Art Tips 101

Drawing portraits can be really hard.  I mean, think about it! You have to sketch everything out very carefully, pay very close attention to your proportions, then figure out how the shadows change the face shape - it’s exhausting half the time! There are plenty of artists out there that can draw and paint absolutely stunning traditional portraits, but what if a portrait could be more than just ...

Art is like everything else in life, in order to be good at it you’ve got to practice. There are many different ways to practice, but the worst advice (at least to me anyway) has to be the draw every day advice.  This has been said to me many different times and ways. Basically, the theory is that if you spend ten to fifteen minutes each day doing little sketches and doodles, over time you’ll...

I used to consider myself someone who likes to draw. And when I say that I mean I only liked to draw. Just paper and a pencil was all I needed. No color. Just graphite on paper. That’s it. No paint, no nothing. And to top it all off, I really only drew one thing: horses. Over and over and over, nothing but the same black and white horses all over the paper. That is, until my teacher told me I couldn�...

There are people out there who say that digital art is ‘not real art,’ for reasons that I do not understand. I for one, love using my iPad to draw because digital art opens a whole new world of possibilities to explore. But, there are some downsides to drawing digitally I will admit. So let’s discuss.  Pro: Layers One pro to using drawing apps like Adobe Fresco (what I use) or Procreate is the la...

If you’ve done anything creative in your life you’ve definitely encountered a creative block. Writer’s block, musician’s block, artist’s block, dancer’s block - you name it. There’s nothing wrong with you if this happens a lot, rest assured. But it’s super frustrating to want to draw or be creative but you just can’t figure out how. One of the best pieces of advice that was gi...

 Say you turned in a paper for English class, yet you were unaware the kid next to you stole your paper and turned it in before you. Your teacher grades their paper first, only to find yours to be an exact copy. They assume you stole your classmates paper even though you wrote the paper all by yourself and all they did was change the name. Suddenly you’re facing serious trouble and your classmate gets...

Talking about creating an art portfolio is often very overwhelming for artists. I know it was for me. Never fear, for I am here to answer some common questions and offer a few tips to blow your portfolio out of the water against others.  What is a Portfolio? A portfolio is a collection of your best work. It’s a way to show off your skills to others, and share your art. You can have physical tr...

I don’t like drawing still lifes.  Let me reinforce this: I really don’t like drawing still lifes. Personally, I find them horribly tedious and unbelievably boring to draw. Others love them and I just … don’t. But just because I have an unpopular opinion about still lifes doesn’t mean that they don’t serve a purpose in art.  Still lifes are great for improving your observational sk...

Def Leppard is one of my favorite 80’s bands. Their 1983 album Pyromania is one of my favorite albums in my ever growing collection of classic rock CDs - just barely getting beat out by Led Zeppelin and Van Halen. Not to mention their smash 1987 album Hysteria, which cemented them into the list of legendary rock bands. To put it simply: Def Leppard is awesome.  Not only are their songs great, but ...

One of the biggest lessons that I have learned as an artist actually has nothing to do with art, though it relates. Rather this advice is not just for artists, but anyone and everyone who is willing to listen.  Two summers ago I had the opportunity to attend the Missouri Fine Arts Academy, or MOFA as I will refer to it. MOFA is a celebration and collaboration of some of the best high school art...

I love listening to music when I work on art projects. I think it’s essential to listen to music when you work on art, it helps fuel the creative juices. So today I am going to share with you some of my favorite bands and artists to listen to when I work depending on how I’m feeling.    Tom Petty: If you like country, relatable lyrics and storytelling, cool guitars, and overall nice rela...