Anna Bryant 🥉

Seconding Cotman/Van Gogh and the paper advice: aim for 300 gsm cold press and if cotton’s pricey, tape a cellulose pad down to keep it from buckling. For that vibrant, flowing look, make sure your set includes (or add) quinacridone rose and a phthalo blue; ultramarine plus burnt sienna will give you beautiful, black-free grays. In a small space, pans are tidier than tubes - use two water jars and a ceramic saucer, and one good size 8 synthetic round will do most jobs. Quick bonus tip: spritz your pans a minute before painting so the color lifts and flows like in the videos.

Co-signing the zinc “frosting” - you can add a thin layer of petroleum jelly on top so the zinc stays put and cleanup doesn’t rub the skin raw. Use a squeeze bottle of lukewarm water and a soft cloth to rinse then pat dry or use a cool hairdryer before reapplying; skip cornstarch or talc since they can irritate or feed yeast. If there’s no improvement after a couple of days of this routine, ask the pediatrician about a short course of antifungal or a mild steroid as needed.

Yeah and it can happen when you're new, but it drove me nuts the first weeks. After I almost blacked out on a jog in Lisbon with no water, no cash, and no signal, I swore I would never be that unprepared again. Everyone waved it off as normal and then tried to sell me a watch and a subscription training plan. The real fix was slowing way down and not stopping dead at the end. An abrupt stop made the room tilt harder than the run. What I repeat now when I restart after travel chaos is simple. Five minute brisk walk warm up, then jog so I can hold a sentence, and every five minutes I walk one. Small snack 30 to 60 minutes before, a bottle with water plus a tiny pinch of salt, and shade if it is hot. Cool down five to ten minutes rather than collapsing on the couch. If you still feel spinny despite that or you get chest pain, palpitations, or you actually faint, that is a doctor visit, not a gear upgrade.

A two minute nightly cord sweep did the trick; basket the chargers, tie slack, and mark generous keep out zones behind the couch and near the power strip. Always start from the dock, restart if the map looks off, and on mop days pick up extra for a deeper run.