Welcome to The Artist Lounge
Creative inspiration, gentle guidance, and a monthly dose of everything beautiful delivered straight to your inbox.
You don't need another tutorial. You need a practice. This is where that starts.
The Artist Lounge is a warm, welcoming watercolour community where inspiration shows up directly to your inbox. No pressure to keep up. No perfection required. Just the creative spark you’ve been looking for, delivered consistently by someone who genuinely loves their art practice.
Guided by artist and author Nicki Traikos of life i design, The Artist Lounge is the place to reconnect with your creativity, discover new art making, art supplies and find a cadence in your personal art practice you can actually enjoy making art again.
From The Artist Lounge directly to you;
🎨 Art themes that gives your practice direction and focus
🖌️ Watercolor tips, technique guidance, art prompts, and honest notes from Nicki’s studio
🎥 Paint With Me sessions where Nicki paints a full piece start to finish, so you can follow along at your own pace
🌿 Supply recommendations of the tools, paints, and paper Nicki actually uses and loves, so you never have to guess what to buy
📖 Currently… a monthly round-up of everything inspiring Nicki right now: books, artists, travel, processes, nature, and more. Open to everyone, free and paid.
💬 Community consisting of a members-only Chat inside the Substack app to share your work, ask questions, and connect with other painters
🎁 The Archive - publication archives hosted on Substack filled with many tutorials, instruction, inspiration and techniques to follow when you’re stuck for what to make next!
Join The Artist Lounge
Monthly — $15/month
Full access to all weekly posts, Paint With Me tutorials, the growing archive, members-only Chat, and your welcome gift. Cancel anytime.
⭐ Annual — $120/year
Everything in monthly, plus 2 months completely free. That works out to just $10/month — less than a single tube of quality watercolour paint.
Most members who want to truly build a consistent creative practice choose annual. Not because it’s required — but because giving yourself a full year changes everything.
For a spam-free, reading experience, plus community features, get the Substack app.
No pressure. No perfection. Just practice, progress, and connection.
Hi, I’m Nicki!
Hi, I’m Nicki
Hi, I’m Nicki Traikos, artist, author of Watercolor Made Simple and the Watercolor Made Simple Workbook, and founder of life i design. I’ve helped over 85,000 artists around the world build a creative practice they actually stick with.
I created The Artist Lounge because I wanted a place to slow down and share art and a life that feels nourishing, not stressful. Where you get real studo practice and inspiration not a highlight reel. Where you can show up as you are, paint when you can, and feel creatively alive even on the busiest weeks.
This is that place.
This space is for you if…
You want more consistent creative inspiration in your life
You love watercolour and want to keep learning and growing
You want honest recommendations on supplies and techniques
You’re inspired by art, travel, nature, and the beauty of everyday life
You want to feel part of a warm, encouraging community of artists
What’s waiting for you in the archive
The moment you join, you get access to everything! Every post, tutorial, and Paint With Me session from May 2025 onward. Botanical painting. Abstract art making. Sketchbook making. And so much more!
Membership details
Monthly — $15/month Full access to all weekly posts, Paint With Me tutorials, the growing archive, members-only Chat, and your welcome gift. Cancel anytime.
⭐ Annual — $120/year
Everything in monthly, plus 2 months completely free. That works out to just $10/month — less than a single tube of quality watercolour paint. Cancel anytime.
Download the Substack app to easily connect with fellow members, join chats, and access all past content dating back to May 2025.
Enjoy the archive of past themes
No pressure. No perfection. Just inspiration, community, and creativity, one post at a time.
Take a look inside…
I shared a post to help you navigate Substack and have a look at what members have access to inside The Artist Lounge and how to navigate this space.
Let’s create something beautiful together.
xo,
Nicki
Refund & Cancellation Policy
You can cancel your subscription anytime through the Substack app. Your membership will remain active until the end of your current billing period. Refunds are available within 7 days of payment. After 7 days, all payments are non-refundable. For any questions, please email us at hello@lifeidesign.com. Please note that if pricing increases and you decide to re-join the Lounge, you will be signing up at the higher price point. Prices are not guaranteed.
