Why I Created the Brush Practice Sheets

Tania Miller
Oct 19
3 min read

When I first started painting, I thought the goal was to make something beautiful. Something finished. Something that looked like the artists I admired on Instagram or YouTube.

So, I painted along with tutorials, followed every step, and even copied styles I loved. And honestly, I loved every piece I made. Truly. Each one felt like a little victory, a small miracle that I could create something so pretty with my own hands.

But with time, I started to feel a quiet ache inside.

Because while my paintings looked lovely… they didn’t feel like me.

🌸 My Honest Beginning

For a long time, I didn’t even realize that was the problem.

I kept thinking, “I just need to take one more class, watch one more tutorial, buy one more brush.”

But the truth was, I wasn’t lost in technique. I was lost in imitation.

I didn’t know that there was a safe space between “learning from others” and “finding yourself.”

And when I sat down to paint without any guidance, I froze.

No reference. No tutorial. No example. Just me… and a blank page that felt heavier than it should.

That was one of the hardest parts, realizing that I didn’t yet trust my own instincts.

I loved painting, but I wasn’t sure I loved my way of painting.

💧 The Moment Everything Shifted

One day, I stopped trying to paint something.

I just wanted to feel the brush again.

I dipped it in water, moved it across the page, and started to notice little things:

the way the brush tip danced differently depending on the angle,

the way water bloomed unexpectedly into soft edges,

the rhythm my hand created when I let go of control.

That’s when I started making small exercises, lines, circles, waves, leaves, not to produce art, but to understand it, be relaxed, and enjoy it.

And without realizing it, those pages became the very first version of my Brush Practice Sheets.

They weren’t meant to be a product.

They were my way of finding myself again, one brushstroke at a time.

🌿 What Practice Gave Me

The Brush Practice Sheets became my daily ritual, my little pocket of calm and curiosity.

Through them, I learned that practice isn’t repetition. It’s listening.

Here’s what I discovered (and what I hope you will too):

🌼 Freedom without pressure.
You can show up without expectations, and that’s when creativity feels light again.
🖌️ Confidence through repetition, not perfection.
The more I practiced, the more natural brushstrokes felt, like handwriting that slowly became my own.
💧 A deeper relationship with my tools.
Each brush has its own personality; when you get to know them, they become friends, not challenges.
🌙 Time to connect with myself.
These small exercises became moments of mindfulness, a kind of moving meditation.
🎨 My own artistic voice.
Bit by bit, I stopped needing to “look like” anyone else. My strokes, colors, and shapes became me.

💌 My Invitation

Maybe you’re where I was, inspired by everyone else’s work, but unsure how to begin finding your own way.

If that’s you, I want you to know this: practice is not the boring part.

It’s the sacred part.

Your practice pages, even the messy ones, are where your true voice begins to whisper.

It’s where you start seeing not just what you can paint, but who you are as an artist.

The Brush Practice Sheets were born from that place of curiosity and courage, a reminder that you don’t need to paint something perfect to be an artist. You just need to show up with your brush, your heart, and a little patience.

Because every stroke you make, even the ones you don’t love, brings you closer to the artist you’re meant to be.