Leslie Fehling is a watercolor and acrylic artist, workshop instructor, and art blogger from western Pennsylvania. Her illustrated watercolor journals are filled with sketches that celebrate everyday life and chronicle her travel adventures. 

She says, “I fell in love with watercolor long before I ever picked up a brush. In any museum or gallery, it was always the watercolors that stopped me in my tracks. I bought a travel watercolor set during my college days, but it sat untouched until 2006 when I finally got up the courage to give it a try. Books taught me technique, but it was sketchbook journaling that really lit my creative fire. Drawing and painting my everyday life and travels was all about the experience, not about perfection, and that was a game-changer for this lifelong perfectionist. Sketching connects me to my world and opens my eyes to the beauty that’s right in front of me, if I only take the time to pause and look.”

Leslie was an art major at Colorado College, worked as an illustrator for the NSA, was a prize-winning quiltmaker and a homeschool mom, and had a custom sewing business for many years, but when she began teaching sketching and painting classes in 2014, her life changed dramatically. Now she travels the world, sketchbook in hand, teaching sketchbook journaling workshops, meeting amazing people, and sharing her passion for this most accessible of artforms.  

Her unique approach to illustrated watercolor journaling and her enthusiastic teaching style have made her a sought-after instructor, and her workshops have empowered students of all skill levels to think more creatively and paint with greater confidence. She says, “I love seeing the joy and satisfaction my students experience when they begin to express themselves artistically and connect with the world on a deeper level through sketching. My greatest reward is when someone tells me, ‘You’ve made me look at the world differently.’”

Website: lesliefehling.com/

Instagram: instagram.com/lesliefehling/

Facebook: facebook.com/LeslieFehlingStudio

YouTube: youtube.com/user/EverydayArtistLeslie/videos