Quitting Your Job Every Artist’s Dream Quitting your job is the dream for every artist who works a job other than being an artist. A little over a year ago, I posted Should I Quit My Job? As I’ve been steadily trying to put things into place to quit my own job, the itch to […]
Challenge Yourself 5 Tips to Fuel Your Creativity As an artist, do you challenge yourself regularly? It may be for fun or to keep the proverbial fires lit under creativity’s behind. Some people might shy away from a challenge because it might sound like something beyond their abilities. Or maybe they just don’t like conflict […]
New Sketchbook Anxiety 6 Easy Tips to Get Past It New sketchbook anxiety is very similar to the terror of the blank canvas, which I posted about this past July. We’ve all experienced it at one time or another. Or, if you’re like me, you experience it frequently. But there are some ways in which […]
Criticism How to Handle It Criticism. Nobody likes it and some people love dishing it out. Some critics might say that they’re just being honest and trying to help. But there’s a vast difference between a critique and flat out criticism. What’s the difference and how do you handle it when someone criticizes your artwork? […]
Stepping Back From the Canvas Seeing Your Work Clearly Through Other Perspectives Stepping back from the canvas. What does that even mean and why would anyone do it? A strange thing happens when artists work so closely with a piece. Over time we can get a type of what I call tunnel vision. Somehow certain […]
Holiday Season It’s Upon Us Once Again Holiday season call number 2… ‘Tis the season!’ as they say. The holiday season is upon us once more. Labor Day has come and gone and now it’s pumpkin spice everything, everywhere you look. Halloween is fast approaching, Fall fashions have taken over most of the U.S. and […]
Beginner Artist – Top 5 Mistakes How To Avoid Them So you’re a beginner artist and you want to draw. You pick up a new sketchbook and some pencils and you’re ready to go. You’re excited and enthusiastic. You sit down and start drawing and things don’t exactly turn out how you expected. You try […]
Never Apologize for Your Art (Part 2) Here’s Why… Never apologize for your art. In Part 1, I spoke about artists creating works that might be controversial, thus bringing the artist under criticism, ridicule, etc. Under the umbrella of freedom of speech, artists should be able to create what they want in the same way […]
Never Apologize for Your Art (Part 1) Here’s Why… Never apologize for your art. My sister gave me a button years ago that said that and it’s stayed with me over the years (the thought as well as the button). But I realize that this can fall into two basic categories. One is for artists […]
Commissioned Art (Repost) A Refresher on the Topic For me, commissioned art is a big part of the holiday seasons. I work hard to fulfill holiday gift ideas that people have for their loved ones. Some of you might want to do something similar for someone on your gift list, but hesitate to do so […]
Our pets become part of the family. “Keo-boy”, my siamese, was just a month shy of 20 yrs old. It was very difficult when I had to put him down. It was so hard that I even had him cremated. Myra surprised me with a picture of him, which sits in my bedroom til this day. “Babe” followed “Keo” & if you know a bit about Maine Coons you know they have long beautiful hair with striking patterns. She surprised me one Xmas with a portrait of the big boy. I can’t believe it is done with only pencil. She captured every detail perfectly. I have known Myra all her life, as I am her auntie. She has always had a knack for drawing. At 4, she even placed her artwork on my white leather chair! I have seen her develop into a fantastic artist. I will treasure my works of art forever.
- E. Naito
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