Uploaded August 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Watch ad-free on Patreon: patreon.com/collection/79329 Join me on Patreon patreon.com/dianeantonestudio
If you’ve ever stopped yourself from painting because you felt your work wasn’t ‘good enough,’ you’re not alone. But here’s the thing — your art doesn’t need to be perfect to be precious. Today I’ll show you how a tiny warm-up painting can turn into a bookmark, a card, or a little gift that brightens someone’s day — starting with your own. First we'll warm up with some loose wet in wet leaves, then we'll sketch and paint a simple cartoon style cat bookmark, and we'll finish with a cheerful whimsical bird greeting card sure to bring a smile.
Download the sketch: dianeantone.com/product/bird-cat-and-leaf-warmup-sketch
Get a Studio Insiders Pass and choose ten FREE sketch downloads EVERY MONTH from our library of over 300 sketches: dianeantone.com/product/studio-insiders-pass
(There are no recurring charges, just a one-off payment to set up the Pass. **Mid and Top Tier Patrons and Channel Members get this pass FREE - look for the coupon code when you join!**)
Materials:
*Paints*
Kuretake Gansai Tambi 48 Color Set:
🇺🇸 amzn.to/3zZX8Kn
🇬🇧 amzn.to/467WnAK
🇨🇦 amzn.to/3ZFuf4a
🇩🇪 amzn.to/43Wb1cU
*Brushes*
Princeton Aqua Elite Synthetic Kolinsky Brush, Round, size 8 amzn.to/42P6whE. $11.83
Drawell Round Series 7778 “Maestro” size 3 (see below for contact details)
*Pens*
Pentel Hybrid Gel white pen amzn.to/4b77dpn
Pentel Gold Slicci pen amzn.to/4eTXtSD
Edding 1800 set amzn.to/4i0EmXV
Staedtler Pigment Liner set of 6 amzn.to/4bom9Q7
Winsor and Newton fineliners amzn.to/3MFkGL9
Sakura Pigma Micron Fineliners amzn.to/3NMEg7s
Tombow Fudenosuke Brush Pens amzn.to/3QIcn2N
Arrtx Acrylic Marker Set amzn.to/3Td2lZN
*Paper*
Bockingford 10 x 7 inch cold press pad amzn.to/3QrdwfQ
**Meeden Paper**
🇺🇸 go.meedenart.com/4gmRaHW
🇬🇧 uk.meedenart.com/products/meeden-cold-press-hot-press-rough-watercolor-paper-pad?sca_ref=8833740.pkqmzOJ7cSUTK
🇪🇺 eu.meedenart.com/products/meeden-cold-press-hot-press-rough-watercolor-paper-pad?sca_ref=8833093.KEKQBZgUjrla
🇦🇺 au.meedenart.com/products/meeden-cold-press-hot-press-rough-watercolor-paper-pad?sca_ref=8831601.HrWQDzR7Ew8F
*Use code DIANE15 for 15% off all Meeden Art websites*
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
00:41 It’s not about creating a product
02:39 Warming up with wet in wet leaves
07:59 Continuing with a cat bookmark
21:57 Looking at an old birthday card from my daughter
24:31 Finishing with a whimsical bird card
-----------------------
Get an overview of what we do here at Diane Antone Studio:
https://linktr.ee/dianeantonestudio
Join my FREE Studio Insiders' Newsletter for weekly coupons, freebies, offers, inspiration, news and more: dianeantone.com/join-our-newsletter
Join my YouTube Membership: youtube.com/dianeantonestudio/join
Join my Patreon: patreon.com/dianeantonestudio
Become a Studio Insider for 10 FREE one-click sketch downloads per month: dianeantone.com/product/studio-insiders-pass
-----------
SUPPLIES
Browse all of my recommended supplies on my Amazon Storefronts:
USA - amazon.com/shop/dianeantonestudio
Canada - amazon.ca/shop/dianeantonestudio
UK - amazon.co.uk/shop/dianeantonestudio
About my brushes
I have always bought my favorite brushes from Drawell direct from Japan. They are handmade in Japan. Drawell will ship readily to anywhere in the world. The prices on their website are in Japanese currency but if you send Mr Maeyama an email he will give you prices in other currencies. The brushes I use are the Maestro Series (black and Gold handles) and the Golden Nylon Series 11-2 (red and white handles) and I use sizes 5, 7, 9, 11 and 13. drawell.co.jp/english/product.html
--------
CONNECT WITH ME
Visit the YouTube Community Tab here: youtube.com/DianeAntoneStudio/community
Diane Antone Studio Private YouTube Members Group - for Members only facebook.com/groups/dianeantonestudiomembers
Website: dianeantone.com
Facebook Diane Antone Studio: facebook.com/dianeantonestudio
Facebook Members Only Group:
facebook.com/groups/dianeantonestudiomembers
Facebook Learn to Paint Watercolor Group: facebook.com/groups/learnwatercolourpainting
Facebook Learn to Paint Mixed Media Group: facebook.com/groups/learnhowtopaint
Instagram: instagram.com/dianeantonestudio
Please visit our baby sister channel @fromthegarden
Tip Jar: tinyurl.com/dastipjar
---
We use royalty-free music from Epidemic Sound. Sign up with this link to get 30 days free.
epidemicsound.com/referral/69dvmu
Diane Antone Studio makes a commission from sales made through the above links.*
#dianeantonestudio #watercolor #art
Watch ad-free on Patreon: patreon.com/collection/79329 Join me on Patreon patreon.com/dianeantonestudio
If you’ve ever stopped yourself from painting because you felt your work wasn’t ‘good enough,’ you’re not alone. But here’s the thing — your art doesn’t need to be perfect to be precious. Today I’ll show you how a tiny warm-up painting can turn into a bookmark, a card, or a little gift that brightens someone’s day — starting with your own. First we'll warm up with some loose wet in wet leaves, then we'll sketch and paint a simple cartoon style cat bookmark, and we'll finish with a cheerful whimsical bird greeting card sure to bring a smile.
Download the sketch: dianeantone.com/product/bird-cat-and-leaf-warmup-sketch
Get a Studio Insiders Pass and choose ten FREE sketch downloads EVERY MONTH from our library of over 300 sketches: dianeantone.com/product/studio-insiders-pass
(There are no recurring charges, just a one-off payment to set up the Pass. **Mid and Top Tier Patrons and Channel Members get this pass FREE - look for the coupon code when you join!**)
Materials:
*Paints*
Kuretake Gansai Tambi 48 Color Set:
🇺🇸 amzn.to/3zZX8Kn
🇬🇧 amzn.to/467WnAK
🇨🇦 amzn.to/3ZFuf4a
🇩🇪 amzn.to/43Wb1cU
*Brushes*
Princeton Aqua Elite Synthetic Kolinsky Brush, Round, size 8 amzn.to/42P6whE. $11.83
Drawell Round Series 7778 “Maestro” size 3 (see below for contact details)
*Pens*
Pentel Hybrid Gel white pen amzn.to/4b77dpn
Pentel Gold Slicci pen amzn.to/4eTXtSD
Edding 1800 set amzn.to/4i0EmXV
Staedtler Pigment Liner set of 6 amzn.to/4bom9Q7
Winsor and Newton fineliners amzn.to/3MFkGL9
Sakura Pigma Micron Fineliners amzn.to/3NMEg7s
Tombow Fudenosuke Brush Pens amzn.to/3QIcn2N
Arrtx Acrylic Marker Set amzn.to/3Td2lZN
*Paper*
Bockingford 10 x 7 inch cold press pad amzn.to/3QrdwfQ
**Meeden Paper**
🇺🇸 go.meedenart.com/4gmRaHW
🇬🇧 uk.meedenart.com/products/meeden-cold-press-hot-press-rough-watercolor-paper-pad?sca_ref=8833740.pkqmzOJ7cSUTK
🇪🇺 eu.meedenart.com/products/meeden-cold-press-hot-press-rough-watercolor-paper-pad?sca_ref=8833093.KEKQBZgUjrla
🇦🇺 au.meedenart.com/products/meeden-cold-press-hot-press-rough-watercolor-paper-pad?sca_ref=8831601.HrWQDzR7Ew8F
*Use code DIANE15 for 15% off all Meeden Art websites*
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
00:41 It’s not about creating a product
02:39 Warming up with wet in wet leaves
07:59 Continuing with a cat bookmark
21:57 Looking at an old birthday card from my daughter
24:31 Finishing with a whimsical bird card
-----------------------
Get an overview of what we do here at Diane Antone Studio:
https://linktr.ee/dianeantonestudio
Join my FREE Studio Insiders' Newsletter for weekly coupons, freebies, offers, inspiration, news and more: dianeantone.com/join-our-newsletter
Join my YouTube Membership: youtube.com/dianeantonestudio/join
Join my Patreon: patreon.com/dianeantonestudio
Become a Studio Insider for 10 FREE one-click sketch downloads per month: dianeantone.com/product/studio-insiders-pass
-----------
SUPPLIES
Browse all of my recommended supplies on my Amazon Storefronts:
USA - amazon.com/shop/dianeantonestudio
Canada - amazon.ca/shop/dianeantonestudio
UK - amazon.co.uk/shop/dianeantonestudio
About my brushes
I have always bought my favorite brushes from Drawell direct from Japan. They are handmade in Japan. Drawell will ship readily to anywhere in the world. The prices on their website are in Japanese currency but if you send Mr Maeyama an email he will give you prices in other currencies. The brushes I use are the Maestro Series (black and Gold handles) and the Golden Nylon Series 11-2 (red and white handles) and I use sizes 5, 7, 9, 11 and 13. drawell.co.jp/english/product.html
--------
CONNECT WITH ME
Visit the YouTube Community Tab here: youtube.com/DianeAntoneStudio/community
Diane Antone Studio Private YouTube Members Group - for Members only facebook.com/groups/dianeantonestudiomembers
Website: dianeantone.com
Facebook Diane Antone Studio: facebook.com/dianeantonestudio
Facebook Members Only Group:
facebook.com/groups/dianeantonestudiomembers
Facebook Learn to Paint Watercolor Group: facebook.com/groups/learnwatercolourpainting
Facebook Learn to Paint Mixed Media Group: facebook.com/groups/learnhowtopaint
Instagram: instagram.com/dianeantonestudio
Please visit our baby sister channel @fromthegarden
Tip Jar: tinyurl.com/dastipjar
---
We use royalty-free music from Epidemic Sound. Sign up with this link to get 30 days free.
epidemicsound.com/referral/69dvmu
Diane Antone Studio makes a commission from sales made through the above links.*
#dianeantonestudio #watercolor #art
