Check out these excellent art-related articles to help any artist- no matter their skill level- broaden their thinking & horizons.

A New Years Resolution You'll Actually Enjoy!

Many people around the world make new years resolutions but how many actually keep them?  A very small percentage I'm sure;  I won't bore you with a bunch of statistics but if you speak with your friends & family who make resolutions, you are apt to see exactly how many keep their resolutions and how many break them within a matter of weeks or months.  I'm going to help you come up with a great New Years Resolution you will actually WANT TO KEEP & that is making a resolution to get involved in some way in an artistic endeavor in the new year!

Let's face it, many people are stuck day to day sitting behind a desk, working in stores, and other places they'd really rather not be at because they need to pay the bills.  They have responsibilities and I'm not saying that's a bad thing at all; being responsible is very important but many of these jobs also don't let your creativity come out in any way, shape or fashion or at least in minimal amounts.  I know this because before I began my business I also was in this sort of position.  Naturally, running a business also involves sitting behind a desk but at least most of my business involves letting the creative side show and express itself.  How many of you when you were children loved to finger paint, draw or water color?  How many of you enjoyed building things with blocks or going to the beach and building a sand castle?  I see you raising your hands don't be shy!  As you got older, these sorts of things began to fade from your life little by little didn't they?  Slowly you began to draw less, you began to paint fewer pictures and the trips to the beach involved suntanning rather than building a sandcastle.  Unfortunately, these sorts of things happen all too often to many of us as we grow up and in the process we lose a part of ourselves, the part that loves to create, to express yourself, to let your ideas flow freely in whatever creative endeavor you chose to express yourself.  This happens all too often yes but it's not something you have to live with for the rest of your life; you can choose to change your habits and these changes can start right now!

What do I mean by "artistic endeavor"?  Do I mean that you should go to the local art store and purchase hundreds of dollars worth of brushes, paints, palettes, canvases & so on?  Do I mean you should spend a ton of money on a fancy camera so you can become a famous photographer?  Do I mean you should take an acting course at a local college and get involved in the theatre?  You'll be surprised that the answer is "Yes!"- That is if that is what you wish to do then go for it, I wouldn't discourage you from following your dream.  But you can also start with something as simple as a plain sheet of paper, a pencil and a subject and start sketching whatever comes into your mind or whatever is in front of you. You can also start by taking the camera you already probably have, no matter how fancy or simple and start shooting things that matter to you like your garden, or perhaps your family & friends or why not go for a hike and take a few photos of your natural surroundings(yes there is a life outside the house lol).  Do you enjoy singing?   Why not grab a tape recorder or if you have it, a digital recorder or camcorder and set it up to tape yourself singing your favorite songs.  Why not grab a few friends and make it a project and form your own band!  Again, does this mean you have to go out and buy a bunch of fancy instruments?  Only if you wish to do so;  otherwise, why not just get the music for the background to whatever you want to sing and then you and your friends provide the singing?

As you've seen from a few of my suggestions, you don't have to get a bunch of fancy and expensive items to get involved in an artistic pursuit of any sort; all you need is an idea, inspiration & the passion to go through with it.  It doesn't mean that if you make a recording of yourself singing that you need to submit it to a recording studio or show it to a bunch of people;  it also doesn't mean that you need to sign up for expensive lessons to learn how to play a musical instrument or lessons for art.  All of these things will make you much better at whatever you're trying to do but they're always something that is up to you to pursue.  Art of any sort, whether it's music, painting, drawing, photography or any of the other myriad forms of art that are out there doesn't have to be perfect as long as you're enjoying yourself.

In closing, resolve to make at least one new years resolution that you'll actually want to keep and make art a part of your new year and all the years after.  Don't let your creativity fade simply because your job doesn't allow you to show your creativity.  Take a half hour to start, each day or if you're so busy you can barely find any time, start with half an hour a week to devote to something creative and then gradually expand that time and you'll find yourself being a much happier & fulfilled person!

Author : Mike Sexton
Copyright 2010
All Rights Reserved
Please do NOT reprint this article unless you have my permission, thank you.

How to Draw Caricatures

The rule for caricature drawing is that there is no rule. Caricature drawing stands on two pillars namely observation and analysis. The first step of caricature drawing is to select a subject. It could vary from your family members to your neighbor or from your pet to a small rodent. Any thing and everything can become a subject for caricature drawing for the mater of fact. Caricature drawing is all about having fun exaggerating the distinct features of the chosen subject. Strokes, thick and thin lines are what add life to the caricature.

Easy steps on how to draw caricatures

Caricature drawing shows best results when done without aiming for perfection. Mistakes made while drawing usually add life to your sketch so you need not be scared about making mistakes.

If you are a beginner then you can follow the simple steps written underneath. They will help you enter the world of caricature drawing. There is no hard and fast rule that you have to follow all the mentioned steps. I would say follow your heart and let your pencil slide on the paper.

Steps of caricature drawing

The above mentioned steps are not strictly rules. They are merely guiding lines ho help you start with caricature drawing. Sharp observation and freedom to let the pen slide on the surface of paper brings out the best caricature. Strong and mild storks with pen or pencil are all what is required for caricature drawing. It is a personal choice if any one wants to add color to their creation. Observation is the key ingredient of effective caricature drawing.

For more details: http://drawcaricatures.org

Author: drawcatures

Keys to Successful Art

Are you a budding artist or perhaps someone who just dabbles in art- whether it's painting,drawing,sketching, sculpting or any other avenue of art? Or perhaps you're someone who's been involved in art for a while but are still frustrated at times and think of giving up on art as a hobby or professional venture. If you are such a person or just someone who loves art in general I have a few key concepts you should keep in mind when it comes to your work that might help you from getting burnt out or quit altogether.

1-Passion!

The First Key Concept I'd like to discuss is passion. Without passion or desire your art won't mean too much & will really be just another drawing,painting or what have you. Also, without passion you won't want to stick with art, not only as a professional but also as a fun hobby! If you are into art and really love it you're going to want to create things that you're passionate about; that can be anything from a cause such as endangered wildlife, historical love like a specific time period or perhaps you just love people and want to catch them on paper,canvas or sculpture. Whatever you are passionate about you need to tap into to create really great art- without passion art is very boring just like anything else in life and let's face it, art isn't a hum drum area- you want to give it some zest, some life and when you're passionate about something it shows in your artwork.

2-PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE

The next item I wish to discuss is something that's very obvious yet often overlooked and that is PRACTICE. You have to practice each day if you want to get better and get to where you want to be. That's true whether you sketch, paint or sculpt. I'm not saying you have to practice 4-5 hrs each day- the time amount is not as important as sticking with it is. For example, practicing 5 hrs one day and then maybe 20 mins the next and then no practice for a couple of days will NOT get you as far as simply practicing an hour each day faithfully. If you want to practice 5 hrs each day that's fantastic but just be sure you can stick to it and make it a reasonable time allotment or you will not get as far as you want to go.

3-Knowing When to Stop

This is just as IF NOT more important than practicing because trust me, I've been there- you get frustrated with your sketch or painting and if you have a stubborn streak like I have, you want to keep going til you get it JUST RIGHT. Yet the more you keep going, the more frustrated you get & the sketch or painting or what have you, goes no where. I know it's hard for some of us to do this but when you get frustrated or are losing focus it's time to take a break. That could mean 5 mins, 2 hrs or a couple of days; whatever it takes for you to get back in the positive mind set. Trust me, I've been in this boat many times and I'm not one to just sit idle; it drives me crazy BUT I know that working further on a piece that's frustrating me at the time will get me no where but wasting my time and blood pressure. There is no time limit on your creative process ( unless it's for a class or commission project) So please just take your time & when you feel yourself getting angry & frustrated- take a break and do something else.

4-Keep at It!

This is where many people also get into trouble. They have the desire to draw, paint or sculpt and so they give it a go and in the end the piece doesn't look anything like they wanted it to and after a couple more tries or sometimes even after the 1st try they give up completely. I'm here to tell you YOU CANNOT LET YOURSELF GIVE UP! That's the worst thing you can do. There are very few natural artists out there who can whip up a perfect image the first go at it & take a look at your life, very few things have you accomplished on the first try that mean anything of importance; whether that's learning to ride your bicycle, driving,math, acing tests, etc- it all came to you after practice and trial/error so don't think that art is any different because it's not. Stick with it and you will improve.

5-Don't Do the Comparison Project

By this I mean we all tend to compare our talents or the lack thereof with other people, whether that's our friends, family or professionals. It's only natural to do this but it's also a superb hindrance! Everyone is different, that doesn't just mean how we look & act but also our skills and talent and vision. You will never paint like da Vinci or Rembrandt no matter how hard you try so please don't put a pressure on yourself that you'll never be able to live up to. You have to the BEST YOU you can be; not a copy of someone else. The sooner you realize this, the happier you'll be and the more confident you'll become and that too will show in your work.

6-Final Key- atleast for now- Have Fun

I'm sure I'll be adding a few more keys as time goes on but for now this is my last one and it's absolutely THE MOST IMPORTANT- have fun! It won't do you any good if you're not happy with sketching or painting & just do it cause it's expected of you. If you don't have fun at it you may as well find a different hobby or career choice because you'll become miserable and it'll show in your work too; you can't hide such a mindset.

Author : Mike Sexton
Copyright -2008
All Rights Reserved
Please do NOT reprint this article unless you have my permission, thank you.

 

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