Mini Cockatiel Painting WIP

Posted on by amandaacton

Everyone rejoice for I have PROGRESS PHOTOS!

Yes, it’s true. While painting my latest mini, I remembered to stop and take a few snaps. Please enjoy the process this little guy went through.

Detailed, finished pics to follow. 🙂

Mini Seascape Painting #3

Posted on by amandaacton

Here we are with my third Seascape! This time we’ve got stormy skies and a calm lapping of the shore.

Sorry. No progress photos. Which, by now is getting downright embarrassing. I will do better next time. I promise!

As always, if you like what you see and would love to support me further, please check out my Etsy and Redbubble stores. 🙂 Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/AmandaActonArt?ref=seller-platform-mcnavRedbubble: AmandaActon.redbubble.com

Mini Seascape Painting #2

Posted on by amandaacton

Introducing another Mini Seascape painting! As you can tell, I have again failed to take appropriate progress photos. Oops! But at least I have something. 😉 I really enjoyed the dynamic CRASH elements in this painting and I hope you do too.


If you want to show this crashy, smashy wave some love, don’t forget to stop by my Redbubble store for fun prints and accessories: https://www.redbubble.com/people/AmandaActon/shop

And my Etsy store for Super Cool Original Art: https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/AmandaActonArt

Bristlenose Catfish Painting

Posted on by amandaacton

Introducing Yellow, the Catfish in a ever so slightly cuter, acrylic painting form. Yellow was super fun to paint and I can’t help but adore her big round eyeball and mischievous expression.

The fins were also a fun moment in creation and I love the build up of layers that just make acrylic colours POP.

If you want to show some Bristlenose Catfish love, don’t forget to stop by my Redbubble store for fun prints and accessories: https://www.redbubble.com/people/AmandaActon/shop

And my Etsy store for Super Cool Original Art: https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/AmandaActonArt

Mini Seascape Painting

Posted on by amandaacton

Quick little update to show off this mini Seascape painting I did, and the reference photo used. Waves are a gloriously strange, see-through, roiling, reflections-going-in-every-direction, phenomenon and it makes for a fun mix of colours and effects.

I got really into the zone with this one and forgot to take progress photos, but sometimes painting is like that. I’ll do better next time. 😛

If you love looking at this little wave crash as much as I enjoyed painting it, you can find lots of fun print options up on Redbubble: redbubble.com/people/AmandaActon/shop


Or, if you really love it and want to be the Super Cool, proud owner of an original piece of Amanda Acton art, head on over to my Etsy Store: https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/AmandaActonArt

Acrylic Painting Portrait Commission

Posted on by amandaacton

I recently did a portrait commission filled with soft toys and the most delicious candies. Take a look!

And here is the finished artwork! If you are interested in something similar, please don’t hesitate to contact me here or through my Etsy store.

Process: Self Love Spell Sketch

Posted on by amandaacton

A little gallery of the process from initial sketches to finished. And yes… at some point I get super engrossed in the drawing and totally forget to take progress shots. >_< 😛

Painting Process: MOUSIES!

Posted on by amandaacton

Let’s go on an adventure! A rambling adventure with much back and forth and uhmmming and aahhhing and frustrations and joys! An adventure in painting!


As the proud owner of three wee little blank canvases and mother to a child with two wee little pet mice, I decided hey! Why not paint the furry little creatures! What a delightful idea!


The idea began as sketches. Those sketches were then transferred onto tracing paper and fleshed out. Those fleshed out sketches ventured forth to the canvas for placement…

But hark! A problem! These sketches are not looking great. No matter how I shift and twist and merge and push and pull, I am just not happy with their placement. It takes me a while, but I finally figure it out. The mice are too small on the canvas. They must be bigger! Bolder! MORE!

Yes! Yes! To the Tracing paper with ye!

And, with magic and witchery, to the canvas!

And now paint my lovelies! PAINT!

Neener screeech eekk urrr… We apologize for the loss of transmission. Please be assured that “stuff” happened and, several hours later, a completed painting emerged.

Thank-you for joining us on this journey. We hope that you had a pleasant experience and look forward to having you with us on our next adventure.

Farewell and pleasant wishes to all.

Illustration: Thell the Fairy

Posted on by amandaacton

Three years later, and Thell the fairy is getting her picture taken! To be fair, I did try three years ago, but it was just a crazy stressful mess. Mentally, I was not in the right place, but that’s a story for another day.


Today is for celebrating! Thell has a lovely bunch of sketches all ready for her story. One coloured, a bunch to go! I will admit that I almost gave up at the colouring stage. That was Photoshop’s fault. I don’t know why, but no matter what I seem to do, I always end up with pen pressure issues. I’ve had problems with randomly loosing pressure mid stroke and then it suddenly coming back again. I’ve had pen pressure just full on dropping and only coming back when I restart PS.


It was a mess and made the whole painting experience a nightmare. These are known issues. Other people have these issues. And I found myself wondering what I was paying a monthly sub for if stuff didn’t even work properly.

Enter Clip Studio Paint and love at first sight. Yup. It’s true. I’ve converted and couldn’t be happier. I have only scratched the surface of the program, but already the whole process feels more natural. More peaceful and more in line with how I work when I paint traditionally. I wish I had made the change sooner.


Over the next few weeks I will be cleaning up and colouring these sketches. If you keep an eye out, you may even catch some of the process live streaming on twitch. This is another new experience that I hope will grow into joyful hilarity.


If watching each and every snail paced tiny brushstroke while the artist mutters incoherent stuff is your thing, you can find me here: https://www.twitch.tv/actonart

For now, I hope you enjoy Thell’s sketches. Progress and process walk throughs to come. 🙂