Day 14 of my 30 paintings in 30 days challenge. I'm using sketches i created from Instagram photos on my iPhone I did as part of a 100 day project and turing 30 of them into paintings. User: @elleluna
Original Instagram photo:
100 Day iPhone Sketch:
30 in 30 day painting:
Gouache & Ink. 8 x 8 on 140 lb. watercolor paper.
Day 13 of my 30 paintings in 30 days challenge. I'm using sketches i created from Instagram photos on my iPhone I did as part of a 100 day project and turing 30 of them into paintings. User: @crazystylelove
Original Instagram photo:
100 Day iPhone Sketch:
30 in 30 day painting:
Acrylic & Ink. 8 x 8 on 140 lb. watercolor paper.
Day 12 of my 30 paintings in 30 days challenge. I'm using sketches i created from Instagram photos on my iPhone I did as part of a 100 day project and turing 30 of them into paintings. User: @caitlincrosby (photo by @jasminestar)
Original Instagram photo:
100 Day iPhone Sketch:
30 in 30 day painting:
Acrylic & Ink. 8 x 8 on 140 lb. watercolor paper.
Day 11 of my 30 paintings in 30 days challenge. I'm using sketches i created from Instagram photos on my iPhone I did as part of a 100 day project and turing 30 of them into paintings. User: @jaimiealexander
Original Instagram photo:
100 Day iPhone Sketch:
30 in 30 day painting:
Acrylic & Ink. 8 x 8 on 140 lb. watercolor paper.
Don't miss your chance to see my 30 Days of Faces solo exhibit at the Hunterdon Library North Branch. Show ends August 31st. Most works are for sale. Spread the word!
Hunterdon Library North Branch
65 Halstead Street, Clinton, NJ 08809
Hours:
Mon 9:00 am-5:00 pm
Tues 9:00 am-9:00 pm
Wed 9:00 am-9:00 pm
Thur 9:00 am-9:00 pm
Fri 9:00 am-5:00 pm
Sat 9:00 am-5:00 pm
Sun CLOSED
This past Friday, June 13th, I completed my 100 Day Project of sketching photos from my Instagram feed on my iphone only. How'd I do it? Simple actually - I used an app called Sketchclub & a stylus to draw with.
It was a fun project that had some interesting by-products. One sketch won me a free t-shirt. I had a few (minor) celebrities respond to the sketches of their photos. But mostly, it was reactions from people I know and know only through online, that kept me coming back again and again. Most people were excited and thrilled to be chosen, so it made for a fun interactive element of harnessing the social in "social media". I ended up with a little over 100 (guess I got a little over zealous and my week out of the country made me loose track a bit). Thanks for all those who played along & encouraged me along the way!
If you'd like to see them in order check them out here!
Special thanks to Elle Luna for the prompting & invite to join her in this 100 Day Project adventure!
I had the privilege of spending a week in Nicaragua with a team of people from my church, working alongside an organization called Living Water International. Our goals were to drill a well to provide clean water for this village, and teach them about hygiene and the love of Jesus.
It was an intense week, both physically & emotionally. We had to move our drill rig and restart the process of drilling a few times, and ultimately it was determined that we would not hit water that week. There was no video of happy people experiencing clean water for the first time. There was no village celebration. It was incredibly difficult to process it all.
Our faith was stretched. We were faithful in all we could do, yet we did not arrive at our desired outcome. Thankfully, LWI is committed to continued efforts to bring clean water to this village. We wait in anticipation for the news.
Before I left for the trip, I had the idea of filling up a Moleskine sketchbook with the things I saw and experienced. While I had to finish things upon my return based on some photos I took - I'm so glad I decided to record these things to cement the experience all the more.
If you're interested in seeing all of the sketches check them out here!
I know it's common for artists to do self-portraits, but to be honest I have only done a few in my life until now. I'm not someone who has to look in a mirror whenever i'm near one. So this exercise was my most difficult yet as far as sticking with the subject matter. I struggled with thinking about how I could represent myself in more ways than just head on. There were times when I wanted to abandon this project, but I pressed on knowing that the only way to grow sometimes is to push.
Overall, there are a few that I'm pleased with. The rest were playing and tinkering. I did expand beyond my usual watercolors as of late, so that felt fun. Well, off to think up my next project.
Want to see the individual pieces? Check them out here.
The pressure to create can sometimes be stressful. There are many outside and inside forces at work that seek to destroy your creative spirit before it even lifts a finger. Here's 3 choices I have found can kill your art before it even has a chance to see daylight:
Don't wait for someone else to tell you it's ok to create your art. Don't wait for an invitation. It will never come. And more urgent and "responsible" things will come to sway your attention. Create and create some more because you HAVE to.
Everyone like's a word of encouragement, or a fist bump for your soul in the form of some Facebook Like's, Retweets, or Instagram Hearts. But basing your artistic self worth on the opinions of others is a recipe for disaster. Be who you are. Be true to YOUR art, even if you are still trying to figure out what that is. Everyone starts there. Give yourself a break.
Wanting to be excellent is a worthy pursuit. But if you struggle with the voices of Perfectionism in your head you know all too well the following lies: "You suck, don't even get started on this because you know it's going to fail", "What gives you the right to think someone will care about your Art when there is so much great Art out there already." and "You are not a REAL Artist. Real Artists don't make art like THAT." Kick Perfectionism in the teeth by showing up to do the work each and every day. And if you're brave enough, share your art, especially when you think it's sub-par.