The Butterfly Effect
Vanilla Beans Newsletter. Saturday, February 21, 2026
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If you’ve ever wanted a peek behind the scenes at Amy headquarters, today’s Beans is for you.
Keep in mind, I’m basically a one woman band.
The teaching, the arting, the brainstorming, the writing, the website stuff, the photos and scans, all the graphics and PDFs… that’s me, me, and me.
And some weeks, it doesn’t pay to be me.
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We talk about color theory here in the weekly Beans but then I detoured temporarily into Color Cubes a few weeks ago based on overwhelming reader questions.
This week I’m forced to detour the detour. You’ll see why in a hot second.
Next week, we’ll go back to Cube stuff.
THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT
"Does the flap of a butterfly’s wings in Australia set off a tornado in Michigan?”
Yup.
Last Saturday at 7:45am, the tornado hit me hard. I was still in my PJs!
RIP XPI?
If this is the first you’re hearing, I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news.
But we’ve been covering this nonstop all week inside the Color Wonk and Blend forums, ever since the first hints leaked out last Saturday. So if you’ve ever hesitated to join my membership, this is a good example of insider benefits.
Beans is one topic, once a week. The real education and timely hair on fire stuff happens inside my school.
Anyway, the bulk of this week has been spent recovering from the X-Press It bomb. Hours on the phone, even more time researching replacement options.
If I have to read another paper spec or MSDS sheet, I’m gonna up-chuck.
I haven’t been an artist or even a teacher this week. I’m a pooper scooper.
What’s going on?
Well, XPI has always taken the stupidest path to your desk.
Paper factory in Germany.
Packaged in Australia.
How does it get to stores and online retailers?
Ugh.
Australia ships packaged paper to the few distributors crazy enough to deal with their international stupidity… which in turn breeds more complication.
Ask any European about the ridiculous hoops they jump through to purchase Blending Card. It’s almost a black market to get paper made down the street.
Globe-hopping makes XPI expensive for all of us.
And now their primary distributor says enough is enough.
XPI has not been discontinued but it ain’t lookin’ good.
The most important part of their supply chain just up and quit. This could be a death knell.
Inventory of X-Press It Blending Card is either disappearing or gone here in North America as I write this and there is no replacement source and no plans to find one.
They’re scrambling in Melbourne right now. Maybe they’ll figure something out but it’s gonna take a while and it won’t be cheap.
Now here’s the thing: I can’t teach with paper you can’t buy.
I’ve tried. Every couple of years, some tsunami, typhoon, or dock strike screws up the XPI supply. When it happens, I’m forced to pause beginner classes which cuts my income almost in half until XPI meanders back onto store shelves.
So I’m done with XPI.
Not even if they deliver by kangaroo.
Well, actually, I might do it if I can keep the kangaroo.
Call me, X. We can maybe deal.
What about The Blend?
Well, that’s a tale of woe and misery.
Because I only mention XPI about 9000 times in the Blend videos. The entire course and the feedback system are tied to XPI.
So yep, I’m screwed.
I was tentatively scheduled to update the course in 2027 but that just got moved up by a lot. My wishlist of things to slightly modify just became a complete do over.
New videos, new class materials. New website instructions. Not great, Bob.
If you’re on the current waitlist, I can’t open in April as previously scheduled.
Over $300 of paper was delivered yesterday and I’m waiting on samples from several companies but who knows when that’ll come.
Anyway, I’ve got to move into testing mode to find a replacement paper toot-sweet. Then I’ll need to color on it every day for at least a month because I’ve gotta actually be an expert before I can teach like an expert.
Then there’s all the re-writing.
And none of this effort earns anything while I’m doing it.
So yes, that little butterfly is wrecking havoc.
Should you scramble to buy the remaining XPI?
I’m of two minds here.
If you’re a big fan, now might be your last chance. Stock up while you can.
Stocking up creates problems though because forever after, you’re stuck debating which projects are spongeworthy.
I’m not scrambling. I can’t use paper you can’t find, so even a private stash feels like a waste of money.
I’m kinda like this whenever any of my favorite art supplies goes away. The original Deco Prismacolors. Lavender & Lilac. Copic’s yellow and turquoise Multiliners, Art Stix. Cryogen. Nickle Azo Gold. I’m sure I could name more if I thought harder, but that’s kind of the point. I’ll find something else to be my new favorite. C’est la vie and so long to thee.
If you do scramble, please don’t pay more than a dollar per sheet.
It’s good but it’s not that good.
READER QUESTIONS: I’m getting emails about Sarah Renae Clark’s Digital Color Cubes, which Cubes to buy, and the upcoming Colour Companion.
I think the digital cubes are better than no cubes at all but it’s so much easier to learn with the physical cubes. My vote is for physical, real life, touchable Color Cubes.
I also don’t think you need all four Cubes unless you’re doing mandala coloring books or a card maker who doesn’t use patterned paper.
For artists and artistic colorists, Cubes are a temporary learning tool. The goal is learn how to make your own color palettes, an essential step to building your unique artistic style. Eventually, I hope you’ll sell your Cubes and buy more markers or colored pencils.
Stick with 2 cubes and I have no idea which are best. I’m sure they’re equally good.
As for the Colour Companion, it’s impressive in the same way Mount Rushmore is impressive. Nice but there is nothing there I’ll ever use or teach.
IF YOU LIKED TODAY’S ARTICLE, SUPPORT FUTURE FREE LESSONS
Let’s learn to color clothing— pants, skirts, blouses, jackets…
Uh, wait a minute, Amy. This looks like a lesson on how to color cupcakes. I thought you said clothes.
We are coloring clothes.
Celebration Cupcake is a lesson on coloring crisply pleated folds and soft gentle waves. Guess what else has folds and waves?
If you can color this cupcake, you can color anything!
Celebration Cupcake is only available through Color Wonk
A whole history of classic courses are waiting for you. Instant access including study exercises.
Real art lessons, not nifty novelty techniques
CURRENT PASSWORD: RubberDuckie
RECOMMENDED COLOR PALETTE PRODUCTS?
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I don’t own either book but I’ve been looking at the Joanna Stone series for a while now, just never pulled the trigger. I just spotted the Palette Earth book today, looking for a Joanna Stone link. Both books give us a photo plus a color palette which is important. They also give every palette adequate breathing room. Maybe too much room? My hesitation with Joanna’s books is they look thin and you’ll need a bunch of ‘em to match what you get in just one Color Cube.
