The art of drawing often
I never fully believed in such things as talent. Many see it as some sort of ‘gift’, or special natural ability to do things without much effort. But many are not aware of the history of hard work most artists carry behind their art. Creativity and great conceptual thinking are not the result of having talent. They are the result of all the artist’s studies and pieces of their visual library in their head forming new images and ideas.
People are always searching for the best way to develop their own personal style or voice in art. The best way to do this is to constantly record images in your sketchbook, draw everything in front of you, keep a visual diary. Draw so much it becomes intuitive, natural, like your handwriting: ‘Get all the dirty laundry sorted out on the page, so when they go to paint on a canvas, all that hard work pays off and the imagery becomes fresh and clean’, says illustrator and painter Josh Jeorge. Drawing in our sketchbook everyday, everywhere you go, developing it into a daily habit will really help develop your style, as this image above by Sungkyung Park shows.
Tagged: sketchbooks
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A collaborative, interactive gallery show
About three weeks ago, a fellow professor approached me and demonstrated several sketchbook pages from a student who was taking notes with little doodles. He gave a painting demo and the student was illustrating individual paint tubes, labeling them with the recommended colors, and sketching out any other suggested materials. Several days later, during an in-class lecture, I noticed another student using small iconic exemplifications of the material I was discussing. Read more
I still remember when I was introduced to Conceptart as a student and started devoting countless hours to the sketchbook threads, desperately trying to measure up to the most prestigious drawers around the world. I felt like I was part of an isolated underground club in which battles were fought on paper, using your drawing skills and creativity as a weapon. As the popularity of the site grew, so did my love and dedication to sketchbooks. [illustration above by Guy Parkhomenko] Read more
The roughly-hewn, outsider quality to Craig Atkinson’s doodles and collages bely a skillful and careful technique: his portraits of celebrities such as Thom Yorke and Allan Ginsberg are instantly recognizable, and his sense of design and composition reflect a trained eye. Read more
Also by TIN SALAMUNIC
A collaborative, interactive gallery show
About three weeks ago, a fellow professor approached me and demonstrated several sketchbook pages from a student who was taking notes with little doodles. He gave a painting demo and the student was illustrating individual paint tubes, labeling them with the recommended colors, and sketching out any other suggested materials. Several days later, during an in-class lecture, I noticed another student using small iconic exemplifications of the material I was discussing. Read more
Richie Pope was born in Newport News, VA, and grew up drawing anything he could, always with paper in hand. He moved to Richmond and majored in Communication Arts at Virginia Commonwealth University, where he received a BFA in 2009. His work has been seen at the 2009 Society of Illustrators Student Scholarship Competition, CMYK magazine and a handful of other magazines and websites. We checked in with him and asked him how important the constant drawing in his sketchbook is for the more commercial work he does: ‘To me, it’s extremely important to constantly draw in my sketchbook. I see it the same way a bodybuilder would see the gym. You have to constantly work at it to get better. The more you draw, especially from life, the more will stick and you’ll start to draw things more naturally. At first, my sketchbook work didn’t really connect with my commercial work because I had just started really sketching seriously. Now, I find that the gap is getting smaller and smaller’. Read more
I still remember when I was introduced to Conceptart as a student and started devoting countless hours to the sketchbook threads, desperately trying to measure up to the most prestigious drawers around the world. I felt like I was part of an isolated underground club in which battles were fought on paper, using your drawing skills and creativity as a weapon. As the popularity of the site grew, so did my love and dedication to sketchbooks. [illustration above by Guy Parkhomenko] Read more
YOU'RE SAYING (2)
Ignifemoofe said | 19 August, 2009
yeh right.. great post, Thank You
HAVE YOUR SAY
I’ve loved and admired the work of Canadian Illustrator Isabelle Arsenault as far back as I can remember. I have such a soft spot for her charmingly old fashioned French aesthetic. Read more
Whatever went on in Jean Luc’s mind when he constructed his sheep sculptures with vintage rotary telephone heads and earpiece feet? I don’t know, but the result is certainly fascinating. Read more
In my next life, I want to sing like Frightened Rabbit frontman Scott Hutchison. Oh, and grow a lush beard, so I can play in their band. Better start cracking.
I spent time recently in the heart of Nashville, Tennessee, enjoying fine Southern cuisine, gracious hospitality [’y'all come back now!’] and the warmth of a sun beating down like a semi-gnarled blanket. It was interesting to see the cultural values of the city; the social graces of its people which permeate every conversation. Read more
Knuckleheads is a pretty fun little side scrolling game where you’re a pair of Mexican-wrestler-looking things attached to each other by a chain. You swing each other around to move and hit floaty capsule things for points, and you can change the length of the chain to get over various obstacles, but watch out for the bats.
I love this track by London based rock group, Scanners, which is off their latest album, Submarine. Having toured with acts such as The Horrors, The Wedding Present, The Charlatans, Electric Six, and Juliette & The Licks, Scanners could well blow up in 2010. Figuratively speaking, not literally. No, that wouldn’t be fun.
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Eik Ottosen, the hot Danish model has created Rubber Duck shoes. His Los Drillos come in just about every color and are super comfy and affordable. Read more
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jacob jamile said | 23 July, 2009
it’s nice to see some sketches of cap city Richmond Va in an international forum. Byrd theatre with its uncomfortable seat nostalgia.