Tag: creation

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

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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

Filming Art Videos Outside | Liron Yanconsky’s Podcast – Episode 23

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Hi there!

In this episode I want to talk to you about filming art videos outside, and the challenges that accompany that.

I Love Painting and Sketching Outside

I really love creating outside. Seeing the scene in front of you, hearing the sounds, seeing the people. It’s just such a superior experience.

Plus, you get to translate the scene from a three-dimensional manifestation onto a two-dimensional paper.

This is an extremely important experience that you don’t get painting from photos.

Filming Art Videos Outside

So that brings me to art videos.

On the one hand, I really enjoy filming outside. It has a freshness to it.

Also, I have a funny feeling that this has something to do with my more advanced work. With things I want to do when I’m at the height of my career.

I want to show my work and everything I’m doing.

I don’t know if this is a bug I caught from figures like Gary Vee, or something that’s inherently mine.

But I do know it’s there.

But It’s a HUGE Challenge for me, at Times

Filming outside is challenging for me.

I think I can divide this challenge into two elements.

  1. Fear that filming will hurt my artistic results. This is a legitimate fear, but I believe that’s something you learn to deal with. When you are so used to recording everything you do, the camera becomes “invisible” to you.
  2. Fear of filming in public, in front of other people. One of the scariest (and funniest) moments are when I’m just about to talk, and there are many people around my. I know I’m going to surprise them =P

So this led to some challenges. On the one hand I KNEW I have to do this.

On the other, this is scary!

My Decision

I decided to film myself arting outside once a week.

And here’s the thing that will soften it. I don’t rely on that footage at all. I record my three weekly videos normally. And IF what I recorded outside is good, I’ll add it to the schedule.

This really reduces a lot of the pressure (:

You see, I have a tendency to strive for perfectionism at times. So in my head, “the painting process must be perfect”. But if I know that my sole purpose is to record, and whatever happens with it doesn’t matter – this takes off a lot of the pressure.

Artist Corner

In this episode I talked about Carol Evans.

Carol is a watercolor painter, and I think it’s best to let her art speak for itself.

She does crazy beautiful, semi-photo-realistic paintings. You can check out her artwork here:

http://www.carolevans.com/open-editions/

She also has this webpage on her website, showing an actual painting process in stages:

http://www.carolevans.com/original-painting-in-progress/tlvt3k6804rofopi3fsjonqomv4buf

Also, here’s an interview of her:

And this is most of what I talk about in this episode. I hope you enjoyed it!

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

 

Words, Thoughts & Art | Liron Yanconsky’s Podcast – Episode 22

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In today’s episode I’ll talk about the connection between words, thoughts and art, and how we can use that connection to improve our art.

My BEST Painting Ever

A while ago I painted my best painting ever.

What made the difference was the fact that I was narrating the whole process to someone, as I was working on the painting.

I had no idea what impact it’s going to have. Talking and explaining the process, as I was going through it, actually made me think harder.

It made me consider different approaches for achieving the result I was interested in.

It made me re-think the very result I was interested in!

And most importantly – it slowed me down. It allowed me to take my time, and only hurry when necessary.

Thinking, Speaking and Writing

I recently watched a video discussing the connection between writing and thinking. The person in the video said that the best way to improve your thinking capabilities was actually to write.

I have to agree, based on my own experience. I write a lot and I definitely noticed a difference in my analytical skills, my critical thinking skills and the quality and depth of my thoughts in general.

I already talked about my writing habit, and how beneficial it was so far to my creativity and self-development.

It’s All Connected

Improving your writing will improve your thoughts. This, in turn, will also improve your painting skills.

The next time you want to paint something, imagine you have to explain to someone everything you are doing.

That someone is you! (;

See if that makes a difference. I’m definitely going to try and do that more.

Artist Corner

In this episode I talked about Thomas Schaller.

Aside from producing BEAUTIFUL paintings, Thomas has such a calm and nice teaching style. He started as an architect, and this quality really shows in his artwork. I highly recommend you check it out.

To learn more about him, check out this video: Thomas Schaller Interview

I found that I could really relate to many of the things he’s describing in this video.

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

 

Challenge Your Artistic Beliefs | Liron Yanconsky’s Podcast – Episode 21

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In today’s episode I want us to talk about how to constantly improve your art skills by challenging your artistic beliefs.

Inspiration VS Isolation

In my artistic journey, I deliberately put myself through 2 different time periods: inspiration and isolation. I alternate between these two on a regular basis.

Inspiration is the time to soak up new knowledge, and find a specific artist (or artists) to learn from.

Isolation is a consolidation period when I only focus on making art, and eliminate any external influences. I don’t look at other peoples’ works, and I try to deliberately disconnect from outside inspiration.

Challenging Your Artistic Beliefs

By revisiting the inspiration stage, you introduce “shock” to your system.

You find new things that “work” for you and your style. You learn of new ways to create the impression you want. New painting techniques and approaches.

This is the heart of this episode. I use this to challenge my own beliefs about the “right way” of creating art / painting / sketching.

This can relate to macro ideas like the entire painting process, or the preparation. It can also relate to micro ideas – such as specific techniques.

Going through the cycles

I find this cycle to be very rewarding. The Isolation period allows me to internalize all the new things I learned.

It’s precisely thanks to these two extremes that I was able to improve (as I believe) this quickly.

And this is what I wanted to share with you today (:

Artist Corner

In this episode I talk about David Howell.

David is a watercolor  and oil painter. What fascinates me about his work is that he uses NO PENCIL.

He doesn’t draw before he paints. To be more accurate – he draws several preparatory sketches. But he doesn’t draw on the watercolor paper intended for the painting.

I find this amazing and refreshing. His work also has a very gentle feel to it, and a great sense of light.

He does a lot of seascapes and dock scenes. You can read more about him HERE.

Also check out this interesting video on YouTube.

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

How to Become Super-Creative Using Frequency | Liron Yanconsky’s Podcast – Episode 19

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Hi there! Liron here. In this episode I want to talk to you about how to become much MUCH more creative using frequency.

Creativity and Frequency

I slowly learn more and more how creativity and frequency of creation are intertwined.

And I’m not talking about the obvious “more frequent practice = getting better faster”. I’m talking about how practicing more frequently improves you in the SHORT TERM as well.

I noticed my brain is a magician. The more ideas I ask of it, the more ideas I get. The more frequently I publish videos, the more ideas my brain produces.

This is quite different from the mindset I had in the past. I was afraid to post things too frequently, so that I don’t “run out of ideas”.

That’s just the opposite of what really works!

How this can help you

Whatever you are doing on a regular basis – I would suggest playing around with its frequency.

Do you sketch once every few days? Try sketching EVERY day. See where it takes you.

This really is all about experimentation.

I find this to be true about ideas as well. The more I sit down to think about video, podcast or painting ideas – the more new ideas I get.

Exponentially!

The more you give – the more you receive

I really think of this as a law of nature.

The more courage you have to share more and more, and work on your skills more and more – the more you are rewarded.

The more you give courageously, the more the world gives back to you (:

Artist Corner

In this episode we talked about Gregory Packard.

He is an amazing American impressionist artist. What immediately caught my attention with his works is how COLORFUL they are!

If you’ve been following me for a while you know how I’m attracted to colorful and realistic artworks.

You can see more of his work in his website.

 

Conclusion

And this is it for today’s episode. I hope you enjoyed it!

Here’s where to find me:

Here you can support me on Patreon

Check out my YouTube Channel – Liron Yanconsky

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