anyone else feeling super productive this Mercury retrograde?!

Hola! I hope everyone is doing as well as I am this month lol. I feel like I've had this new surge of energy of creativity, and the big difference right now is that I actually have the energy and time to utilize it. I recently switched to working third shift. EVERYBODY told me I would hate it and that they could never do it. I really just needed a change in my work life completely, that's the only reason I did it. And surprisingly, I think third shift was actually MADE just for me lol. It has been so beneficial in many different ways (I made a list), but it's made it so that I can actually wake up and art for hours every day before I have to go to work. When I was working second shift, I'd either have to get up early to art (not an option for me, I literally just cannot wake up early ever) or I'd have to art after work in the middle of the night (which I'd be too tired to do every day). But now that I wake up in the late afternoon and still have hours before I have to leave for work, I get so much done! I started drawing every day after not drawing for more than two weeks straight. I got more work done on my Michael portrait in one week than I did in the month prior.

This piece is going to be the third installment in my "Valentine's Day" series for 2019. Based on how things are going so far, I should be able to finish a new piece for the series every two weeks. I only have three portraits left (can't reveal who they are though!) and then I'll be ready to put them on sale as prints and sticker packs :) I have to admit though, I've already made a list for 2020's Valentine's Day series lmfao. There have been so many inspiring, creative, beautiful, ambitious men in the spotlight lately, I just can't help myself.

Anyway, before I had that 2-3 week long art drought, I did get a couple of those color pencil illustrations I used to do done. Even though I was super busy after that, I felt like doing those gave me a jumpstart after kinda being in an art slump for a while. Idk, it was like they made me feel more creative. They're like the most original things I've ever done. And people really like them. So much so, I decided to partially open my commissions back up so people can request them! Just visit my commissions page and read the guidelines before emailing me about one. They are only $60! And I'll be posting sticker versions of the original illustrations I've already done.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fRdU_P8dzE

Also, I just wanna say I'm super close to opening my commissions up for pastel paintings! I've figured out framing and materials and everything, now I just have to SUCCESSFULLY frame a piece to make sure I have it down. Soon as I do that, my commissions will be 100% open! I cannot wait :D

#youtube #colorpencil #completedpiece #timelapsedrawing #updates #workinprogress

it's been a long time, I shouldn't'a left you...

Yall. This has been the most unproductive past month of my life!!! I don't even know how it happened. Working on art has been hard enough with my 9 to 5 job and weird schedule. But I actually had hella opportunities to work on stuff and it just didn't get done. My to-do list has nary a check on it. You know when have a million ideas floating around your head and you end up just not doing anything. Yeah, that's what's going on. I've been writing stuff down, but I've been in such an art funk lately. I'm determined to give myself some kind of boost. And by some kind of boost, I mean new promotional tactics. For example, I'm bringing my art to Facebook.

I've only ever been consistent with marketing myself on instagram, Tumblr, and twitter. Haven't posted art, or much of anything really, to facebook in over two years. But I was inspired last week to try to seriously market myself there and become more active overall. I kinda test-drove the idea last night when I posted an old project to the Facebook group "Black Artists Connected". I'm so excited about all the feedback and engagement I've gotten just from that post! It really made me remember how fun it used to be to share my work with the world and network with people. I slacked off on that stuff A LOT in 2017 because I felt like I was focusing too much on that aspect of my art and not enough on the creativity. So the creativity and originality was my main focus last year all the way up until now. Still trying to find a healthy balance.

The facebook thing is really exciting because my portfolio has grown a lot since I last shared art there, so I have a big head start before I have to be putting out projects more consistently. So I have a lot of time to figure out my schedule. I'm seriously thinking about making a legit schedule for days that I'm working on art, like a real job. I clearly need some discipline lol. I did manage to finish a piece two weeks ago and the images and timelapse video are below. I discuss the pros and cons of drawing from imagination and drawing from real life, and all my struggles with that, in the video, so please check it out if you're interested in that! Prints for this piece are not yet available, but soon.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_JFH0ypeEU

Another idea I've come up with, that will not only help me market myself but will put me back in the position to take on commission projects is, is offering mini graphite/charcoal portraits for sale! I was just thinking about how I don't necessarily have to commission large-scale pastel paintings all the time. I could always something less stressful and time consuming in the meantime. Plus, I can't even remember the last time I picked up my charcoal or graphite pencils... I really need to get back to them. I have this AMAZING Strathmore 500 series charcoal paper that everyone loved when I drew my boobs on them lol. I think they would be perfect for something like this. I want to get some examples of what people can expect done first, but once I do that, I'll have the mini portraits added to my commission page and I will be open to take requests for them immediately after that.

Hope everyone enjoys their Saturday :)

#youtube #artistthoughts #completedpiece #timelapsedrawing #updates

I came to terms with the fact that most people don't dig my art...

...at least not most of the people who actually see it and follow me lol. I think when I first started drawing, I got so much attention for it and so many comments from people about how they would pay money for it, that I got too wrapped up in that and aimed to impress other people. And whenever I'd post a new piece that didn't really get any feedback or much views or engagement, I felt like I failed. Because I have allll these followers who are seeing it every day and not one of them liked it? Or shared it? That shit used to really make me feel like I was a wack artist lol. Because I see every other artist I follow (with the same size following) getting hundreds of likes and shares. And I'm like what are they doing that I'm not doing? They just post their art and go...

I know I'm not the most consistent, and that plays a big role. I'm trying to be post and create more but it's harder now when I'm away from home for 50 hours a week. And I notice that most of the artists I'm looking at are lucky enough to be full time (God, I miss that). But other than that, I can't think of anything else it could be other than my shit just ain't good enough for them lol. It's not capturing anyone's attention. Possibly, I just haven't found my true audience yet. Like the people who follow me think it's cool I can draw but they're not in love with my work and don't find it worthy enough to spend money on. That could probably be my fault too, because I suck at networking and I hate doing it lmaooo.

But now at least I can say it doesn't make me sad anymore or discourage me like it used to. I used to think I should just quit art. Now I'm just happy making things that I love. If I find it beautiful, then nobody else's opinion matters to me. My friend was suggesting that I draw more things that other people are into, or that are popular right now. Like Black Panther for example. And I'm like nah... I'm not drawing anything other people like unless it's something I already wanted to create in the first place. I don't create for other people, I create for myself and if other people happen to like it too, cool. I'm not a trendy artist, painting whatever I think will sell the quickest. Everybody and they mama drawing the same ass pictures from the Black Panther movie right now. I'll pass lol. Anyway, I finished my Riz Ahmed painting and it might be even better than my "Bae Park" piece...

This is the longest span of time I've ever worked on a portrait smh. Took me a little over a month to finish it and only 8.5 hours of actual work put in. But whatever, at least I got it done and it came out so beautifully! I'm not gonna immediately start on the next piece in this series, but I am starting another painting immediately. I decided to stop taking those breaks after every piece where I just don't draw for like a whole week. I have no more time for that, I need to just get shit done now lol. I won't go into detail about my next painting because I don't wanna jinx it, but I should have some decent progress pics by the next blog post. Also, I'm hoping to do my first live stream on instagram while I work on this next piece. Still terrified about that.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2emJzj7oGE

New additions to the shop:

- Riz Ahmed prints

#prints #youtube #artistthoughts #completedpiece #timelapsedrawing #RizAhmed