Art Tips
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This illustration process will help you seamlessly take your illustration project from start to finish whether you’re working on a commissioned piece or a personal project.
Understanding color symbolism is a great way to inform your next art or design project.
Let me show you, step by step, how I take an old poster design I made for school and make adjustments to make it stronger and more effective.
It’s important for you to know the principles of design so you’re aware of all the components you have control over when you’re designing your composition. Having this knowledge will help you make intelligent decisions to create the effect you want.
Here are some tips to help you choose the right art history books for you!
A very useful collection of Adobe Illustrator resources for artists of all skill levels.
A list of 10 materials you'll need to follow along with my perspective drawing tutorials!
Learning to use a new medium can be super overwhelming at first! so here are five basic things you need to know about digital media before you get started.
I don't know about you, but I love art history. What I love about old art is that it can inspire me in all sorts of ways, which ultimately makes my works more interesting and original.
Want to know the secret to getting a unique personal style? It's simpler than you think.
My journey in learning to become an artist has been nothing like I thought it would be when I first decided to seriously pursue this hobby of mine.This is the breakdown of my progress in the last ten years, from 2005 to 2015.
Investing in art books is an excellent way to further your own education. These are the 5 art books I can't live without (at the moment).
Understanding color theory is very useful in helping you learn to mix your own colors to create a cohesive palette, knowing how to talk and analyze color theory to give and receive constructive criticism, and in choosing an appealing color scheme for your work.
Using value creates the illusion that the objects in your artwork have volume, which will make your artwork much more interesting and lifelike.
Applying to art school can be a very stressful and confusing thing. I recently had to apply to art school again, so I decided to share my experience with you to help you focus on what's important and forget what isn't.
There are three steps to learning how to draw. Step 1 is where you learn to draw what you see, Step 2 is where you learn to draw what you know and Step 3 is where you learn to draw what you want to see.
There are three steps to learning how to draw. Step 1 is where you learn to draw what you see, Step 2 is where you learn to draw what you know and Step 3 is where you learn to draw what you want to see.
There are three steps to learning how to draw. Step 1 is where you learn to draw what you see, Step 2 is where you learn to draw what you know and Step 3 is where you learn to draw what you want to see.
Before I went to art school, I used to start a project by stressing out about it and thinking of how great I wanted it to be. Then I would gather the courage to start drawing and jump right in, sketching without even having a clear idea of what I wanted the drawing to be. Once I realized using references isn't a bad thing, I began all my projects by doing research and found it much easier to ease into a project knowing I had something to start with.
We can all agree that art is subjective. However, there are some things that are universally acknowledged to be detrimental to a composition and having a good composition directly affects the quality of an art piece. Of course you are always free to take full advantage of your creative license as an artist and it’s up to you to decide whether you want to break the rules or not. Regardless, it’s always smart to take design principles seriously and to take on a thoughtful approach to your work, especially when you’re still learning.
The most valuable truth I learned in art school is that you will only ever be as good or as mediocre as your own efforts. Once I started school, it didn’t take me long to learn exactly the type of work I needed to create to get a good grade in my studio classes. All I had to do was make work that would stick to the rubric we were given in every class and satisfy the taste of my instructors. I already knew how to create work that they would consider “great”. I realized then that I had nothing left to learn from doing the same kind of work over and over...
"I know what I like when I see it". Have you ever said this or thought it? I’m betting you have. We can all look at something and pass judgment on it. "That’s pretty, that’s ugly, that’s okay but it could be better." What separates an artist/designer from people who "know what they like when they see it" is the artist/designer knows why they like something when they see it. While art is subjective, there are established rules or basics of design that help artists/designers understand what makes artwork look good, bad, and everything in between.
As a kid I remember being very impressed by my grandfather’s large and varied collection of books. He had books on everything, from atlases to drug encyclopedias to romance novels. I was impressed by his books because they represented the extent of his curiosity and his love of knowledge. Having a curious mind and a love of knowledge myself, I’ve always wanted to have a great collection of books of my own. I started building my library a few years back. In the process of doing this, I’ve found that the more I collect, the more I grow as a person and as an artist.
I used to think setting up a still life or taking reference pictures required some kind of unknown skill or sorcery that only professionals and wizards had access to. Once I went to college, though, I found it only takes a blanket, some interesting objects/ model, and some lights. It’s not mysterious or complicated and it doesn’t take more than a bit of effort on your part (and maybe also the help of a friend).