Joann Snay, owner of Purple Paintbrush in Manistee, shared some tips for the painters of tomorrow.

Getting one's feet wet in the world of painting can be an intimidating endeavor. Fortunately, Purple Paintbrush owner Joann Snay shared some tips for those of us looking to take their first foray into creating art.

• Just give it a shot.

"A lot of people are nervous. Their piece might not turn out perfectly, but it's more about the experience, and you're always going to get better," Snay said. "It's just basically a matter of giving it a try. Most people usually like it. It's nice and relaxing to sit and focus on just one little thing and just let all your other cares kind of melt away and just focus on your little project at hand."

"It's almost like a 3D coloring book," Snay said. "The lines and everything are already there, but when you're creating a canvas piece you're starting with a completely blank canvas and we go from there."

"Everything I use here is acrylic right now. Eventually, when I get a kiln, we'll have underglazes, but those are a little harder to work with," she said. "There are a lot of rules with those. You have to layer a certain way, but with acrylics they're very easy. If you make a mistake you can cover it right now. They're very beginner-friendly."

"I have a lot of fun little tricks and things," Snay said. "When we paint birch trees we use a credit card to swipe and get the birch bark. I've got a lot of little tips and tricks that help people."

I was born and raised in Manistee. I earned a bachelor's degree in English from Grand Valley State University. My hobbies include fishing, reading and playing music.