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Tara Tripoli | Artist & Educator

@taratripoliarts

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Inspired by nature.
Gouache, watercolor, realism & sketchbook tutorials.
↓ Paint with me

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🐌🎨 Painting across the spine? Yes, please!

There's something so satisfying about watching this little snail come to life with watercolor!

This was part of our recent livestream, where we inked and painted together in my Luchetti mini sketchbook. And can we talk about how effortlessly the watercolor flows straight across the spine? No fighting the gutter, just painting!

I'm loving the freedom of working across a double-page spread instead of treating each page as its own little canvas.

✨ If you missed the livestream, you can catch the full replay over on my YouTube channel and paint along with me!

Would you paint straight across the spine of your sketchbook, or does it make you nervous? 👇

#WatercolorSketchbook #SketchbookArt #InkAndWatercolor #taratripoliarts ##WatercolorArt by @taratripoliarts

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🐌🎉 HOORAY! But wait… did he actually win?! 🐞

Inktober Day 15: HOORAY!

Today was a LONG day, and I almost talked myself out of drawing altogether. I didn't have much time, and honestly, skipping a day sounded pretty tempting.

But NOPE! I've made it this far, and I wasn't about to stop now!

So I decided to have a little fun and lean into the whimsical side of my snail's adventure. He's finally crossing the finish line, eyestalks raised in celebration, and feeling pretty darn proud of himself!

But wait… 🐞

It looks like his little ladybug friend has already made it to the finish line! Did she get there first?! And if so, did our snail actually win? 😂

I'm really loving my Tom's Studio Lumos Pro Duo with Platinum Carbon ink. It's becoming such a joy to work with, especially as I continue exploring linework, texture, and storytelling.

Another day completed in my handmade Saunders 100% cotton watercolor sketchbook!

Sometimes showing up and creating something, even when you're exhausted, is the biggest victory of all. ❤️

So what do you think? Did our snail win the race, or did that sneaky little ladybug beat him to it? 🐌🐞

#Inktober2026 #PenAndInk #SketchbookArt #inktober2026hooray #TaraTripoliArts by @taratripoliarts

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🐞 Inktober Day 14: LADY! 🐌

Our little snail has made a new friend! ❤️ A ladybug has decided to hitch a ride, and I think this adventure just got a whole lot more interesting!

I'm still leaning into my Tom's Studio Lumos Pro Duo, and I'm falling more in love with this pen every day!

Today, I kept flipping between the 0.1 and 0.5 tips, and WOW, what a difference in my workflow! Being able to switch between fine details and bolder lines made the entire process so much faster and more enjoyable.

But here's something else I'm discovering through Inktober... @inktober

I'm pushing the boundaries of realism and leaning more into whimsy and storytelling! 🥰

As someone who has spent years focusing on realistic animal art, this is a BIG shift for me!

Looking at today's drawing, I realize my snail's eyes are turned so far backward that I've definitely taken some artistic liberties with anatomy. 😂 But I'm learning that sometimes telling a story matters more than getting every little detail anatomically correct.

And honestly? I'm loving this newfound creative freedom!

I'm still working in my handmade Inktober sketchbook with 100% cotton Saunders watercolor paper. Watercolor will eventually bring these adventures to life! 🎨

Fourteen days in, and I'm learning so much about my art AND myself.

What do you think? Did I push the whimsy too far, or does it add to the story? 🐌🐞

#Inktober2026 #PenAndInk #TomsStudio #inktober2026lady #TaraTripoliArts by @taratripoliarts

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2 days ago

🍂 Sometimes the fall colors are just too beautiful to ignore! 🎨

My original plan was to head into downtown Spencer and do some urban sketching along Main Street. But WOW! The fall colors seemed to explode overnight, and I knew I needed to be surrounded by the woods instead! 🍁

So I headed to McCormick's Creek State Park and spent my early morning painting the park office entirely from life.

And I have to give a special shoutout to the incredibly kind DNR officer who stopped to chat with me! ❤️ Since I was set up partially in the road, he even brought over a traffic cone to make sure drivers gave me plenty of room. He shared how much they love having artists come out and paint in the park. Talk about feeling welcome! It made an already beautiful morning even more special. 🍂

I wanted to keep this one SUPER loose, allowing the watercolor to flow, granulate, and do its own thing. And I'm absolutely loving my new autumnal palette! Those earthy, granulating colors are giving me everything I wanted for fall. 😍

I completed the entire painting outdoors, then packed up my supplies and went for a run through the park. When I got home, I added one tiny touch of white gel pen to the sign. That's it!

This is also my first outing with a NEW handmade watercolor sketchbook I made using 100% cotton Hahnemühle paper.

One thing I'm learning through all this urban sketching is to loosen up, stop trying to control every brushstroke, and let watercolor be watercolor.

And honestly, I'm loving the process just as much as the finished painting. ❤️

🍁 Are the fall colors putting on a show where you live, too?

#UrbanSketching #PleinAirPainting #WatercolorSketchbook #TaraTripoliArts ##sketchbookart taken in McCormick's Creek State Park by @taratripoliarts

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2 days ago

🍂 INKTOBER DAY 13: FLIMSY 🐌

Who knew a little snail could cause so much trouble? 😂

For today's prompt, Flimsy, I imagined a delicate, wilting flower with a stem barely strong enough to support my little snail. And apparently, the extra weight was just enough to send a petal falling!

I'm really starting to fall in love with my Tom's Studio Lumos Pro Duo pen! 💜 This is the beautiful lilac version, filled with Platinum Carbon waterproof ink. I'm loving the control I have over my linework and all those delicate little details.

Thirteen days into Inktober, and I'm learning so much about working with ink, creating dimension through hatching, and trusting the process.

Of course, this is all happening in my handmade sketchbook filled with Saunders 100% cotton watercolor paper.

And my little snail's adventure continues! 🐌❤️

What do you think of today's interpretation of Flimsy?

#Inktober2026 #PenAndInk #TomsStudio #TaraTripoliArts #inktober2026flimsy by @taratripoliarts

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3 days ago

⚾ Inktober Day 12: TOSS 🐌

Can I be completely honest? I was NOT inspired by today's prompt. Not even a little! 😂

I struggled to come up with something creative, and I feel like I took this one way too literally. A baseball? Really? 🤦‍♀️

But here's the thing. I'm learning SO much throughout this challenge. I'm starting to see shapes, shadows, and dimension differently. My confidence with pen and ink is growing, even on the days when my creativity feels nonexistent.

And perhaps the biggest lesson? Learning to share artwork that I don't think is awesome.

There's a part of me that wants to glue another piece of watercolor paper right over this page and pretend it never happened! 😂 But I'm trying to push past those limiting beliefs and remind myself that not every page needs to be a masterpiece.

This is all part of the journey!

Today I tried a new pen, the Tom's Studio Lumos Pro Duo, in my handmade sketchbook filled with Saunders 100% cotton watercolor paper. And of course, my little snail is still traveling through these pages! 🐌❤️

Now I want to hear from YOU! 👇

Did I take this prompt too literally? Would you leave this page alone or glue another page right over it? Has a drawing ever made you question whether you've ruined your sketchbook?

Because I'm definitely having that moment today! 😂

#Inktober2026 #PenAndInk #TaraTripoliArts #tomsstudio #inktober2026toss by @taratripoliarts

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3 days ago

@taratripoliarts There’s something incredibly vulnerable about sketching from life. 🍂🎨

Which is funny, because I’ve been painting for years. But sitting out in the open on a busy college campus, with people walking past and seeing every stage of the process? It made me nervous!

So naturally, for my first urban sketch in Bloomington, I chose a building with approximately 5,000 windows. 😂

I spent about an hour this morning sketching Maxwell Hall on the IU campus, and I couldn’t have asked for better weather. The campus was beautiful, it was incredibly busy, and at one point a woman who I believe is the director of the building came over and asked if she could take my photo while I was sketching.

….

But THIS is exactly why I love urban sketching.

It pushes me outside my comfort zone. It forces me to make decisions quickly. And instead of trying to create a perfect painting, I get to capture what it actually felt like to be there.

And I’m really glad I picked the complicated building with all those windows.

Afterward, I packed everything up and grabbed some lunch at one of my favorite places. While I was waiting for my food, I made just a couple of tiny tweaks to the sketch, darkening the windows a little and adding a touch more yellow to the trees. Then I called it done. 🍂

… by @taratripoliarts

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3 days ago

🎨 Painting across the spine? YES, PLEASE! 🐌

I had so much fun bringing my Inktober Day 11 “Rescue” illustration to life with ink and watercolor!

And can we talk about this sketchbook? 😍 Working across the spine in the Via by Luchetti was absolutely effortless! No fighting the pages, just a beautiful, seamless painting experience.

I only used 2 colors for this sky. What an easy technique!

We brought this little snail's rescue adventure to life together during a YouTube livestream, and you can watch the FULL paint along replay on my YouTube channel!

Grab your pens, watercolors, and sketchbook, and come paint with me! 🖌️

✨ The line art is also available as a FREE download on my Patreon!

#Inktober2026 #WatercolorSketchbook #InkAndWatercolor #SketchbookArt #TaraTripoliArts by @taratripoliarts

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🐌🎨 From a simple ink drawing to a watercolor adventure! ⛵️

I know I already shared my Inktober drawing today, but I just HAD to share how it turned out after adding watercolor!

We brought this little snail's rescue adventure to life together during today's YouTube livestream, and what a BLAST we had! ❤️

This was created across the gutter in my Luchetti mini sketchbook, using my trusty Molotow Blackliners for all the ink work, followed by watercolor to bring the scene to life.

There's something so satisfying about watching those ink lines transform with color, and even better when you're creating alongside such a wonderful community!

Thank you to everyone who joined me today! 🥰

If you missed the livestream, the replay is available on my YouTube channel! And you can still grab the FREE line art over on my Patreon so you can ink and paint your own version!

https://www.patreon.com/posts/171990546?utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=android_share

#Inktober2026 #InkAndWatercolor #inktober2026rescue #SketchbookArt #TaraTripoliArts @Luchetti.co
@inktober by @taratripoliarts

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🐌 INKTOBER DAY 11: RESCUE! ⛵

My little snail is stranded on an island, but help is on the way! ❤️

This drawing definitely didn't go exactly as planned. I struggled with some of my ink work, but that's part of the creative process. Sometimes we have to work with what we've done rather than start over!

🎨 Want to ink and watercolor this little adventure with me?

🔴 JOIN ME LIVE TODAY AT 2 PM EASTERN on YouTube!

https://www.youtube.com/live/CXW7pNU072A?is=ada2wdsHSYmd6qam

Head over to my Patreon page and grab your FREE downloadable line art so you can trace it, ink it, and paint along with me!

We'll explore pen and ink, watercolor, and what to do when things don't go according to plan. Because creating art isn't about perfection. It's about showing up, experimenting, and enjoying the journey!

🐌 I can't wait to create with you!

#Inktober2026 #TaraTripoliArts #PenAndInk #inktober2026rescue #SketchbookArt @inktober by @taratripoliarts

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6 days ago

🍄🐌 INKTOBER DAY 10: MYSTICAL ✨

Two of my favorite things to draw are mushrooms and snails, so putting them together for today's prompt was a no-brainer!

We're only 10 days into Inktober, and I already feel like something is shifting in the way I see and create art.

As someone who has spent years painting, I'm so accustomed to thinking in terms of color. But working exclusively with ink is teaching me to see things differently.

I'm paying more attention to lines, values, shadows, and dimension. How a simple line can create depth. How changing the direction of my hatching can completely transform a shape.

It's honestly been a night and day difference in how I'm perceiving things, and we're only 10 days in!

I'm still working in my handmade sketchbook filled with Saunders 100% cotton watercolor paper, and my Molotow Blackliners are quickly becoming some of my favorite tools!

And of course, my little snail is continuing his adventure through the pages. 🐌❤️

I'm realizing that this challenge is about so much more than completing 31 drawings. It's changing the way I see.

Have you ever tried something creatively that completely changed your perspective?

#Inktober2026 #PenAndInk #SketchbookArt #inktober2026mystical #TaraTripoliArts by @taratripoliarts

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