Embracing Randomness in Art: Diana Garrison (Episode 04)

Written ByCJLANTIER

26 August, 2025

In this engaging conversation, Diana Garrison, owner of Crooked Little Studio, shares her artistic journey, focusing on gel printing and mixed media. She discusses her unique approach to creativity, emphasizing the importance of randomness and limited materials. Diana also highlights her experiences in the art community, the impact of sharing her work online, and the development of her courses, including ‘Pandora’s Palette.’ Throughout the discussion, she offers valuable insights into intuitive gel printing and the joy of teaching others.

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Reach Out:

Diana’s Social Media Links:

Instagram

Facebook

YouTube

Website

Etsy

Links to Diana’s Courses:

The color gods combinations

Lots of Layers

Pandora’s Palette

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction to Crooked Little Studio

02:50 The Color Gods and Paper Pixies

05:51 The Journey into Gel Printing

08:58 Artistic Style and Inspirations

11:53 Intuitive Printing Techniques

14:39 Community and Sharing Art

17:48 The Impact of Online Presence

20:37 Courses and Learning Opportunities

23:38 Rapid Fire Questions and Advice

Key Takeaways:

  • Diana Garrison is the owner of Crooked Little Studio.
  • She emphasizes the beauty of randomness in art.
  • The ‘color gods’ help her choose paint colors.
  • Diana’s studio has a unique, crooked charm.
  • She started gel printing during the summer of 2020.
  • Nature inspires much of her artistic work.
  • Diana works intuitively, responding to colors and textures.
  • Community support is vital for her creative journey.
  • Her courses focus on color theory and layering techniques.
  • Diana encourages beginners to just play with their art.

If you enjoyed this episode, We’d appreciate a 5-star rating and review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Podchaser.com. This helps other people find the podcast. If you’re into gel printing, please join the Gel Print Enthusiasts group on Facebook. If you’re not on Facebook, follow Beyond the Brayer on Instagram for podcast news and more!

Next week I’m joined by another popular Instagram gel printer and teacher, Tania Ahmed. We talk about her new classes and a whole lot more! Please join us for Episode 05!

Diana offers a spreadsheet of the combinations the color gods have graced her with. 

To the left, you’ll see a small snippet of what that spreadsheet looks like. It’s full of all kinds of goodness!

Check it out here.

The above images are from Diana’s Lots of Layers course. 

You can find out more about it here

The image to the right is from the Pandora’s Palette Essentials class. If you only take one course from Diana, I recommend this one — especially if you want to learn to use the paints you have to their fullest. I believe these prints were all created using the same three paints!

The stunning image to the left was created by Diana during the second part of Pandora’s Palette. This class builds on what you learn in Essentials.

For more information about Pandora’s Palette, please visit Diana’s website here.

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