the Mixed Media Society before joining the Wonder Bundle, where the variety of projects—and the freedom to use tracers on shaky or low-stamina days—allows her to keep creating no matter what kind of day she’s having.

Today, Jen trusts her own creative instincts more, loves making expressive faces and characters, and has even begun receiving commissions. Most importantly, she has made art a real priority in her life. “I wake up excited to go into my studio every day.” For Jen, it isn’t about perfection. It’s about continuing to create. In her own words 💜

“No matter what it is, I’m still here to make art, and that to me is what it’s all about.”

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.” 

“Creating has become my stress reliever. It’s my happy place.” 

At 62, Karen has a very full life - working full-time, caring for family, running, and juggling all the things...but art has become her happy place.

After years of believing her art had to be perfect, joining the Wonder Bundle helped Karen loosen up, embrace mistakes, and simply enjoy creating. Today, she’s more confident in her drawing, exploring watercolor and whimsical art, and making time to create no matter how busy life gets.

Her advice to anyone scared to start?

“Don’t wait until you think you’re good. You have to start somewhere.”

“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.

 "Doing art takes me away to a safe and happy place where the world events don't exist... It's quite a magical time for me."

Monique joined Awesome Art School with almost no art experience after discovering Karen through Baby Boos & Spooky Dudes. What began as a simple desire to learn watercolor quickly grew into a daily creative practice that has transformed far more than her artistic skills.

Today, she's confidently drawing faces, exploring mixed media, encouraging fellow members, and inspiring others with her positive attitude.

For Monique, art has become more than a hobby, it's a peaceful escape, a source of confidence, and a reminder that anyone can learn with the right guidance and a supportive community. 

💜 In her own words: 

"Believing you're not talented is a mindset that you need to challenge."

“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!”

"My confidence comes with time... and with learning to move past fear." 

Jennifer has loved creating art her whole life, but self-doubt kept her playing it safe. 

For years she avoided drawing facial features because she didn't believe she could do them.

After joining the Fun Fab Drawing Club, her confidence began to grow. One fountain pen lesson pushed her completely outside her comfort zone - and changed everything.

Today she's creating artwork she once thought was impossible and helping others experience the healing power of art. 

In her own words 💜

"Art gives me a sense of belonging that nothing else ever has."

"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.”

“Discovering what can be done with a simple pencil, blending stump, and piece of paper was revelatory for me!”

Patti Cheever began her creative journey during the pandemic while searching for inspiration through YouTube. Before joining Awesome Art School, she struggled with knowing where to start and worried she would never create anything beyond “preschool-looking” drawings.

But after trying a few free lessons, she joined the Fun Fab Drawing Club and eventually became a Wonder Bundler — fully embracing creativity later in life.

Now in her 60s, Patti has built a consistent art practice that has transformed not only her skills, but her mindset as well. What started with simple pencil sketches has grown into a love for drawing, watercolor, and daily creativity.

She says art has helped her become calmer, kinder, and more observant of the world around her. Her story is a beautiful reminder that it is never too late to begin — and that small creative steps can truly change a life.

"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."

"I didn't realize how much I missed creating!"

Lori Levine, now in her 60s, has loved art since she was a little girl. She earned a BFA, worked as a graphic artist, and later became a teacher while raising her family. Years passed before she found her way back to creating, but when she transformed her daughter's old bedroom into an art studio, everything changed. 

Although she had experience painting with oils, Lori had never really explored watercolor, acrylic painting, or mixed media. After discovering Awesome Art School through a friend's recommendation, she joined the Wonder Bundle and quickly found a creative community that inspired her to try new supplies, new techniques, and new ways of making art.

Today, Lori enjoys experimenting with watercolor, acrylics, alcohol markers, and mixed media while watching her confidence grow with every lesson. Even more importantly, she's rediscovered the joy that art brings to her life...a reminder that it's never too late to reconnect with a lifelong passion.

"Creating art gives me a sense of calmness, happiness, and another purpose in life."

“I thought it was a natural skill that you were just born with. I kinda gave up.”

Kim Snyder loved drawing as a child, but somewhere along the way, she became convinced that being able to draw was simply something you were born with. If you didn’t have that natural talent, you didn’t have it. So she gave it up.

Decades later, a few adorable Baby Boos and Spooky Dudes on Facebook changed everything.

Kim began following Karen’s lessons step-by-step and was amazed by what appeared on her page. She joined the Fun Fab Drawing Club soon after and began building not only her drawing skills, but the confidence to tackle something she once thought was completely beyond her: faces.

Today, creating has become a regular part of Kim’s life. She draws, paints, experiments, and even brings art into her work as a social worker and trauma therapist, sharing creative activities with her clients. What began with the simple realization of “Wait…I can actually DO this!” has grown into something much bigger: confidence, creativity, and a whole lot more joy.

In her own words 💜 

“I never thought I could actually draw like this.”

“You don’t actually know what you can do.”

After nearly 20 years away from art, Gwen Long felt the urge to create again. She had painted with acrylics years before, but this time she wanted to try something completely new: watercolor. That decision eventually led her to Awesome Art School — and opened up a whole creative world she didn’t know was possible.

Gwen once believed she could never draw or paint a face. But learning to break things down step by step changed not only what she could create, but what she believed she was capable of.

“My mindset is no longer ‘I can’t.’ It is now ‘I can learn to do that.’”

Today, Gwen is experimenting with new mediums, seeing colors and creative possibilities differently, and making art she says she “never dreamed” she could make. Even more importantly, creating has become her quiet place — a way to relax, de-stress, and simply be in the moment.

After all those years away, Gwen hasn’t just returned to art. She’s discovered an entirely new version of herself as an artist.

💜 In her own words: 

“I’m doing things that I never dreamed before.”

"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.”

“I felt, wow, I can draw almost anything!”

Toni has been creative since childhood, but for years she struggled with the confidence to believe she had real artistic ability.

After finding Awesome Art School, she began exploring mixed media, drawing, watercolor, alcohol markers and even fantasy subjects she never imagined she’d enjoy. Fairies, witches, dragons, castles — suddenly Toni was trying EVERYTHING!

Today, the biggest transformation isn’t just visible in her artwork. It’s in the way she sees herself as an artist.

She’s gone from wondering whether she could do it… to realizing just how much she really CAN do.

💜 In her own words: 

“It’s made me more confident… able to stop and smell the roses, appreciate the small things, take time for me, and do what I enjoy.”

Angie loved drawing as a child, but somewhere between raising kids, adult responsibilities, and an analytical career, creativity disappeared from her life. She also believed that “real” artists either had to study for years or simply be born with a gift she didn’t have.

That changed when Angie discovered Karen. From the moment she picked up her pencil to follow, something clicked. “My inner child was just giggling through each lesson.” She soon began discovering just how much she was capable of creating.

Angie says her confidence has grown exponentially — not only as an artist, but as a person. Art helped her through a difficult period in her life, taught her to quiet her perfectionism, and became a source of joy, relaxation, focus, and problem-solving.

Today, Angie creates gifts for friends, takes art supplies everywhere, and proudly displays three large pieces of her own artwork in her home. The woman who once believed she wasn’t “gifted” enough to be an artist now says simply: “Art is a non-negotiable for me.”

“It doesn’t have to look perfect. The lines don’t have to be perfect. And I absolutely love it.” 

Leslie joined Awesome Art School in 2021 with very little confidence and a whole lot of perfectionism. Creating often made her anxious because she felt like every line had to be just right.

She started with drawing, became a Wonder Bundler, and recently discovered a surprising new love for mixed media. The freedom to layer, experiment and let go of perfect lines has helped her relax and enjoy the creative process in a whole new way.

Today, Leslie’s faces have come a long way - but even more importantly, she’s learning to be less critical of herself, trust the process, and truly believe that she can be an artist.

In her own words 💜 

“I think I’m learning to be less critical of myself, and accepting what comes from my art practice that day.”