A 7th Observation on Being an Artist
Aug 31, 2009 Art General
The other day while reading Byrne Smith’s blog OrbisPlanis, I came across his list of six observations he’s made during his career as an artist. To summarize, he says you need to (1) know where you are as an artist, (2) be comfortable with yourself, (3) understand why you do art, (4) persevere, (5) please only yourself, and (6) make creating art your only goal. To read more about Byrne’s observations, visit Six Observations on Being an “Artist.”
Where are you and where are you going?
I agree 100% with the first five points. As an artist, you need to know where you are, where you’re going and what drives you. Just like anything else, you need to set concrete goals and take the steps you need to achieve them. I am slowly learning this myself! Things don’t just happen in most people’s lives. Ok, some people seem to have been born with horseshoes… but the rest of us have to make it happen for ourselves!
Despite what many think, it takes hard work to be an artist! First, there’s the challenge of finding time for art amongst the other demends of daily life. If you’re like me, you have a day job to pay the bills, which makes this even harder! Then you have the “business” side of art: writing exhibition proposals and artist statements, documenting your work… On top of that is the actual struggle of your art practice!
Being an artist requires a huge amount of dedication and commitment, especially since most of the time we are accountable only to ourselves. Unless there’s an exhibition looming, no one else is pushing you to create. It’s all on you!
Is artwork your only goal?
I might be taking it too literally, but I can’t totally agree with Byrne’s last observation: your only goal should be to create art. If this was the case, I’d definitely get way more done! But aside from being an artist I’m also a person: a daughter, a girlfriend, a friend, a sister. I have other interests and other goals like being able to pay my bills, relationships with friends and family, one day buying a house and having kids, travelling… I realize that achieving these might get in the way of my art sometimes, but that’s all part of a well-rounded life. Everything we do informs our art, however indirectly.
I’ve always thought the idea of the artist who lives, breathes and eats art was a bit of a romantic notion. Kind of like the starving artist and the tormented artist.
That said, you definitely need to be focused on what you want and how you’re going to get it. It’s up to you to decide what you’re willing to sacrifice for your work and what you’re willing to sacrifice your work for.
A 7th Observation
Byrne’s list offers some insight into what you need to do to be an artist, and I’d like to offer a seventh observation of my own:
In order to get anywhere in your art career, you need to constantly put yourself in situations that make you uncomfortable.
This has proven true again and again in my own art career. If I avoided everything that made me uncomfortable, I wouldn’t have done anything but paint in isolation. My first exhibition terrified me. Being at the opening made me so nervous I had trouble sleeping the week before! But I did it anyways, because I knew it was important and I knew I had to do it.
The opening for my second exhibition was easier, until I was introduced and had to say a few words. I wasn’t prepared for that! Then, a few weeks later, I had to give a one hour long artist talk at the gallery. Then another at the University. Each time it gets a little bit easier. In a few days I’m meeting with one of my professors from school so he can give me some feedback on my work. I haven’t had any real critical feedback in two years and I’m not sure what to expect!
Sometimes it can be the actual artwork that makes you uncomfortable. My first abstract painting (the above picture) made of layered pieces of wood made me extremely uncomfortable. Could this little pile of scraps actually be art? It looked like part of a garbage heap! I eventually got over my prejudice and began to see things within the piece that interested me. Three years later I’m still exploring the layers and depth and tension that intrigued me in that first painting. If I’d scrapped it because it confused me, I would probably still be painting the safe little still lifes that were my crutch.
What makes me uncomfortable may not be what makes you uncomfortable, but the point is that you have to step outside your comfort zone to move forward in art and in life.
Leave a comment and tell me about something you’ve learned about life as an artist, or about life in general. What kinds of observations have you made?
All About Drawing with a Reference Photo
Aug 29, 2009 Art General, Drawing
As you learn to draw, your reference photo is going to be your best friend. Aside from life drawing, using a reference is the best way for you to learn structure and proportion.
Why Do I Need a Reference?
If you’re the kind of artist who likes to draw from his imagination, by all means, continue! You can still find references for the individual elements of the composition you want to create. A hand from this photo, a facial expression from that one, a pose from another. Having something to refer to will go a long way towards making your drawings more believable and realistic.
An example is a drawing I did a few years ago. It started with the idea of a medieval style woman leaning against a door with her hand on her hip. The image on the left is straight out of my head. Notice how awkward and unnatural the figure seems! It wasn’t working, so I snapped a picture of myself in the pose I wanted. The picture on the right is the result of having that reference to look at. It’s still a simple cartoonish drawing, but the figure is much more natural and believable.
So now that I’ve convinced you that you need a reference, let’s talk about finding the right one!
- Detail
You need to find an image that has a close-up, detailed image of the subject you want to draw. It’s no good trying to draw a portrait when the person in the photo is so far away their eyes are just two dark spots. If you’re going to draw it, you should be able to see it! In this photo, we can’t see enough of the flower to be able to do a drawing of it.
- Quality
The better your reference is, the better your drawing will be. Don’t choose a photo that is blurry or pixellated. When I do commissions, I ask for as high-resolution a photo as possible. I know that my customers are expecting a recognizable likeness of their loved ones, and the only way I can get that is by using a good quality photo. Here, you can see the general shape of the flower, but it’s too blurry to see the details.
- Lighting
Lighting is extremely important to consider when choosing a reference photo. You don’t want a dark, gray photo, but you don’t want one that is too bright and washed out. Pick a reference that has a good range of value from dark shadows to highlights, and midtones in between. Try to avoid photos with flash, if possible. The light from a flash is very harsh. It creates unnatural cast shadows and makes everything closest to the camera too bright. You can see how the flash creates very dark shadows and actually changes the colours in this photo.
Photos from Magazines
Magazines are probably the most accessible high quality images you will find. They can be either really good, or really bad. The problem is that they are beautiful photos that translate into flat drawings. This happens because they often use several light sources to evenly light the subject. This gets rid of most of the information that tells us about the contours of the subject. If I were to draw this face, there’s not much shading I could do. The drawing would be her head and her facial features.
On the other hand, you can find some “artistic” photos in magazines. These use more dramatic lighting and give you way more to work with in terms of shadows. It’s all a matter of choosing carefully. Be aware of copyright laws, though! You can practice with these images, but you can’t exhibit them or use them for profit in any way.
Ways to Use a Reference
There are different ways to draw from a reference photo. The firs two involve drawing realistically and trying to recreate the image in a believable way. You can use a grid to do this, or you can “eyeball it” using measurements and proportions.
The third way is to use an image as inspiration and draw your interpretation of the object. This can be as expressive and abstract as you want it o be. Maybe it’s the colour arrangement that interests you, or the patterns of light and dark, or the contour lines. I went to school with an artist who painted abstracts that incorporated delicate, wiggling lines of paint. You’d never know it, but her reference for those pieces was tree branches.
Where to Get Reference Images
Most agree that it’s best to take your own reference photos. That way you can control the lighting and composition. Do this as often as possible. I’ve also asked to borrow other people’s photos to use as a reference. Taking your own photos isn’t always possible, though. If you want to draw the Eiffel Tower and you’re able to pick up and go to France… well, good for you!!
What can the rest of us do?
There are online services, that provide royalty free stock photos. This means that the photographer has given permission for that image to be used for commercial purposes. Some of these sites, like Free Digital Photos, are free. The higher quality ones, like iStockphoto, usually have more selection and require a small fee for each image.
Another option is the Reference Library at Wetcanvas. This is a user-run forum where anyone is welcome to upload their own photos for others to use. The good thing about this is it’s free and you know the photographer has given permission for the picture to be reproduced. The bad thing is that the quality may not be what you’re looking for. It can be a good place to start, though. There are lots of categories to browse through, and if you can’t find what you need you can always make a request.
Be careful about using photos you find online (or in books and magazines). Don’t use someone else’s work without their permission. Respect copyright laws, as they are there to protect creative works, including your own!
Combining References
Don’t feel like you have to stick with just one reference. You can combine different images to get just the composition you want. I’ve often done commissions where the customer wants a portrait of their kids, but only has separate photos of them. In a case like this, I would usually combine the images digitally to find a natural way for the figures to fit together. Be careful about size and scale when you do this, you don’t want someone to end up with a freakishly large head!
For another commission, I was asked to do a drawing depicting a woman’s birthday. She wanted herself in there, her son, her daughter, a banner in the background and the cake! Each of these was a different reference. There were no photos of her son at the birthday, so I used a completely separate picture for him. The photo of her daughter was very poor quality, so I used it for the pose and the dress only. I used a different reference for her face. By doing this, I was able to capture the specific details of the birthday, but also draw a recognizable likeness of each of her kids.
In Conclusion
Reference photos definitely come in handy! Eventually, you may become familiar enough with your drawing subject that you don’t always need one, but in the beginning, you just can’t rely on your memory!
Tags: art tips, better drawings, drawing tips, getting started
5 More Tips for Better Drawings
Aug 27, 2009 Drawing
As a continuation of 5 Tips for better Drawings, I bring you 5 more! These simple strategies will help you improve your drawing skills.
1. Mirror Check
You know when you get to that point in a drawing where you can see that something isn’t right, but you can’t tell what it is? When that happens, look at your drawing in the mirror. Something about seeing the reverse of your image makes mistakes pop right out. All of a sudden you can see that the one eye is higher, or at the wrong angle. But don’t wait for something to look wrong, do this throughout the entire drawing to keep things on track!
2. Paper Guard
Graphite has a nasty tendency to smudge, especially the softer, darker variety. No matter how hard you might try to work from top to bottom, left to right (or right to left for those lefties out there), chances are good that you’ll drag your hand through your drawing at least once. One way to reduce this risk is by using a clean sheet of paper to rest your hand on. This protects your work, but lets you draw comfortably.
3. Make an Investment
If you haven’t already, invest in some quality materials. You’ll be surprised what a difference this can make! Paper especially can go a long way. Regular computer paper can warp badly as you work it, so get a nice sketchbook or some quality paper. Experiment with different textures, but make sure you get a nice, heavy paper. Proper pencils are important as well; they blend better and give you nice dark shadows. Don’t forget the fixative if you want your work to be preserved and protected!
4. Measure Twice, Draw Once
Measuring is a good way to get the proportions of a drawing right. I don’t mean measuring with a ruler, although you could do this if your reference is the same size as your drawing… What I’m talking about is measuring one part of your image against another. Find things in your reference that are the same size, then make sure they end up that way in your drawing. Sometimes you can use one element to measure the size of larger things by seeing how many times it fits inside. For example, if you’re drawing apples in a bowl, you can measure how many apples fit across the bowl. This ensures that the bowl and apples will be proportionate to each other.
No, not the kind that grows on the end of your finger! I’m talking about a thumbnail sketch; a smaller version of a drawing. By doing several thumbnail sketches, you can try out different compositions without investing a lot of time and effort. It’s no fun drawing a beautiful picture, then realizing the composition is off. Take the time to do a few small sketches before diving into a full-blown drawing. Your finished product will be much better with a well thought-out composition.
Portrait: Johnny Depp as Sweeney Todd
Aug 26, 2009 On my Easel
Here is the latest page from my sketchbook! I was bored the other night and started digging through DVDs for something good to draw and here is Johnny Depp as Sweeney Todd! I picked this one because of the dynamic light. Please don’t mind the sphere and the scale in the corner… that was for my pointillism tutorial! Done in pencil, it’s mostly shaded and only partially blended, but I think it will stay that way.
This was a lot of fun for me. It was the first time in a LONG time that I’d done anything like this just for myself and I really enjoyed it! My goal at the beginning of the summer was a portrait a week… needless to say, that hasn’t happened! Although I have been sketching a lot more then I was before. After this, though, I might be more inclinced to do more portraits.
The chair painting is currently on hold… I’m working on a piece for OCAD’s Whodunit fundraiser. I seem to have so many projects on the go right now, I don’t know what to do first!
I’m also working on putting together a class for the rec center and a workshop or two for the local gallery. Work starts up again in two weeks, I don’t know how I’ll manage everything!
Get Started with Drawing!
Aug 25, 2009 Art General, Drawing
Here is a collection of articles that are aimed at helping beginners who are just getting started with the art of drawing.
Tools
Drawing Tools: How to Choose a Pencil - Need help choosing the right pencil for your drawings? This article gives you an overview of the types of pencils available and when you should use them.
Drawing Tools: What you Need to Improve your Drawings - Besides pencils, there are several other tools available that can help you produce better drawings.
How to Draw
Tips to Improve your Drawings: How to See - One of the keys to successful drawings is teaching yourself how to see your subject matter. This article will show you how to retrain your brain.
5 Tips for Better Drawings - Here are five simple tips that will help you draw better in no time!
How to Grid a Reference Image and Draw from It - Gridding is a helpful tool when it comes to drawing realistic images. This article gives explains the process.
How to Draw from a Gridded Reference - Tutorial - This tutorial builds on the general gridding tips of the previous article. Here you will find a step-by-step guide on how to use the grid.
Shading
How to Shade Your Pencil Drawings - Shading is what gives drawings that three-dimensional feel. Here you will find answers to all your shading questions.
Shading Techniques: Hatching, Scribbling and Pointillism - Bored of the commonly used smooth shading style? Here you will learn about different shading techniques that you can use in your drawings.
How to Shade with Pointillism - This article further explores pointillism and how to use it to effectively shade your drawings.
What to Draw
21 Ways to Kickstart your Creativity and Become a Better Artist - Now that you have the tools and the skills, what do you draw? This article will give you 21 ways to help generate ideas.
Why Doodle? - Doodling is another tool to help get your creative juices flowing. Here you will find out why, and get some tips on how to get doodling.
Enjoy!
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