Hi everyone! This is just a short post to share a recent video I made showing off some of my newest ACEO art trading card artworks (both those I make and sell and those I have collected from other artists!) I love the world of miniature art and hope others get into the hobby too! It is an affordable, space-saving way to collect and display original art! Lately I’ve really been into mixed media collage artwork, which I’m sure you can tell from the video:
So lately my artistic style has kind of taken some interesting turns. I tend to bore with styles quickly so I try out lots of new stuff, some that works, some that frankly doesn’t. Lately I’ve been playing around with mixed media collage techniques, using my love of cartoons, favorite characters and naive child-like art to create unique and sometimes amusing or slightly satirical works of art. Obviously this style is not for everyone, but I’ve had fun with it. I guess some other people like it too since I have sold quite a few of these little pieces. The materials I’ve used have varied greatly, including pastel, watercolor, colored pencil, marker, paper cut-outs, random stickers and decals, glitter, foam pieces and other odds and ends. Here are a few examples that I’ve created recently (many have Halloween themes because it was that time of year!):
“Evil Sweetie” My Little Pony fan art collage on paper, 9″ x 12″
“Wake Up!” mixed media collage on paper, 9″ x 12″
“Two Black Bats” mixed media on paper, ACEO size (2.5″ x 3.5″)
“Werewolf Night” mixed media collage on paper, ACEO size (2.5″ x 3.5″)
“Ghost Minion” collage on paper, ACEO size (2.5″ x 3.5″)
In my latest YouTube vlog, I gave some personal information about what inspired my most recent book release, “Searching for the Truth: Poems & Prose Inspired by Our Inner Worlds”. I also read aloud a couple of the shorter poems from the book and explained why they meant so much to me. I hope you will check it out!
After a few years of being a professional writer/artist, I have come to a sad yet seemingly true conclusion – in order to be a success in any creative field, you have to adopt somewhat of a f***-it attitude. In other words, you have to stop caring so much what people think. Yes, some people will hate your work no matter how great it is…but on the up side, some people will love your work even when it sucks. Hopefully in the end it evens out.
If you dare to create work dealing with important subjects, you are bound to eventually come under attack from people who disagree with you. Many times it won’t be your work they dislike but your point of view…unfortunately most people are unable to be objective about anything relating to subjects they are passionate about. Learn to shrug your shoulders at the oddities of human nature and let it go.
Remember that in the end it is yourself you must please as an artist. There is nothing wrong with making money from your creations or even becoming popular, but always make sure to stay true to yourself. Make what you love. Make a contribution that only you could make.
“Beam Me Up God”, watercolor 8″ x 8″
1) No matter how many artworks you create or sell, there is always this niggling voice in the back of your head asking, “Am I really talented or is all this a fluke? What if my artistic muse abandons me and I never make another meaningful work of art?”
2) There is a point in almost every artwork that I start that I feel it is total crap and just want to rip it to shreds. Sometimes resisting that impulse is extremely hard. Often, even the best, most successful pieces of artwork I have created barely escaped the shredder.
3) The whole Money vs. Love issue. Do you create what you love, even if it doesn’t sell, or do you create what you know will likely sell? I have tried to do both but find it doesn’t work for me to try to create anything just because it is “popular” or will sell. I inevitably lose interest in the project and get depressed because I am not being true to myself. Luckily, my art is selling more and more even though I am following my bliss instead of the dollar signs. However, I realize that my situation is not the same as anybody else’s and some people have to do what they have to do to pay the bills and put food on the table. I respect them for that and hope they can also find time to do whatever feeds their soul.
4) People just don’t realize how expensive professional art materials can be! How many artists get the look asking why they charge so much for their art? I used to wonder that too when I would see a hefty price tag on a piece of art…but now I understand. Most of us really don’t make much profit from handmade things…even if they seem expensive. I’ve also noticed that people are often confused by how much it costs to ship artwork, especially if the object is large, heavy, being sent to another country or the buyer wants special postal services.
5) The absolute worst thing about being an artist in my opinion? When you go through a dry spell and nothing (or at least not much) sells. It can make you want to give up entirely and wonder how people like Van Gogh kept going when they never sold much of anything (of course then I remember that he did cut off his ear and eventually committed suicide – which doesn’t cheer me up much). In the end, I guess it is the passion and the obsession that keeps us going…and hopefully the depression from feeling unpopular even lends itself to a deeper display of emotion that improves our work or adds a new depth to it. At least that is how I like to look at it.
I have been wanting to talk about the connection between dealing with chronic pain/illness and dealing with depression. I figured making a video diary about the subject would be a good way to approach the subject. Just please keep in mind that my advice for dealing with this issue is not a substitute for medical care. If you are experiencing severe depression, please see a healthcare professional. If you like the video or have something to say about this subject, please feel free to comment or like the post either here or on YouTube 🙂
I am an amateur artist 🙂 I don’t try to be a professional, academic or intellectual artist. I just have fun, experiment and see where my creativity takes me. Sometimes things turn out horrible and sometimes they turn out looking pretty darn cool (to me at least). My goal is not to be rich or become the next Picasso, I just want to create like a child – with that unexplainable, undeniable joy that most adults sadly lack. With that said, I thought I would share a few of my most recent
“works” and the stories behind them. I hope you enjoy and are inspired to take out your own markers, crayons or paints and just have fun!
“Dream Snake” in marker
The above picture, simply titled “Dream Snake” was inspired by a strange dream I had. In the dream, an orange snake that looked just like the one in the picture chased me around. Instead of slithering around, it rolled around like a baton and its “pom poms” on the side shook and sounded kind of like a rattler as it chased me. At one point in the dream, I jumped out of the way and the snake rolled off the edge of the floor and turned into a ghost-man on a horse before crashing into a sewer hole far below. Man, dreams are weird, aren’t they?
The following two pictures are both inspired by the same thing, the skin of a lizard. This particular lizard had green & yellow scales with reddish dots on its skin. The patterns and colors really caught my attention and came out when I sat down to draw and paint. Would you ever guess the two following pictures were inspired by the same thing?
“Lizard Skin” in marker
“Lizard Skin #2” in watercolor
Well, I hope you enjoyed this little art break. If you did, please hit the “like” button or leave a comment so I will know!
