Interviews With Other YouTubers and Artists | Liron Yanconsky’s Podcast – Episode 32

Hi there! In this episode I want to talk to you about my desire to make interview other artists, and build connections in the watercolor community.

Things I KNOW I Should Do

I got this idea after brainstorming. I felt like, at the back of my head, there are many things I know I should be doing, but don’t.

So I made a list and 2 main things popped:

  1. Do LIVE videos!
  2. Interview other artists and collaborate!

So I took the 2nd one to hear, and decided to do just that.

Steve Mitchell / The Mind of Watercolor

I already started applying this change. I recently contacted Steve Mitchell of The Mind of Watercolor channel.

He is an amazing artist and I really appreciate his work. I also learned a lot from his videos. He was the first person I wanted to interview.

Luckily he was so cool and friendly about it and immediately said yes. The interview should be out this Thursday on my YouTube channel, and next Tuesday on the podcast as well (:

Benefits of Interviews of Other Artists

I have all the reasons in the world to do this. First – I think this will create AMAZING content for mine and the interviewee’s audience. I want to ask the less obvious questions. I want to open a window into the PERSON I’m interviewing.

Another huge advantage is building a more personal connection with the watercolor community.

And lastly – this will really help our channels grow, by increasing exposures.

Other Artists I Want to Interview

I’ve been thinking about some of the “purer” watercolor artists on YouTube such as Patrick Ley-Grieves, Nitin Singh and Teoh. I hope to reach out to those soon.

But then the more I thought about it the more I realized it doesn’t matter. I can interview ANY artist I want! The content will still be relevant – especially with visual artists (the medium is of less importance).

This is it! Now onto the Artist Corner

Artist Corner

In this episode I mentioned Richard Bolton, a watercolor painter who lives in New-Zealand and has a name sounding like a Game of Thrones character =P

He is an incredible painter, and an author of several books such as Texture and Detail in Watercolor (affiliate link, you pay the same price and I make a small commission).

I highly recommend you check out his artworks. You can do that on his website: http://www.richardbolton.com/

And Here’s where you can find me (:

You can support me on Patreon

Check out my YouTube Channel – Liron Yanconsky

Or ask me questions on Instagram – @LironYanIL or Snapchat – @LironYan3

And this is it. I hope you enjoyed this episode, and I’ll talk to you again real soon!

– Liron

 

The Artist Curse – When others LOVE your art, but you DON’T | Liron Yanconsky’s Podcast – Episode 30

Today we’ll talk about the artist curse, what it is and how to possibly deal with it.

How I learned about the artist curse

I initially came across this phrase in a video by Mark at Draw Mix Paint channel. Mark is a fantastic oil painter I highly recommend you check out. ESPECIALLY if you do watercolor.

In any case, he described this concept in several of his videos.

The artist curse is when you don’t enjoy your art the same way others do. You don’t see it the same as others see it. You sometimes don’t understand why others like it.

Why I’ve been thinking about the artist curse

Lately I’ve been experiencing more and more of this.

I think I’m a bit of an oddball. I am able to enjoy some of my art, and see the beauty in it. But only to some extent, and only some of the time.

Because I was so lucky to build a following of amazing people on YouTube and Instagram, I receive lots of feedback.

Even ME, as someone who enjoys their art, is constantly blown away by the feedback.

This also happens when I paint outside. Passerby’s comments are many times positive, while I feel lie “I have no idea what I’m doing” haha.

Why the artist curse occurs

I believe there are several reasons for why we (for the most part) simply can’t enjoy our art in the same way others can.

Process – We slowly see our painting come together. During the process, it’s easy to lose track of the vision. It’s easy not to be able to see how this mess in front of us is supposed to turn into a beautiful piece of art.

Others come by and see it for the first time with fresh eyes. They quite literally see it better.

Lack of objectivity – Because we are the artist, the creator, it’s hard being objective about our work, and seeing it for what it is.

This also connects to…

Familiarity – Not being able to “smell ourselves”. It’s hard for us to recognize our own style, strengths and tendencies. We are simply too close to the picture.

Many have commented about how they loved my style, and how it’s really distinctive. But – to this day I don’t really see it. All I can do is create as best as I can. But on the other hand – it does appear to have its own style.

The funny irony

Mark pointed this out, and it made me laugh as I was able to relate.

Usually, the artists who have the most doubts and shyness around their skills, are the ones who make among the most beautiful kind of art.

I would assume this isn’t 100% true, but from what I personally experienced so far it’s darn close to that.

On the other hand, artists who seem to have this blind confidence, also tend to have some series weaknesses in their style, technique or skills.

Living with the curse

There are several solutions to alleviate the artist curse. I suspect that due to the nature of objectivity, it never completely goes away. But you can definitely ease the symptoms.

1. Use second hand impression. Share your are with others in a manner that allows them to be objective. Instagram is great for that.

This way you’ll slowly learn what others respond to. You still won’t be able to necessarily enjoy your art as much as others, but you’ll definitely learn more about how it’s accepted by others.

2. Find OBJECTIVE criteria. Judge your art based on objective criteria and signs. Here are some good examples from the visual art world – “Is my drawing accurate? Is this angle correct? Is this the right value? Does the color express what I wanted it to?”

There you have it! Well, that last one may be a little more subjective haha. But you get the point.

And if you come from a different artistic background – try and find your objective criteria!

3. If you are very shy and unconfident about your art – I would suggest learning to become better at ACCEPTING compliments and taking them at face value (gee, looks like someone DOES like your artwork!).

4. If you feel like you have nothing more to learn, and your work is fabulous, I’d suggest asking for some opinions by others and seeing if they match your beliefs. If they do – mad props!

5. Finally – have fun! Art isn’t perfect. We all express what we want, in the ways we can. Above all I want you to enjoy what you produce (:

And with that being said, time to move into the artist corner!

Artist Corner

Today I talked about John Constable, a renowned British oil painter who lived from 1776 to 1837.

He was a landscape painter who worked in the traditional oil style. Among his best works is “Wivenhoe Park”. This is also the first painting of his that I came across.

John wasn’t financially successful. He gained more popularity after he passed away. His work was embraced in France even more than in the UK.

He mostly painted scenes from the Dedham Vale, the area surrounding his home. It is now known as “Constable Country”.

You can read more about him on Wikipedia: John Constable
And also check out “Wievenhoe Park”

As a side-note, I also recommended Alvaro Castagnet – as an artist who does seem to enjoy his own art like others, with lot’s of confident. Check out his work here: Alvaro Castagnet.

And Here’s where you can find me (:

You can support me on Patreon

Check out my YouTube Channel – Liron Yanconsky

Or ask me questions on Instagram – @LironYanIL or Snapchat – @LironYan3

And this is it. I hope you enjoyed this episode, and I’ll talk to you again real soon!

– Liron

Did you Mess up Your Painting?? How to Fix a Watercolor

Hi there, I hope you are doing great! Today we’ll talk about how to fix your painting when you messed something up (:

Here’s the full video, scroll down to read more.

Many Painting Mistakes Can be Fixed

People (myself included) make the assumption that in watercolor nothing is reversible. This is false.

Many, if not all mistakes can be corrected.

Only some types of mistakes can’t be corrected. These usually involve dropping dark paint in large quantities in an area that’s supposed to be light.

However, paint can be lifted. Brushwork can be improved. Things can be darkened and so on.

The Ugly Stage of a Painting

This is something worth mentioning. Most paintings, no matter the medium (oils, acrylics or watercolor) tend to go through an ugly / incomplete stage.

It may lead you to believe you are messing up, when in fact you are just early in the process.

I’d encourage you to NEVER give up on a painting. The it’s far likelier you’ll give up too soon than too late. So give it a chance!

Conclusion

I hope you enjoyed the video and vibed with the message.

Let me know if this helped!

And I’ll talk to you again really soon.

– Liron

 

Perseverance & Giving Yourself a Chance | Liron Yanconsky’s Podcast – Episode 28

Today I want to share with you my thoughts and perseverance, and why it’s one of THE MOST IMPORTANT things.

Perseverance & Giving Yourself a Chance

I usually plan out my podcast episodes, or I have something specific to say.

This time I was preparing to start recording, and suddenly perseverance popped into my mind.

I immediately thought of it in the context if – success takes TIME. If you are not willing to persevere and try again and again, you’ll never make it.

Perseverance is Important in Both BUSINESS and ART

The reason why I talk a lot about these topics is that, this is really what’s on my mind most of the time. This has been the case for the past 1-2 years, if not longer.

In my watercolor journey, I can really sense the importance of persevering. There were MANY times I got punched in the face by the medium.

I was on a roll (painting a few nice artworks), and then found out I suddenly have ZERO control over the paint.

I went through tough challenges.

Had I not continued regardless, I could never win. And I’m only just now starting to win.

Business is TOUGH

That’s another thing I’m coming to terms lately. Building wealth, financial and business success is hard. It takes a lot of effort, making mistakes along the way and continuing regardless.

This is something I had to learn the hard way. I’m not sure how to put it in words, so I’ll just say this: There is no finish line.

There’s never that point that you get to – that you can really say – I’m done and can rest now. Work always continues, and it’s all a part of one long process.

Hedging it!

I’d like to give one caveat.

I think it’s important to do things smartly. If you’ve been doing something for a LOOONG time and you don’t see results, maybe it’s a good idea to try something else.

Or, at the very least – realize you may not achieve everything you wanted in that area. But if you enjoy it – I’ll be your biggest supporter.

I think this requires looking inside and figuring out what you want, what the results are and what the best course of action is.

I Got Lucky!

The first book I published on Amazon started selling the next day.

That’s insane.

I don’t know what would’ve happened had that not been the case.

Would I have published three more books? Would I have continued? Or may I’d just quit and “go get a job”.

Who knows? For now, all I can do is be super-grateful for the success I WAS able to achieve so far.

And that’s a good note to move onto the Artist Corner (;

Artist Corner

Today I presented Stanislaw Zoladz. He is a Polish painter living in Sweden.

His style is realistic, with some expressionism thrown in on some of his work. I absolutely love it.

Here’s one of my favorite painting of his.
I also found this interview I recommend you check out – Stanislaw Zoladz Interview.

And Here’s where you can find me (:

You can support me on Patreon

Check out my YouTube Channel – Liron Yanconsky

Or ask me questions on Instagram – @LironYanIL or Snapchat – @LironYan3

And this is it. I hope you enjoyed this episode, and PERSEVERE ON!

– Liron

Challenges in Watercolor Painting | Liron Yanconsky’s Podcast – Episode 24

Hi there, in today’s episode of the podcast I want to share with you some challenges I’m experiencing in watercolor.

A 2 Week Plateau

For the past two weeks or so I felt like things were’t connecting the way I wanted in my paintings.

I didn’t feel like my results were up to par, and I also felt extremely out of control with the medium.

I actually have a few ideas as to the reason for this.

Advancing to a Higher Level

Usually when I hit that kind of plateau, it means I’m about to advance to a higher level.

This is something I consistently noticed over the past few years.

It’s almost as if there is something crucial I need to learn in order to progress. I maxed out on all of my current skills, and it’s time to move on.

Going Autopilot & Using Gimmicks

Aside from that, I have an inkling of an idea as to what I need to improve.

I got to this after examining the areas where I have this issue, and the areas where I don’t.

I’m only experiencing this when painting large scenes, mainly cityscapes. I’m not experiencing this when working on portraits or pen sketches.

My main conclusion is this – In some areas I tend to go into autopilot when painting. And I don’t mean the good kind of autopilot (flow, in the zone, smooth-sailing).

I’m talking about doing things without truly observing the scene. Painting things as I THINK THEY APPEAR, rather than how they truly appear.

A Side Note About the Artist Curse

As a side note, I want to mention a concept I learned from Mark (Draw Mix Paint YouTube channel, THIS video).

He says we as artists can never enjoy our art like other viewers do. That’s because we see it slowly built up, and so it’s hard to be objective.

I’d also add to that, that we have a specific, “ideal” vision we may compare the result to. The viewer has no idea and doesn’t care. All they see is the art (:

The Solution

For the next few weeks, I’ll try disconnecting from external influences and other artists.

What I want to do is always focus on the subject at hand. To truly observe it and carefully study it.

To think, analyze, sketch, prepare and so on.

Sharing the Journey

I’m really happy to share these insights with you as I learn them.

I hope this will inspire others in the future. I really want to show how this is a challenging journey on the one hand, but how it shows promise on the other.

With enough practice and perseverance, you can master the medium.

Artist Corner

Today I talk about Dan Burt, an American watercolor painter.

Dan has a very unique style of painting, in which he applies many, MANY colors. He actually prepares multiple pools of paint, and slowly uses them all for painting.

He paints mainly in Texas, Mexico, Italy and Spain.

You can learn more about him here.

And here’s where you can find me (:

You can support me on Patreon

Check out my YouTube Channel – Liron Yanconsky

Or ask me questions on Instagram – @LironYanIL or Snapchat – @LironYan3