Posts by Sara Barnes

Sara Barnes

Sara Barnes is a Staff Editor at My Modern Met and Manager of My Modern Met Store. She is a graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art where she earned her BFA in Illustration and MFA in Illustration Practice. Sara is also an embroidery illustrator and writer living in Seattle, Washington. She runs Bear&Bean, a studio where she stitches pet portraits and other beloved creatures. She chronicles the creativity of others through her website Brown Paper Bag and newsletter, Orts. Her latest book is Threads of Treasure: How to Make, Mend, and Find Meaning Through Thread, published in 2014. Sara’s work has been recognized in Be Creative With Workbox, Embroidery Magazine, American Illustration, on Iron and Wine’s album Beast Epic, among others. When she’s not stitching or writing, Sara enjoys planning things that bring together the craft community. She is the co-founder of Camp Craftaway, a day camp for crafty adults with hands-on workshops in the Seattle area.
Academy
May 5, 2026

Artist Who Has Mastered Realistic Drawing Shares His Tips and Tricks in Online Classes

Learning to draw realistically is an artistic achievement. It demonstrates that you have the technical capabilities to translate what you see onto paper or canvas. This type of art takes a lot of practice and patience, but there are tips and tricks to simplify the process. Artist Matheus Macedo creates awe-inspiring portraiture and still life using charcoal, graphite, and colored pencils.

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Paper Art
May 1, 2026

Cut Paper Artist Offers a Peek Into How She Creates Her Impossibly Intricate Works [Interview]

Drawing and painting are often thought of as lyrical forms of fine art, but so is cut paper. Henri Matisse famously referred to creating his late-in-life cut paper pieces as “drawing with scissors,” and the way an artist must move their hand to conjure and extract intricate shapes with care is nothing short of soulful. Artist Jen Hudson’s cut-paper creations highlight this beautiful art form.

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Academy
April 28, 2026

Exploring the Differences Between Ink and Watercolor: What’s Right for You?

Water-based media are a great gateway to painting. Getting started, after all, is as easy as just adding water. But within the realm of water-soluble media, there are choices to make. We often think of watercolor paint, but it’s not all you have to choose from. Colored inks are similar to watercolor, and many artists—particularly illustrators—prefer to use them in their work. But how do they compare to watercolor paint?

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Tattoos
April 23, 2026

Kintsugi-Inspired Tattoos Honor the Broken Parts of Ourselves Put Back Together

The Japanese art of kintsugi is a repair method that takes broken pottery and makes it more beautiful through visible mending. Metallic lacquer fills the cracks, shaping the piece into something recognizable but more special than before, as the breaks are now part of its story. A tattoo artist named Antonio, working under the moniker Sangre Blue, uses this idea as the basis for his beautiful body art.

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My Modern Met

Celebrating creativity and promoting a positive culture by spotlighting the best sides of humanity—from the lighthearted and fun to the thought-provoking and enlightening.