You might be thinking that art buys my bread and butter, if so you could not be more wrong.
Don't get me wrong, I would love to, but like many other fantastic artists, my art doesn't earn me a living and it is more like an outlet to vent, imagine, live, create, take a break from the rest of the world...
One day maybe I will reach notoriety and the ability of earning a living doing what I love the most, today is not the day, but this doesn't mean that I cannot find a way to enjoy what I do to pay my bills.
Fact is, I have been looking for work for a while, necessity really but also the desire to start something and unite the useful to the enjoyable.
So it happens that I will be starting a new job soon, hopefully I will have still some "me time " to do artisize, and hopefully I will also love what I do for a living.
It's nothing creative though, far from it, it is actually quite pragmatic oriented and I will train to learn a subject that hopefully will make a good difference in people's life (as well as pay my bills).
Right now this adventure might take more time off my art than I would like to, but I will still try my best to keep you updated and create more art work for you to love.. or hate LOL.
Just lately I have pretty much stuck with the digital and photo editing as I found it quite inspiring, I am still quite a beginner I believe but with time and practice I will be able to use this new technique to serve my muse.
Meanwhile wish me luck with my new venture, I have uploaded on of my latest photo/drawing work, and some of the photo editing I have been doing.
A bit of ego stroking this time, where I have been using my face to create photo alterations.
Be happy
Be safe
Be whatever you want to be
xxx Iz
Tuesday 6 September 2016
Friday 12 August 2016
Trying new things, going digital
Everyone that knows me well, knows that I love the feeling of the paper under my pencil or the canvas under my brush and to use different styles combined like pencils and watercolour, or gouache and markers or markers and acrylics... They also know that I love oil paining and the thrill of squirting the paste on the palette, the mixing with mediums and the creating of new shades; the tapping and the brushing and sprinkling the pain around.
I love it all.
And because I love it all, switching to digital drawing and painting has been something I have resisted for a long time but I finally did it. I tried and tried until I found the passion again.
I think there is nothing that compares using the real materials, even cleaning my tools and putting them away all nice and shiny is something I find somehow therapeutic.
But... It finally found me, the digital creativity.
I have done a few trials before I felt confident and I wish sometimes that I had access to technology which replicates more closely the results you get with the real materials, there is plenty out there but with a small budget it isn't easy to combine product and results.
I have found and app for IPad mini called Tayasui Sketches which comes free to download for Ipad users, with the option of a pro version for £3.99 (UK Price), the results are very good and I would say the price is quite accessible for most to pay to get good results with a pad and pen (the latter a cheap one you buy from Tesco for five quids).
Here is one of the drawings I come up with using it
While the drawing apps are fun and entertaining I found they are a bit limiting for my rampant creativity so I have also started to produce work using Photoshop, which I previously used for photo-editing but never to create something from scratch.
Digital art work creates a total different feeling and I must admit, it has grown on me and I am enjoying it more than I expected.
I have still a lot to learn but getting my tootsies wet in it was a start.
Here a few of the things I have done with Photoshop
I love it all.
And because I love it all, switching to digital drawing and painting has been something I have resisted for a long time but I finally did it. I tried and tried until I found the passion again.
I think there is nothing that compares using the real materials, even cleaning my tools and putting them away all nice and shiny is something I find somehow therapeutic.
But... It finally found me, the digital creativity.
I have done a few trials before I felt confident and I wish sometimes that I had access to technology which replicates more closely the results you get with the real materials, there is plenty out there but with a small budget it isn't easy to combine product and results.
I have found and app for IPad mini called Tayasui Sketches which comes free to download for Ipad users, with the option of a pro version for £3.99 (UK Price), the results are very good and I would say the price is quite accessible for most to pay to get good results with a pad and pen (the latter a cheap one you buy from Tesco for five quids).
Here is one of the drawings I come up with using it
Above one of the drawings I have done with this Sketches.
.
While the drawing apps are fun and entertaining I found they are a bit limiting for my rampant creativity so I have also started to produce work using Photoshop, which I previously used for photo-editing but never to create something from scratch.
Digital art work creates a total different feeling and I must admit, it has grown on me and I am enjoying it more than I expected.
I have still a lot to learn but getting my tootsies wet in it was a start.
Here a few of the things I have done with Photoshop
Above my first Photoshop trial at drawing (The grass has been added from a photo of course)
....
You can laugh now...
Above: this is the last effort , much better I think.
If you want to see more of my recent work you can do so by clicking on the Links page on this blog for all my social media addresses.
Is this the end of my traditional materials use? Not at all.
I will probably always find myself with a pencil in my hand and using real materials every now and then, but I understand that as technology progresses, it's the brave who don't fear change who will do better and as much as I believe that there is nothing more explicative than the traditional drawing and painting techniques to showcase real talent, there is talent and creativity in those who have not much hand dexterity but use their mind and skills of construction to create a work of art, which is just as amazing as any other skill.
If we could look at paint sprays on a canvas and call it art, we can call art the building of a work through layers and clicks and the use of digital means knowing that the ultimate component for the production of art is still there: a creative mind.
Here is to Izzy stepping into the XXI Century, cheers!
Thursday 30 June 2016
It has been a while
It has been a while,
a lot has happened from losing our beloved pooch to welcoming another furry child a year after that, from struggling financially to getting better and unfortunately going back to struggle.
There have been lessons learnt and a lot of wisdom gained, also there has been the chance of learning new skills, of starting things new and finding new roads to walk.
My Art has been one of the casualties during this time.
I didn't create much, lack of inspiration, artist block... whatever you call it.
I had to start juggling too many things at once to feel I could relax and enjoy that talent of mine; sad I know and perhaps not the best choice as arts and crafts have always had a calming effect on me, but you can't force yourself to feel an inspiration that isn't there, life took over, responsibilities did too, and that ability to unwind simply has gone, for now.
I apologise for my silence but these things happen and there is not much I can do except for now taking steps to improve my situation and make sure we are all OK.
Some artists work better with struggle, I seem to need peace to create and I have none at the moment.
The good news is that I am doing my best to gain that peace of mind back and go back to a happier place, I am trying to look at things in a positive way, best I can manage.
One of the things I have learnt lately is that nothing can really happen overnight, you cannot feel depressed one moment and move straight to a state of elation. You can set yourself big goals, but you have to learn to split your journeys in steps and concentrate on them so not to be too overwhelmed by the enormity of your goal, especially if it is a very big one, it can simply feel completely out of your reach.
So... I am doing baby steps: I split my journey in legs so that I can feel confident to achieve them just taking each one as they come, one at time.
My next step is now getting an ECDL Certificate, and that is what I am working on right now.
Will there be Art in the process? There has been some but not as much as I used to, perhaps with time I will become more prolific.
As an artist I have learnt to pace myself sometimes, as art is an expression of what we feel inside and need to get out; no one can force an artist to get things out but themselves, when they feel ready or when they challenge themselves to do so.
Art in any form, is a way of expressing yourself and showing parts of you to the world, which if forced would not be genuine.
I will try, best as I can, to always be a genuine artist, and bring art out of myself only when it feels right and ready.
Until then, be blessed in anything you do and everything surrounding you.
a lot has happened from losing our beloved pooch to welcoming another furry child a year after that, from struggling financially to getting better and unfortunately going back to struggle.
There have been lessons learnt and a lot of wisdom gained, also there has been the chance of learning new skills, of starting things new and finding new roads to walk.
My Art has been one of the casualties during this time.
I didn't create much, lack of inspiration, artist block... whatever you call it.
I had to start juggling too many things at once to feel I could relax and enjoy that talent of mine; sad I know and perhaps not the best choice as arts and crafts have always had a calming effect on me, but you can't force yourself to feel an inspiration that isn't there, life took over, responsibilities did too, and that ability to unwind simply has gone, for now.
I apologise for my silence but these things happen and there is not much I can do except for now taking steps to improve my situation and make sure we are all OK.
Some artists work better with struggle, I seem to need peace to create and I have none at the moment.
The good news is that I am doing my best to gain that peace of mind back and go back to a happier place, I am trying to look at things in a positive way, best I can manage.
One of the things I have learnt lately is that nothing can really happen overnight, you cannot feel depressed one moment and move straight to a state of elation. You can set yourself big goals, but you have to learn to split your journeys in steps and concentrate on them so not to be too overwhelmed by the enormity of your goal, especially if it is a very big one, it can simply feel completely out of your reach.
So... I am doing baby steps: I split my journey in legs so that I can feel confident to achieve them just taking each one as they come, one at time.
My next step is now getting an ECDL Certificate, and that is what I am working on right now.
Will there be Art in the process? There has been some but not as much as I used to, perhaps with time I will become more prolific.
As an artist I have learnt to pace myself sometimes, as art is an expression of what we feel inside and need to get out; no one can force an artist to get things out but themselves, when they feel ready or when they challenge themselves to do so.
Art in any form, is a way of expressing yourself and showing parts of you to the world, which if forced would not be genuine.
I will try, best as I can, to always be a genuine artist, and bring art out of myself only when it feels right and ready.
Until then, be blessed in anything you do and everything surrounding you.
A little homage to my birth town which I deeply miss the days.
Love
Izzyxxx
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