Tuesday Art Chat with Kerri

Kerri Dixon
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Visual Arts
  • Updated Weekly

Join artist Kerri Dixon each week for a down-to-earth, inspiring chat about all things art—from creative confidence and pastel tips to studio routines, selling your work, and finding inspiration in everyday life. Whether you're a hobby artist or dreaming of going pro, grab a cuppa and tune in for practical advice, real talk, and a supportive creative boost every Tuesday!

  1. 2d ago

    Your Art Is a Gift – Creative Ways to Share It This Christmas

    Have you got paintings tucked away in a drawer because you don't think they're good enough to show anyone? Well, before you throw them away, think again! In this episode of the Tuesday Art Chat Podcast, wildlife artist and educator Kerri Dixon explores creative ways to turn your artwork, including unfinished paintings, practice pieces and even those not-so-successful experiments, into beautiful, meaningful Christmas gifts. Kerri shares how a couple of simple watercolour backgrounds, originally intended to be painted over, became gorgeous designs for cushions, tote bags, clothing and even a bucket hat! You'll discover that your artwork doesn't have to be a masterpiece to become something special. Why your art is good enough: Learning to see beyond the mistakes and recognise the value in what you've created. Turning paintings into gifts: Creative ideas for greeting cards, cushions, tote bags, calendars, notebooks, fabric and more. Finding beauty in unfinished artwork: How cropping, repeating patterns and experimenting with colours can give old paintings a completely new purpose. Getting creative with Canva: Simple ways to prepare your artwork and preview designs on products. Print-on-demand services: Exploring options for printing personalised gifts without ordering large quantities. Handmade Christmas keepsakes: Small original paintings, gift tags, bookmarks and decorations. Creating Christmas traditions: Making seasonal artwork for your home and sharing creative projects with your grandchildren. Preparing artwork for printing: Tips for photographing, editing and getting your designs ready. Find one painting you've put aside because you weren't happy with it. Instead of asking whether it's good enough to frame, ask yourself: "What else could this become?" Perhaps a little section would make a lovely greeting card, or the colours could become a beautiful fabric pattern. Have a play, experiment and see what possibilities you discover! Design and printing platforms: Canva – https://www.canva.com Printful – https://www.printful.com Printify – https://printify.com VistaPrint – https://www.vistaprint.com.au Spoonflower – https://www.spoonflower.com Redbubble – https://www.redbubble.com Explore wildlife art tutorials and The Creative Barn membership: https://www.thecreativebarnmembership.com Ever dreamed of going on an art retreat? Join Kerri for a wildlife art retreat at Australia Zoo, where art, wildlife and wonderful creative friendships come together. https://www.kerridixonart.com/art-retreats/ Your artwork doesn't have to be perfect to make someone smile. Sometimes a painting's greatest purpose isn't hanging on a gallery wall. It might be becoming a treasured Christmas card, a handmade keepsake or a thoughtful gift for someone you love. So don't be too quick to dismiss those paintings hiding in your drawers. They might just be this year's Christmas presents! Happy creating! Kerri

  2. Oct 13

    Beyond the Reference Photo: Creating Wildlife Art That Tells a Story

    Beyond the Reference Photo: Creating Wildlife Art That Tells a Story Have you ever spotted a beautiful wildlife photograph and immediately thought, “I'd love to paint that!”? But what if that photograph was just the beginning? In this episode of the Tuesday Art Chat Podcast, I'm exploring how researching our wildlife subjects can inspire more meaningful and creative artwork. Rather than simply copying what we see in a reference photograph, we'll look at how understanding an animal's behaviour, habitat and unique characteristics can help us make our own artistic decisions. I'll share examples from my Colours of K'gari dingo series and explore how the Greater Gliders living on our property could inspire three completely different compositions. Because sometimes the most interesting part of a wildlife painting isn't what we can see in the photograph — it's the story behind it! Going beyond the reference photo: Why a photograph can be the starting point rather than the final composition. Researching your wildlife subjects: How learning about an animal's habitat, behaviour and characteristics can spark new ideas. My Colours of K'gari series: How observing dingoes has inspired paintings that explore expression, movement and behaviour. One animal, three compositions: Using Greater Gliders to explore portraits, habitat and atmospheric scenes. Making creative decisions: How composition, lighting, colour, values and edges help tell a story. Creating an art series: Why exploring one subject through several paintings can help develop your artistic voice. Reference photos and copyright: The importance of using photographs you have permission to work from. Before starting your next wildlife painting, try this simple exercise: Choose an animal that interests you. Spend 15–20 minutes researching its habitat, behaviour or unique characteristics. Create three quick thumbnail sketches exploring different compositions. Consider which idea tells the most interesting story. You might discover that your favourite composition isn't the one you originally had in mind! And remember, not every painting needs a deep meaning or conservation message. Sometimes we paint an animal simply because we think it's beautiful, and that's perfectly fine too. The important thing is to explore your creativity and enjoy the process. Learn wildlife drawing and soft pastel techniques with me:https://kerridixonart.com Explore The Creative Barn:My online art membership, where you'll find step-by-step drawing and soft pastel tutorials, structured learning pathways and plenty of inspiration to keep creating. https://www.youtube.com/kerridixonart Watch Tuesday Art Chat on YouTube:Find the video version of this episode and explore more art discussions and demonstrations on my YouTube channel. A reference photograph shows us what an animal looks like. Research helps us discover the story we want to tell. I hope this episode encourages you to look a little further, ask a few more questions and discover new possibilities for your next artwork. Happy creating! Kerri #WildlifeArt #TuesdayArtChat #WildlifeDrawing #SoftPastels #ArtComposition #ReferencePhotos #CreativeProcess #KerriDixonArt

  3. Oct 6

    Drawing Endangered Animals: Raising Awareness Through Art

    Can a drawing really make a difference? In this episode of the Tuesday Art Chat Podcast, I’m exploring how wildlife artists can use the art we already love creating to raise awareness, tell the stories of threatened species and even support wildlife conservation. This topic was inspired by our latest Draw for Wildlife event, where 135 people came together online to draw a juvenile green sea turtle named Elliott — and together we raised $1,350 for Turtles in Trouble Rescue. One turtle. One drawing. Two hours creating together. And a very real contribution to a small wildlife rescue organisation. But fundraising is only one way our art can make a difference. In this episode, I also share the stories behind some of the animals I’ve drawn, including the Greater Gliders that live here on our farm, Gouldian Finches and my K’gari dingo paintings. We chat about how simply choosing a threatened species as your subject can introduce people to an animal they may never have heard of before — and why telling the story behind your artwork can sometimes be just as important as the artwork itself. How Draw for Wildlife raised $1,350 for turtle rescue Why wildlife artists are in a unique position to raise awareness Finding threatened species living in your own area My personal connection with Greater Gliders Gouldian Finches and how captive populations can give us a very different impression of what’s happening in the wild Why conservation art doesn’t always need to show suffering Using beauty to help people connect with wildlife Adding simple information cards and QR codes to wildlife artwork at exhibitions Supporting conservation organisations without creating more work for them Why I donated 10% from sales of my K’gari dingo paintings and prints to d

  4. Oct 6

    After the Last Stroke: What to Do When a Pastel Painting Is Finished

    You’ve put down the final pastel pencil, stepped back from your painting and finally decided… It’s finished! But what happens next? In this episode of the Tuesday Art Chat Podcast, I’m talking about everything that happens after the last stroke — from deciding whether your artwork really is finished to protecting, storing, photographing and framing your soft pastel paintings. These are questions I’m asked all the time, and they’re things we don’t tend to think about while we’re busy learning how to create the artwork itself. We’ll chat about why I like to walk away from a painting before officially calling it finished, why I personally don’t use fixative on my pastel paintings, and the simple way I protect finished artwork using glassine and flat storage. I’ll also explain why photographing every finished artwork has become one of the most valuable habits in my own art practice. You may not plan on selling prints or entering competitions today, but that photograph could become incredibly useful years from now. Then we’ll get into framing — including the simple framing system I use, why I standardise my artwork sizes, how I reuse frames for exhibitions, the importance of a pastel gap, and why you should never tape your artwork down on all four sides. How to decide when your artwork is really finishedSigning and recording your finished paintingsWhether you should use fixative on soft pastelUsing glassine to protect pastel artworkHow to safely store and transport finished paintingsWhy you should photograph every artwork you createSimple tips for photographing artwork accuratelyHow I edit and save my artwork photographsFraming soft pastel behind glassMats, glass and creating a pastel gapWhy I standardise my artwork sizes and reuse framesHow to mount pastel artwork correctlyMaking budget frames look more professionalThe simple finishing routine I use with every painting If you’d like something you can keep beside you in the studio, I’ve put all of this information together in my free After the Last Stroke ebook. It will walk you through how to protect, store, photograph and frame your finished soft pastel artwork, so you know exactly what to do once those pencils finally go down. Download your FREE After the Last Stroke guide And remember — before you rush off to start your next painting, take a moment to enjoy the one you've just finished. Every finished artwork is another little marker of how far you’ve come. Happy creating,Kerri x

  5. Sep 24

    Keep Going by Austin Kleon - creative lessons for artists

    Kerri shares a practical book chat on Austin Kleon’s Keep Going, focusing on how artists can stay creative when time is tight, motivation dips, and life gets noisy. This episode is especially useful if you want simple, repeatable ways to keep making art without waiting for the perfect mood or perfect schedule. In this episode, Kerri explores how the book’s ideas apply to real artistic life, from routines and lists to play, gifts, and seasonal creativity. She also reflects on what it means to keep creating for the love of it, not just for output or income.

  6. Sep 23

    Mary Cassatt, pastel, and the art of knowing when to stop

    Kerri Dixon takes listeners back to the 1800s for another Meet the Masters episode, focusing on Mary Cassatt and the practical lessons her work offers modern artists. The episode is especially useful for pastel artists, but the takeaways apply just as much to composition, mark making, and deciding where detail belongs. Kerri explores how Cassatt balanced smooth blending with loose, visible strokes, used colored paper as part of the artwork, and made ordinary domestic scenes feel worthy of serious art. She also connects Cassatt’s approach to wildlife and nature art, showing how historical practice can solve very current creative problems. You can watch the video chat on Youtube

  7. Sep 8

    From Photo to Artwork

    How to Take Reference Photos With a Painting in Mind In this episode, Kerri Dixon explains how wildlife artists can move beyond “good photos” and start collecting reference images that actually support a stronger painting. She shares a practical way to see, capture, and design compositions, using her own zoo photography and studio editing process as examples.The focus is on reference photos, composition, and lighting, with a clear message: the camera records the scene, but the artist makes the painting. Key topics In this episode, Kerri Dixon introduces the idea of taking reference photos with the final artwork in mind, not just snapping a nice wildlife picture.She explains why it helps to look beyond the animal and scan the full frame for distractions, background shapes, light, poles, fences, and other elements that affect composition.Kerri shares a meerkat example from Australia Zoo, where moving slightly to the side removed a boab tree that looked like it was growing out of the animal’s head.She emphasizes collecting options rather than hunting for one perfect image, including wide shots, close-ups, verticals, horizontals, and different angles.Kerri talks about photographing details like fur, ears, feet, tail, shadows, grasses, and environmental textures so later studio work has more information to draw from.She explores how lighting can make or break a reference photo, especially directional light, edge highlights, eye highlights, and strong shadows that reveal form.She also notes that soft overcast light can be valuable too, depending on whether the goal is mood, form, color, or clarity.In the studio, Kerri describes using a rule of thirds template in Canva, Photoshop, or Procreate to test different crops and placements before drawing.She reframes the rule of thirds as a guide rather than a rule, encouraging artists to experiment with centered compositions, negative space, and subject placement.Kerri closes with a simple three-step mindset: see it, capture it, design it, then use multiple photos to build a stronger artwork and a stronger artistic voice.

  8. Aug 25

    Portrait Artists of the Year Australia and the Myth of Making Art the Hard Way

    KerriDixon talks about what she learned from watching Portrait Artists of the Year Australia and why it challenged her assumptions about how “proper” portrait art is made. The episode is a reminder that tools like photos, grids, iPads, tracing, and mixed media are not shortcuts to avoid real art, but practical parts of the creative process.In this episode, Kerry connects portraiture practices to wildlife art, showing how the same principles apply when your subject moves, changes light, or won’t cooperate. She also shares a simple challenge to try one reference three different ways and see which method supports your best work. Key topics Kerri explains why she started watching Portrait Artists of the Year Australia and what surprised her most about the artists’ processThe episode challenges the idea that professional portrait artists must work only from lifeKerri discusses how artists use photos to capture a specific moment, expression, or angle before the subject changesShe connects portrait techniques to wildlife art, where taking your own reference photos is often essentialKerri explains the difference between simply finding a photo and creating a reference by making artistic decisions firstShe describes the use of grids, measuring, loose sketches, tracing, and digital overlays as tools for accurate proportionsThe episode reframes grids and transfers as scaffolding, not the artwork itselfKerri highlights how different artists use the same medium, especially pastels, in very different waysShe encourages experimentation with pastel sticks, pastel pencils, broad marks, layering, and mixed media to discover personal styleThe main takeaway is that there is no single “proper” way to make art, only the method that helps you create the artwork you wantChoose one reference photo and draw it freehand, with a grid, and with a squiggle gridNotice which method feels most accurate, most freeing, or most frustratingFocus on strengthening your foundations before adding detailAsk whether a tool helps you make the artwork you want rather than whether it is the “proper” methodExperiment with materials and mark-making to discover what naturally shapes your style

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Join artist Kerri Dixon each week for a down-to-earth, inspiring chat about all things art—from creative confidence and pastel tips to studio routines, selling your work, and finding inspiration in everyday life. Whether you're a hobby artist or dreaming of going pro, grab a cuppa and tune in for practical advice, real talk, and a supportive creative boost every Tuesday!

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