“Oh please be careful with me, I’m sensitiveAnd I’d like to stay that way.” – Jewel from “I’m Sensitive”The very same traits that give many artists and other creative folk their vivid imaginations and rich inner lives can also cause almost debilitating struggles. They also stress that high sensitivity is not a disorder and in many cultures is greatly respected.
Category The Artist Life
“How do I become a police artist?” I’m asked this repeatedly. Being a forensic artist is indeed a curious career, with a lot of mystique attached to it when you’re looking at it from the outside. Some equate this job with being a psychic, which couldn’t be further from the truth. A television reporter declared that I was pulling on supernatural powers to aid me since my drawing looked so close to one suspect.
An exhibition currently on view in California offers big rewards for lovers of figure drawing and Renaissance art. “Andrea del Sarto: The Renaissance Workshop in Action” is showing at the Getty, in Los Angeles, until September 13, and it is Drawing magazine’s Exhibition of the Month for July.Andrea del Sarto (1486-1530) was one of the great draftsmen of Renaissnace Florence, able to combine powerful realism and immediacy with highly spiritual subjects.
The practice of Japanese woodblock prints goes back centuries, but a new exhibition at the Minneapolis Institute of Art focuses on notable practitioners from a relatively recent time in the history of Japanese prints. “Seven Masters: 20th-Century Japanese Woodblock Prints from the Wells Collection” features 112 works from the late-19th and early-20th centuries, and the show is Drawing magazine’s exhibition of the month for November.
As artist’s we’re always looking for new ways to create and connect. The holidays are a great time to do both! The holiday season might seem far away, but like every year, they’ll be here before you can say “Happy New Year!” If your friends and family are like mine, then the holidays can also be an opportunity to show off our talents with hand-made holiday gifts.
Have Your Pick in Watercolor PapersWhat watercolor paper you choose to work with when painting with this medium is key. Your paper’s weight, size, brand, whether its cold pressed or hot pressed, etc., can all influence the final outcome of your painting.Artist Birgit O’Connor wanted to put one well-known brand of watercolor paper to the test.
We Hope You’re HungryArtists Magazine presented students at Maryland Institute College of Art with a challenge: On a plain white dinner plate, create an interpretation of a dessert.The artists, members of a Fine Art Illustration class taught by Matt Rota, eagerly took this prompt in different directions.
It’s official: Watercolor Artist is in its mid-twenties! The first issue of your favorite watercolor magazine appeared on newsstands in 1993. And this got us thinking, what a memorable year that was! Here are the highlights, but be sure to leave a comment about what you remember about 1993.From 1993 to NowIn 1993, the average cost of a new car was $12,750.
The Writing on The WallFor some, the first venture into art was in a classroom. Or, maybe it was at a kitchen table under the encouragement of artistically inclined parents. For artist Jamie O’Neill, the most impactful art lessons began on the streets. When he started out his canvas was not linen, but rather walls, subway cars and tunnels, abandoned automobiles and boxcars.
When two creatives put their lives and imaginations together, the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.Written by John EischeidIllustrations by Anje JagerThe gold picture frame is in the shape of a heart. In the background of the photograph are a white windowsill and gray siding — the exterior of a house.
Flowers ForeverWhat catches your eye first are the flowers. The opulent affairs spill out of niches high above the heads of the crowds streaming into the Great Hall of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, in New York City. Lovingly called “the Met,” it is the largest art museum in the U.S. and the second-most visited art museum in the world, according to The Art Newspaper.
Powerful Shapes and Forms = Powerful CompositionsComposition is king! But the “how” of that ascension to the throne starts with basic steps — simple things you can do to put your painting compositions on the right path.Here are seven lessons in the basic areas you should take into account when designing your composition — whether for a drawing or painting — all having to do somewhat with the importance of shapes.
The Fine Art of WarArtists became integral to the military effort of France during World War 1. Nearly all the soldiers still wore the famous red trousers advertising their presence to enemy soldiers.In 1915, the French army established the world’s first military unit dedicated to disguise—the Section de Camouflage (from the French camoufleur – to veil or disguise).
Keep Your Day JobRegardless of preferred medium, many artists don’t make art full time. And finding a nice balance between having a job while also being an artist can be easier than one might think. Just ask artist and doctor, Jacob Aguiar.Aguiar commutes almost two hours a day to see patients at a busy naturopathic medical clinic four times per week — while spending an additional half day doing paperwork and prepping for more patients.
Understanding the Importance of Art CompetitionsAn artist grows by leaps and bounds when he or she puts artwork in the public eye for feedback, and that is what art competitions are all about. Historically, patronage, commissions, and incredible opportunities have all been prizes afforded to winners of major art competitions.
In the fast-paced world we live in, endless errands, innumerable emails and relentless to-do lists demand our attention. But finding time to break away every now and again to unwind is crucial if we want to keep growing as artists. One way to unwind and renew is through artist retreats and workshops.
Explore the Great Outdoors | Painting en Plein AirPainting and drawing en plein air go back centuries. This art form was truly brought to life by the French Impressionists, largely given their desire to paint light and its changing qualities (and the invention of transportable supplies). After all, en plein air is the French expression for “in the open air.
New England Quaint Meets Burgeoning Art SceneArtists will find both beauty and history in York Harbor, Maine. This seaside community is part of the town of York (population 12,000), which dates back to the 1600s and was one of the first European settlements in New England.Between 1890 and 1910, Gilded Age tycoons arrived and built rambling summer cottages along the seaside cliffs.
Becoming a Full-Time ArtistMany of us dream of becoming a full-time artist and having that art generate a sustainable income. Yet the reality of what it takes to make art full time is sometimes hard to grasp.How do we take that leap? And, what if we have others whose livelihood depends on our income?
Painting Across ContinentsIn the sometimes overwhelming, detached world of social media, making a real connection can — perhaps ironically — seem difficult. And yet, Pinterest and Facebook were the vehicles through which David Lobenberg (of Sacramento, California) was connected with Ibe Ananaba (Lagos, Nigeria), and a genuine, international friendship was born.
Writing and art go hand-in-hand, especially when it comes to successful storytelling. So what happens when a writer, an editor and a painter come together to help tell the story for a huge blockbuster project? Below, Andy Schmidt, editor and author of Comics Experience® Guide to Writing Comics, shares lessons learned from working with a painter for the first time while editing Marvel Entertainment’s Secret War.