Hi there, Liron here! In today’s episode we’ll talk about how to create art more consistently, and the mental “switches” you have to flip to get there.
If you want to read a more detailed version of the topic, be sure to check out my LinkedIn article here: How to Create Art More Consistently.
Here are the key points I talk about…
1. Ask Yourself Why
If you aren’t succeeding in sitting down to create consistently, ask yourself – why?
And while you’re at it – Why do you even want to do it in the first place?
A strong WHY matters when it comes to discipline, work ethics and creating consistently.
2. Create a Vision
This is the part where you start to learn and understand what motivates you, and what goal you want to strive towards. You want to have a written vision you can read every single day.
3. Read it EVERY DAY
That’s a very important part. You want to really internalize your vision and what you strive towards.
I’ve been doing this almost every single morning for the last 5 years, and it’s truly a game-changer.
Artist Corner – Tony Foster
Today we talked about Tony Foster, an English watercolor and oils painter.
What makes his work really unique in my opinion is it’s DIMENSIONS. He does HUGE paintings – plein-air!
In today’s episode we talked about ignoring the noise, and learning who to listen to.
Here’s a summary of the episode, as well as the links mentioned.
What Selling at Fairs Taught Me
First I talk about how I came to think of this topic.
When I just started selling my art at the local fair, several artists made discouraging remarks about selling paintings there.
I then came to realize this happened all throughout my career. People seem to wonder whether there’s money in art, and be quite cynical towards the topic.
The Underlying Limiting Belief
These people basically communicate their own shortcomings and limiting beliefs (unless done maliciously).
They feel insecure about selling their art.
I have a lot of empathy for artists, but I have a strong aversion to the forcing of your own limiting beliefs upon others.
I think it’s important NOT to do that.
Which is why I also don’t think there are many people you should listen to.
Who Should Your Listen To?
I would say two things:
1. People who are actually succeeding at what you want to do.
These are great, and also perhaps more generally people who are positive and have a clear aim and vision for their future.
2. The market.
By the market I mean the whole sum of your potential customers. The average of all of them. Could be millions of people.
The market’s response to you will always speak the truth. If you aren’t successful as many paintings as you’d like – the market is telling you something.
Maybe your art isn’t good enough. Maybe it’s too expensive. Maybe it’s too CHEAP. Maybe it doesn’t fit the venue in which you try and sell it.
The good thing about the “market” is that it really is the average. It may be contentious, but I do believe this is one of the cleanest feedbacks you can get.
If a product fails, there’s a reason for it.
And that feedback is actually very valuable! It will help you sell more works, if you choose to listen to it.
Conclusion
So this is it for this one!
It takes time to learn who to listen to, so be open but stay on your path and believe in your own vision (another topic I have to cover in an upcoming episode.
And now, let us move into the Artist Corner!
Artist Corner – Alex Ross
Today I talked about Alex Ross, an American comic book writer and artist.
He worked with both Marvel and DC, and what really attracted me to his work is the one done in watercolor!
It’s fascinating for me to see watercolor used in a way I’m less used to. You can watch a REALLY AWESOME video of his here: Alex Ross Video
In this episode I want to talk about the future of art, as well as AR (Augmented Reality) and VR (Virtual Reality).
The last couple of decades have brought with them amazing technological advancements. And these seem to accelerate.
This has the potential to change the art world, and provide amazing tools and services for artists.
Art Business Survival 101
In order to survive and thrive as an artist and as an art business owner – you have to be aware of technological & marketing trends.
I’ve been making serious efforts to keep up with technology so far. This means doubling down on LinkedIn marketing, having a podcast, the IGTV platform and many more.
I’ve been following Gary V for a while now, and watching him reminds me on a regular basis to pay attention to what’s going on in the world.
This led to significant success on IGTV (I have videos there with over 700K views). It also led to significant success in selling my courses using FB ads.
And now I spend a lot of time thinking about what’s next in store for us as business owners and artists.
Augmented Reality for Artist
This is the ability to show imaginary objects in real life. The best example for this would be Snapchat’s and Instagram’s filters.
You can use them to change the look of your face, or to add different elements around you (like the sunshine effect, the clouds and much MUCH more).
This can grant amazing capabilities for artists. Two things come to mind as I think of this.
1. Guidance and assistance for creation purposes.
I see many apps that use augmented reality to scan an area (a wall or a paper), and “project” on screen drawing guidelines. So when you look at the paper through your phone you can tell where to draw each line.
Kind of like a digital projector.
2. Idea generating tool.
If you can see anything as if it’s really there in real life, this is potentially an incredible tool for generating ideas for artwork, as well as inspiration!
Virtual Reality for Artists
This is the real deal.
VR will allow us to basically be anywhere we want, and feel almost like we are really there. To what degree is unclear, some say it will be 95% convincing (which is insanely high).
Having the ability to visit anywhere and everywhere without actually moving may significantly impact the travel industry too.
But in any case – imagine you can step into a virtual version of the world and see any place you want. And actually feel like you are there.
Imagine stepping into IMAGINARY worlds, film-based universes and the likes. That’s incredible.
Now imagine you can control the time of day, light and shadow conditions of the scene, mood, atmosphere etc.
We’re talking endless opportunities and endless inspiration for artists.
Hell, we could even create VR art and VR museums.
The Possibilities are Endless
Gary V says we are about 20 years away from that, so there’s still time. But I want to make sure I’m on top of it once it’s here.
This also means, by the way, that tons of new jobs may open in the fields of 3D art, sound and perhaps even touch / sensory fields.
So plenty of things to look forward to (;
But with that being said, let’s go back to our time, and look at today’s artist.
Artist Corner
Today’s artist is Ron Ranson. He was a British watercolor painter, who painted in what I see as the classic British style.
I love his colorful portrayal of nature in his landscapes.
Ron Ranson actually passed away at in 2016 at the age of 92. It seems like he left a serious legacy after him, and lots of students and artists praising his contribution to the watercolor world.
And here’s a YouTube vid to check out, to see his painting process.
Also, an artist that paints in a very similar style (and was probably influenced by Ron Ranson’s work) is Steven Cronin. You can check out his work here: Steven Cronin
In today’s episode I want to share with you a concept I’ve been thinking about a lot lately, and that is of vision.
Vision is how we see the world. Every artist (and person for that matter) probably has a different vision of what they see.
That is why different artists create in different ways and notice different things.
Vision Leading Technique
My premise here is that there’s a way to create very clearly. To make the gap between your vision and your result as small as possible.
That is – to allow your vision lead the painting process rather then technique.
When you let technique lead the way, you may approach every painting the same way.
But every painting is different, and every scene is different.
So if you allow VISION to lead instead, you may end up with a better result.
Unique & Highly Personalized Art Style
The coolest part is this – it will probably also be more unique. Because you effectively “cleaned” your representation of reality.
This applies, by the way, to abstract art too! The reality I’m referring to can be a real physical scene, or the vision you have in your head.
I hope you found this helpful. The next time you create, try forgetting about technique, or the “correct” way of doing something. Instead – try to represent what you see as clearly as you wish, regardless of process.
And let me know how it goes!
Artist Corner
Today I talked about Wendy Artin. I was recommended by a follower to check her work out. And I must say – it’s incredible!
She does lots of figurative work, and has some very unique processes and approach.
I actually covered her in my Painting Masters series. You can check that episode out here (:
Hi there, Liron here! In today’s episode I’m teaching you how you can develop your own personal art style.
Many artists strive to grow and develop their own style, but there are many myths about what it takes, and the truth is much simpler than some may think!
We’ll take a bit of a philosophical approach, but embed a lot of practicality to it!
Personal Art Style
Probably every artist you admire has their own unique art styles. Artists who work hard and attain higher and higher levels of creation, tend to also have a uniqueness to their work.
There is something very charming around a distinct art style. This leads many beginner and aspiring artists to worry about developing their own style.
Which brings me to my next point…
Unique Art Style – Don’t Assume you Don’t Have One
This is extremely important.
I want you to understand that with enough practice, repetition and experimentation, everyone develops a unique art style.
It’s inevitable.
So instead of worrying about that, let’s focus on what we can do to ensure you develop successfully as an artist (:
Fundamentals & Experimentation
The way I see it, there are two elements to improving continuously.
Working on the fundamentals / basics – This involved doing the exercises and learning the techniques that are relevant to multiple art mediums.
An example for this would be composition, color harmony, matching values (in case you are doing realistic / representational / naturalistic art) and so on.
Experimentation – This involves breaking our own patterns, using work processes that are foreign to us, trying to work in a different style, using colors we aren’t used to and so on.
Using these two together ensures your skills will grow, and your style will develop.
Remember that every experiment you do, every technique you play around with – these all add up and become a part of your style. By experimenting frequently, you widen your style’s possible spectrum of expression.
And with repeated work on the basics, you’ll ensure that your technical skills won’t deteriorate while you experiment.
I want to mention something I find amusing. Ironically, you will be the last person to recognize the uniqueness of your style.
That’s just how it goes for most people (unless it’s really unique and out there).
People started telling me about a year ago, that they could tell my paintings apart from others very easily.
I was very surprised to hear, but wasn’t able to see that myself.
Now I can better understand what they mean. There are many nuances. It’s in how you treat the edges, how your brush marks look. There are a lot of signature properties it’s hard to put in words, but easy to tell when they’re there.
Conclusion
I hope this all makes sense. Let me know if you have any questions and I’d be happy to expand on whatever you want me to (:
And with that being said, let’s move on to the Artist Corner.
Artist Corner
In today’s episode I talk about Oliver Pyle, an English watercolor painter.
Oliver specializes in natural landscapes and rural scapes. His works convey serenity and calmness that I find very relaxing.
His work also taught me a lot about conveying your message with simplicity.
