Author | Lightnews

Han Collins @hancollinsart.bsky.social · 5d

Two paintings from yesterday. The first is from the Urth Caffe sketching event with @warriorpainters . The second was done first thing in the morning in front of the @lightboxexpo letters.

#nopleinnogain #warriorpainters #lightboxexpo #lightboxexpo2025 #pleinair #urbansketch

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Han Collins @hancollinsart.bsky.social · 6d

I finished painting the third LightBox Expo mascot just this morning. I think the green one is my favorite and was one of those rare occasions where what I had envisioned in my head actually ended up on the page.

#lightboxexpo #lightboxexpo2025 #nopleinnogain #urbansketchers #gouache #pleinair

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Han Collins @hancollinsart.bsky.social · 10d

Better late than never? Even though I’ve still painted the Inktober prompts, I am SO behind on sharing them all. So, here’s my painting dump: Days 9-22

#inktober2025 #inktober2025button #gouache #gouachepainting #landscapepainting #artchallenge #inktober #inktober2025blast #inktober2025rivals

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Han Collins @hancollinsart.bsky.social · 23d

I’m still a day behind but day 8’s prompt is Reckless, so I painted El Capitan (thinking of the free solo attempts there).

#inktober2025 #inktober #inktober2025reckless #gouache #elcapitan #yosemitepainting #yosemite

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Han Collins @hancollinsart.bsky.social · 24d

Day 7’s prompt is Starfish! I’m a day behind but hope to post my Day 8 painting for “reckless” a little later.

#inktober #inktober2025 #inktober2025starfish #gouache #beachart #landscapepainting #waterpainting

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Han Collins @hancollinsart.bsky.social · 26d

Today’s prompt is Pierce. I started this painting thinking I would try capturing the way that sunlight can pierce through the leaves later in the day, but as I kept painting, it started to take on a more radiating effect instead.

#inktober2025 #inktober2025pierce #inktober #landscapepainting

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Han Collins @hancollinsart.bsky.social · 27d

Today’s prompt is deer. This painting ended up a bit blockier than I was going for, but it was good practice. Next year I want to practice more animals/people.

#inktober2025 #inktober2025deer #inktober #deer #deerpainting #deerart #wildlifeart #wildlifephotography

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Han Collins @hancollinsart.bsky.social · 28d

Day 4 of inktober! Today’s prompt is Murky, so I had to paint this little frog hidden among the lily pads.

#inktober2025 #inktober #inktober2025murky #frogart #frogpainting #gouache #frog #cottagecoreart

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Han Collins @hancollinsart.bsky.social · 29d

Day 3 of Inktober and today’s prompt is Crown. This is a painting of an Elegant Grey Crowned Crane done from photo reference.

#inktober #inktober2025 #inktober2025crown #cranespotting #birdwatching #birdpainting #gouache #gouachesketch #strathmoreblackpaper #mgrahamgouache

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Han Collins @hancollinsart.bsky.social · Oct 2

Day 2 of #inktober2025 and today’s prompt is Weave. Both the hat and basket are woven and I love how the sunlight illuminates the lavender gatherer’s skirt. This was painted from a royalty free reference photo.

#inktober #inktober2025weave #gouache #sketch #mgrahamgouache #photostudy

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Han Collins @hancollinsart.bsky.social · Oct 1

Day 1 of #inktober2025 and today’s prompt is mustache! Today’s painting is a film study from the “newer” Lorax movie (which I still haven’t actually watched because I have good memories of the original 1972 version).

#inktober2025mustache #inktober #gouache #lorax #thelorax #mgrahamgouache

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Han Collins @hancollinsart.bsky.social · Sep 28

What an outstanding experience for the first ever Watermark event! Thank you to all the organizers, sponsors, volunteers, and participants! I was honored to be one of the demo artists and had such a great time geeking out about gouache!

#urbansketcherstwincities #watermark2025 #urbansketchers

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Han Collins @hancollinsart.bsky.social · Jun 22

Here are some watercolor paintings from today’s #urbansketcherstwincities event at O’Shaughnessy Distillery Co in Minneapolis

#oshaughnessydistillery #minneapolisart #pleinairartist #nopleinnogain #urbansketchers #urbansketch #urbansketching #streetpainting #downtownminneapolis #summerpainting

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Han Collins @hancollinsart.bsky.social · Jun 20

Plein air painting dump - June 2025

#watercolor #gouache #minnesotaart #exploreminnesota #pleinair

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Han Collins @hancollinsart.bsky.social · May 24

It’s so satisfying to finally have some flowers to paint; they add the perfect pop of color to these forest scenes

#pleinair #nopleinnogain #sevenbridges #southmilwaukee #milwaukeeart #lakemichigan #gouache #newwaveart #travelpainting

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Han Collins @hancollinsart.bsky.social · May 19

Weekend Stats:

✅ Paintings: 12 (the ones not pictured were tiny thumbnail sketches, film studies I’ll share later, and a few that I started late Sunday afternoon and need to make some finishing touches on).

✅ Fishermen encountered: 3

✅ Materials Lost: 1 (a fineliner pen)

✅ Chatty passersby: 6

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Han Collins @hancollinsart.bsky.social · May 16

This one was painted live at #laclavonpark in #lakevilleminnesota

#pleinair #nopleinnogain #localartist #watercolor #landscapeart #minnesotaart #twincitiesart #twincities #exploreoutdoors

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Han Collins @hancollinsart.bsky.social · May 14

Here are a few still photos from my painting yesterday afternoon. This was my first time using my new Pochade box setup.

#pleinair #pleinairsetup #newwaveart #ugopochadebox #watercolor #colorandlight #watercolorsketch #modernimpressionist #minnesotaart #localart #outofmycomfortzone #trysomethingnew

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Han Collins @hancollinsart.bsky.social · May 13

My goal this summer is to find some bigger/dramatic scenes. I remember going to a park a few years back (before I was obsessed with painting) that had winding rivers and rocky shores, but I can’t remember what is was called; I only remember that it was somewhere between the Twin Cities and Duluth.

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Han Collins @hancollinsart.bsky.social · May 10

Finding beauty in the simple little scenes near my neighborhood

#gouache #landscapepainting #pleinair #twincities #lakevillemn

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Han Collins @hancollinsart.bsky.social · May 7

This painting was done at Richard T Anderson Conservation Area in Eden Prairie, MN. This was done completely in watercolor (as opposed to the gouache I normally work with
#pleinair #pleinairpainting #outdoorpainter #outdoorpainting #landscapesketch #watercolor #watercolorlandscape #edenprairie

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Han Collins @hancollinsart.bsky.social · Apr 29

An underwater sketch

#underwater #landscape #oceanart #gouachepainting #watercolor

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Han Collins @hancollinsart.bsky.social · Apr 28

A little greenhouse sketch

#gouache #greenhouse #botanicalart #dakotacountymn #botanical #plantart

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Han Collins @hancollinsart.bsky.social · Apr 25

For day 25 of #pleinairpril hosted by @warriorpainters.bsky.social I ended up doing some 5 minute map crunch studies because it has been rainy outside all week and I haven’t figured out a waterproof setup for painting outdoors yet.

#valuestudies #blackandwhite #artexercises

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Han Collins @hancollinsart.bsky.social · Apr 22

Aaaand DONE! For day 22 of #pleinairpril I decided to finish my page of color studies from The Art of Luca. There are so many other films I would love to take some time to make studies of, maybe Encanto or Lightyear next?

#filmstudy #colorstudy #gouache #quicksketches #disney #disneyfanart

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