Ever given thought to how you could enhance the way a spectator experiences your artwork, whether it's by simply incorporating a specific type of background music or lighting, or really pushing the envelope by making use of the latest technological advances? As visual artists, in what ways can we appeal to our publics' other senses so that we can get our message across more effectively and even create life-altering experiences? In today's guest blog post, CODAworx shares a compilation of three groundbreaking contemporary artists that are using the latest technology to create works of art in which the viewer isn't only a spectator, but very much a participant. These artists have succeeded at creating experiences that their public can truly submerge in and take part of, coming out the other end changed. In past blog posts , I've shared how I believe that the purpose of art is to set forth ideas and awaken people. The artists presented below have proven capable of doing precisely that through the creation of projects that challenge their public in a variety of ways. Through their work, these artists have managed to plant seeds in their spectators' minds and make them think about their world differently. CODAworx (Collaboration of Design and Art) is a global online community that facilitates the connection between artists and creative companies that make those ideas come to life. They are true advocates for all types of arts and are taking massive action to make the world a better place through them. Let's get to their article! 3 Artists That Are Embracing The Sensory Perception Of Art
by CODAworx
Sensory perception of art relies on understanding through the body. Rather than simply viewing a piece, we experience it. Artists from a variety of disciplines are using sensory art to force us to perceive it in bold new ways. Below are three such artists whose work envelopes you, rather than being separate from you.
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Are you a professional artist? I highly recommend taking time to create unique promotional items that you can give to awesome people you meet while you're traveling!
Instead of giving out a regular business card, think of items that people will actually want to have around and/or use. Be practical about it, of course, as you'll have to make space for them in your suitcase and there's always a risk of things getting damaged throughout the journey.
I had some notebooks made with my artwork on the cover and contact information on the back and people loved them!
Check out my FREE Patreon-exclusive tutorial and class samples here.
2. Use social media to reach out to locals working in areas related to your niche
A couple of weeks before my trip I got the idea of using social media channels to send out a message to artists actually living in Toronto. It's one thing to get recommendations from friends or family who've visited the city/town before, and quite another to get insights from actual local artists.
I created a nice-looking image using Canva calling out for Toronto-based artists and posted it on Instagram and Twitter (a few appropriate hashtags included). I honestly didn't know if I would get any responses, and should have posted it at least a couple of more times.
Fortunately, two very helpful locals got back to me with their recommendations. I even got to meet one of them during my trip, which was awesome.
Using your own research, as well as suggestions from local artists, create a list of places that you want to make sure to visit during your trip, always taking into account their distance from the hotel you'll be staying in.
Think of experiences that you find particularly enjoyable, instead of spending your whole trip running around from place to place visiting the usual tourist-y locations just because that's what everyone tells you you should do (unless you actually want to).
2. Use social media to reach out to locals working in areas related to your niche
A couple of weeks before my trip I got the idea of using social media channels to send out a message to artists actually living in Toronto. It's one thing to get recommendations from friends or family who've visited the city/town before, and quite another to get insights from actual local artists.
I created a nice-looking image using Canva calling out for Toronto-based artists and posted it on Instagram and Twitter (a few appropriate hashtags included). I honestly didn't know if I would get any responses, and should have posted it at least a couple of more times.
Fortunately, two very helpful locals got back to me with their recommendations. I even got to meet one of them during my trip, which was awesome.
Using your own research, as well as suggestions from local artists, create a list of places that you want to make sure to visit during your trip, always taking into account their distance from the hotel you'll be staying in.
Think of experiences that you find particularly enjoyable, instead of spending your whole trip running around from place to place visiting the usual tourist-y locations just because that's what everyone tells you you should do (unless you actually want to).
3. Stay open to inspiration coming from EVERYWHERE (not only the visual arts)
Think about things and experiences that usually trigger your inspiration/motivation. If you're an artist, of course you're going to find museums and galleries enjoyable.
However, what other things do you find inspiring? Is it history? Architecture? Fashion? Food? Nature? Music? Clubs? What is it for you and how can your personal interests translate into activities that you can experience in that particular city?
I understand how for some people it may be important to check off every-single tourist attraction in a specific city, especially because you never know when you'll be able to go back to that particular place. However, try to also incorporate your personal interests into your trip.
I often find quaint, lesser known establishments/areas just as enjoyable as the bigger attractions, and I also love getting to know what life is like for locals. Having the opportunity to chat with locals is very inspiring because you get to know perspectives of people living in cities different from your own.
In my blog post titled How I Find Inspiration as an Artist and Some Ideas to Keep You Going, I talk about the mentality I've adopted as an artist that allows me to be constantly inspired to create. I also give some useful tips that you can apply to keep your creativity flowing steadily.
Supplies and inspirational items I bought during my trip:
1. Black back-pack and pins: Sonic Boom Records
2. The Starving Artist Cookbook, written and illustrated by Sara Zin: Sonic Boom Records
3. Leuchtturm1917 sketchbook: Art Gallery of Ontario Museum (Gift shop)
4. Emily Carr and Lawren Harris Art Magnets: Art Gallery of Ontario Museum (Gift shop)
5. AGO Museum Tote Bag: Art Gallery of Ontario Museum (Gift shop)
6. Emily Carr- An Introduction to Her Life and Art: Acadia Art and Rare Books
*Book can be acquired through Amazon HERE.
7. Wanderlust and Wildflowers Colored Pencils: Kid Icarus Gift and Screen Print Shop
8. Green Ink Pad: Kid Icarus Gift and Screen Print Shop
9. Schoolbook Lowercase Alphabet Stamps: Kid Icarus Gift and Screen Print Shop
Artusiasm is an amazing art gallery that was recommended to me by an artist/designer kind enough to respond to my calling through Instagram! I'm so thankful for this recommendation because the gallery and its owners are truly amazing people! Thanks Ben!! :)
*Click on the images below to visit Artusiasm's site.
To end this blog post, I want to remind you to try to find a balance between enjoying life, taking care of yourself, and staying productive. If you're lucky enough to travel, enjoy the experience as much as possible, remain open, and most likely, inspiration will happen naturally. Don't pressure yourself and focus more on recording your thoughts, feelings and ideas!
I wish you the best of luck in your art journey and lots of opportunities for traveling!
Cheers!
Do you frequently struggle with a lack of motivation to create? Does daily life make it difficult for you to produce artwork consistently? Do you frequently compare yourself with other artists and feel like you'll never reach their skill level? Do you feel it's too late for you to start your artistic journey or that you are progressing too slowly?
Being an artist can be tough mentally, whether you're a beginner, intermediate, or even a professional.
It can be extremely lonely and stressful because, in most cases, you are solely responsible for progressing your skills, producing great work, marketing yourself, dealing with sales, and staying on top of all the practical aspects of maintaining a business.
You have to 100% believe in what you have to offer and be your own cheerleader in a vast sea of amazingly talented artists.
All of this makes it absolutely imperative for us artists (of all kinds) to take care of ourselves both physically and mentally. This will help us not only achieve success much faster, but to stay happy and productive throughout the years.
Think about it for a sec.
If you're happy, you'll be more likely to produce work consistently. The more work you produce, the faster you'll improve. And the faster you improve your skills, the more self-confidence you'll have to put yourself out there and start making your work known.
Lacking inspiration? Read my blog post about How I Find Inspiration as an Artist and Some Ideas to Keep you Going.
As artists, we face challenging situations daily. From the moment we stand in front of a blank canvas that we have to turn into a beautiful painting, to the moment we start receiving criticism for that one piece we posted online.
We also have to produce work consistently, and if we get easily frustrated with ourselves for our mistakes, we may fail to produce the amount of work required to improve our skills. Furthermore, if we approach a new project thinking we are going to fail, we will most likely fail.
I learned about Positive Daily Affirmations a while back and, though I'm too skeptical to believe in the Law of Attraction per se, I do believe our minds are extremely powerful and that our thinking affects our daily actions.
All of us have self-imposed beliefs that we have formed throughout our lives.
The experiences we've been through and what we've been taught have created thinking patterns that are embedded in our minds whether we are aware of them or not. And, unfortunately, many of them are holding us back from becoming everything we could become.
Our self-image is basically what we believe to be true about ourselves and what we think we're capable of achieving in life. Each person creates his/her own version of reality and, if we really want to, we have the ability to change these realities to get rid of self-imposed limitations.
In a nut-shell, Daily Affirmations are short, positive statements that declare specific goals as if they are already happening or have already been completed. If repeated consistently, they have a profound effect on the conscious and subconscious mind. They help you live a life of positivity, gratitude and mindfulness.
In the beginning, saying these affirmations may feel ridiculous or even uncomfortable, but the more you repeat them, the more naturally these words will come to you. Over time, you'll be saying them with greater confidence and your mind will start perceiving them as your new truth.
Truly successful people, in my opinion, live fulfilling lives by making something of their passions and create a positive impact on the world in whichever ways they're able to. Who comes to your mind when you think of a character like this? You can bet these people are positive, grateful and mindful!
If you enjoyed this video and found it helpful, make sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel. I share a brand new video every week with art tips, drawing and painting tutorials and mindset/productivity tips for artists. *Subscribe HERE*
10 Daily Affirmations for Artists
1. I fully accept myself and know I am worthy of achieving great things in life.
2. The artist is already present within me.
3. I trust I am exactly where I need to be in my artistic journey.
4. I do not seek perfection, but progress, and view my mistakes as a sign of exploration and growth.
5. The only person I compare myself to, is who I was yesterday.
6. I have unlimited creativity and the ability to create something meaningful.
7. I am proud of my work and its wonderfully unique characteristics.
8. Through hard work and determination, I am progressing my artistic skills every-single-day.
9. I am becoming a brilliant artist and will be persistent as I pursue my passion.
10. With my art, I am inspiring others and impacting lives.
Remember, you and you alone are responsible for creating your truth and living the life you want to live. You define what you are capable of doing and how far your artistic path will take you! So stay positive, my friend!
Download your free affirmations PDF below, print it and pin it somewhere you'll see it frequently throughout the day. Repeat these affirmations each morning or several times during the day for at least a month to start seeing results!
Want to learn more about Positive Affirmations? Check out this article written by Remez Sasson, founder of Success Consciousness.
Do you find yourself constantly using other people's photographs as references when creating art? Have other people's comments about this being wrong ever made you feel guilty or less of an artist? Are you constantly making sure to do whatever you can with your time and resources to move your artistic progress forward or do you frequently go for what's most convenient?
Sorry to burst your bubble people, but artists use references to create artwork. All types of references! And there's nothing wrong with that.
This post is going to be the first in a four-part series about the use of visual references when creating figurative artwork (notice abstract art is not mentioned here though many abstract artists also use either photographic or real-life references they have set up). As most of you artists already know, this is quite a touchy and even controversial topic that a lot of people prefer not getting into.
However, it's important that we do. I see a lot of confusion and guilt on part of beginner artists who have been led to believe that using references is wrong. There's also a prevailing myth (usually thought by beginners and non-artists) that says that artists simply must be able to create art from imagination and using no references at all.
In this series, I will be discussing and exploring the following reference-using methods with you:
1. Using Other People's Photographs to Create Art (when it's okay to use other people's photos and how to do it in a way that will ensure your artistic progress)
2. Creating Artwork Based on Your Own Photography (click here to learn fast and easy ways to produce your own reference pictures)
3. Why Drawing from Direct Observation is Essential and 10 Tips to Improve (click here to learn why this drawing/painting method is so important in order to progress artistically)
4. Using Collage as an Effective Method to Create Unique and Expressive Art (click here to find out why collage is so powerful and how you can use it to your advantage)
These posts will shed some light on how and when to use each of these methods effectively. I believe there should be space for all of them within an artistic journey and I personally use them all. Every blog post will include a time-lapse video in which I will be showing you how I complete an artwork using each method.
Being able to create engaging artwork using a reference photograph (or whatever type of reference for that matter) is not easy. It requires a deep understanding of Art Fundamentals, as well as a lot of previous practice with artistic media.
Not to mention the ability to recreate, by hand, what is being taken in through the eyes. It requires serious observational skills, analysis, patience, and whole lot of effort.
I get comments myself from adults that believe that, since I'm an artist, I can probably draw anything from knowledge/imagination. I probably can. However, I won't end up with the aesthetic I'm generally going for with my art.
If I don't have a visual reference to work from as I am creating my drawings or paintings, I'll end up with something too cartoony for my taste. Having a reference ensures that I won't forget important characteristics or details that I would like to include.
Go to my blog post titled My Favorite Free Image Sites & Two Examples of References with Finished Illustrations to find a list of my favorite quality, free-image sites.
There are artists out there who have the ability to create amazingly realistic drawings from imagination. This is usually because they have practiced and studied specific subjects for years, which has allowed them to understand the structure of what they are drawing/painting fully, form a visual library in their minds that covers important characteristics, and even developed muscle memory to recreate shape and line easily.
All this said, I always stay away from tracing and creating exact replicas of photographs.
This is ok when an artist is just starting out (or if its intentionally what you're going for), but as soon as basic observation/drawing skills are attained, I always encourage drawing freehand and using references as something to loosely base drawings or paintings off of.
Some of my favorite artists in history used reference images:
Norman Rockwell
Being able to create engaging artwork using a reference photograph (or whatever type of reference for that matter) is not easy. It requires a deep understanding of Art Fundamentals, as well as a lot of previous practice with artistic media.
Not to mention the ability to recreate, by hand, what is being taken in through the eyes. It requires serious observational skills, analysis, patience, and whole lot of effort.
I get comments myself from adults that believe that, since I'm an artist, I can probably draw anything from knowledge/imagination. I probably can. However, I won't end up with the aesthetic I'm generally going for with my art.
If I don't have a visual reference to work from as I am creating my drawings or paintings, I'll end up with something too cartoony for my taste. Having a reference ensures that I won't forget important characteristics or details that I would like to include.
Go to my blog post titled My Favorite Free Image Sites & Two Examples of References with Finished Illustrations to find a list of my favorite quality, free-image sites.
There are artists out there who have the ability to create amazingly realistic drawings from imagination. This is usually because they have practiced and studied specific subjects for years, which has allowed them to understand the structure of what they are drawing/painting fully, form a visual library in their minds that covers important characteristics, and even developed muscle memory to recreate shape and line easily.
All this said, I always stay away from tracing and creating exact replicas of photographs.
This is ok when an artist is just starting out (or if its intentionally what you're going for), but as soon as basic observation/drawing skills are attained, I always encourage drawing freehand and using references as something to loosely base drawings or paintings off of.
Some of my favorite artists in history used reference images:
Norman Rockwell
Alphose Mucha
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec
Notice how all of these artworks are intentionally modified, added to and even distorted in order to communicate ideas more effectively. The final artwork, in my opinion, is far more visually appealing and expressive than the original reference image. This is what we should strive for when using photos as references, whether they are your own or not.
To finish up this (very long) introduction, I want to tell beginner artists out there to not let anybody make you feel guilty or like less of an artist for using references!
Just make sure you are keeping any studies that could get you in trouble to yourself and that you have permission to use photographs when you are thinking of sharing your work (especially online).
Just be smart about it and keep challenging yourself to improve.
Let's get into the first part of the series!
Just make sure you are keeping any studies that could get you in trouble to yourself and that you have permission to use photographs when you are thinking of sharing your work (especially online).
Just be smart about it and keep challenging yourself to improve.
Let's get into the first part of the series!
Using Other People's Photographs to Create Art
Using other people's photographs as references for drawings or paintings is frowned upon by many people for obvious reasons. The main idea here is that, for an artwork to be truly your own, everything has to have originated from yourself as the creator, from idea, to planning, to execution.
If you didn't build it from the ground up, then it isn't totally yours and it's not completely original. As with everything else in life, there are many points of view pertaining to this. Whether its right or not could be debated until the cows come home.
What's important for you to know is that there are all different types of artists out there. There are some who only paint from life, taking days to set up their shadow boxes in their studios.
There are some who enjoy working in plein air, leaving their houses and setting up in parks or in the street to paint scenery as people walk around them. Others create collages using magazine and newspaper cutouts or ready-made supplies. The list goes on and on, and there will always be opinions about what is right or wrong, or better.
It is up to you and only you to discover what types of media and techniques you'll use to get your message out into the world. Everyone has particular tastes and different creative processes. I prefer to keep an open mind about it and don't define anything as being right or wrong.
As long as you are being respectful towards others and are doing everything in your power to create original artwork that comes from your own mind and heart, it's all good.
Read my blog post titled How to Effectively Use Other Artists' Work as Inspiration and a Great Method to Start Developing Your Own Artistic Style.
All this said, this method is going to bring you less artistic growth when compared to any of the others because you are limiting yourself to using a photograph that already exists, so I suggest making time to create your own reference library to have at hand and drawing/painting from life whenever possible.
If you're only using other people's photos because it's easier, then you are only going to grow so far.
If you enjoyed this video and found it helpful, make sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel. I share a brand new video every week with art tips, drawing and painting tutorials and mindset/productivity tips for artists. *Subscribe HERE*
Make sure you're smart when using other people's photographs!
Follow the recommendations below to ensure you are always being safe and moving forward artistically.
Make sure you're smart when using other people's photographs!
Follow the recommendations below to ensure you are always being safe and moving forward artistically.
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is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites
to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
www.erikalancaster.com
is a participant in the Shareasale.com Affiliate Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Shareasale.com partner companies.