The Community Arts Network recently did a rural edition of Head Tales, a freely available book that illustrates and looks at stories of Mental Health - I had the absolute pleasure of working with them, and illustrating some of the stories. Take a look!
Alien
Small Vine from the prompt 'Alien'
Read moreFAQ and Black ink stained fingers
Art is fun.
Or at least, it should be fun. And to get to a point where you find it fun can be difficult - Kids don't seem to have a problem with this, but as you get older, people constrain themselves more to 'standards', and a perceived level that they should be able to draw at... or not draw at all, lest they reveal their inability.
Colouring-in books are a hit as they open the door for someone who can colour unabashedly, with no fear of drawing the rest of the picture. For a meditative practice, it's difficult to beat. But it's also a good example for why I'm extremely happy to help you learn how to draw better, in any way that I can and by answering questions - Because, ultimately, learning the skills to do the actual drawing is hard. Getting good at anything is, and I have a lot of admiration for people that stick with it.
So if there's an unanswered question in the FAQ below, flick me a message and I'll respond to the best of my ability!
F A Q
What kind of Watercolours do you use?
Winsor and Newton are my favourites, but I also have a Schminke set which does really vibrant colours. I would recommend Winsor and Newtons small, Cotman travel set as the ultimate starter set, however - It has all the colours you need, and you can refill it with tube paint!
What kind of Pens do you use?
A particular brand called 'Unipin' is my favourite, but I also use a pot of Winsor and Newton black ink with a calligraphy pen for a lot of black linework... You really can't go wrong with an art liner however, but if you're going to use it in combination with watercolour or water paints, make sure it has 'waterproof' on the side of the pen.
Do you do any digital?
More for editing work. I also use a tonne of the Adobe suite for constructing and playing with images. Pretty standard stuff, but I have a file of digital pictures that are slightly shameful attempts of improving in the arena!
What kind of Sketchbook do you use?
Moleskine Sketchbook, Art plus series... Both the large and the A4 version are awesome, and have excellent creme paper for watercolour.
How often do you draw?
Every day, generally. Usually for a few hours or more.
What are the best art stores?
In Australia? Jacksons are a good go to, as are Oxfords. But Online is wonderful - Check out Ebay for deals on kits and supplies you're after...If you're regular about it, you can save a lot of money.
How do you start a piece?
Light sketching, then you need to just dive in. Like this.