Featuring colorist Ronda Francis

Friday, January 15, 2016

Be Yourself ~ Not As Easy As It Sounds in the ART World (And How to Draw a Grumpy Bunny)

The internet has made what Disney called a small world even smaller. We get information in the blink of an eye, and we are exposed to far more than any other time in history.

We can get news from the other side of the globe faster than if your neighbor ran over from next door. What was once underground and very hard to see can now be considered mainstream. 



The web has leveled the art playing field somewhat--what was once relegated to a very select group can now be viewed by millions with the right amount of retweets or shares.

We see hundreds if not thousands of images a day as visual artists. We are lucky enough to look at the work of our peers, and in a matter of seconds we can find millions of images to help as reference points for our work.

Looking at other beautiful artwork can certainly elevate our practice, but I feel it can't help but influence our style, too. When we see a color combination we love we get excited and want to try and incorporate it into our work too. A new medium can have us running to the store so we can try it at home.

It is hard enough to develop a style that is recognizable yet unique, and now we have to contend with the daily hyper-viewing of images.

I am not complaining! I love the web and I love that I can see all the lovely art I could I ever dream of. But I am just a tad more aware of the fact that I need to stay true to me and my style, and not get seduced by something bright and shiny.

Every Friday I will be sharing a video that is geared towards helping kids learn to draw. I will be demonstrating in a way I liked to learn as a child--with fun and fancy images that are easily repeated and not too complicated. This week it is the grumpy bunny from the image above.



Please feel free to share this post or video with any artistic little ones you may know.

This is an image from a book I illustrated a few years ago for author David Rowinski called The Open Pillow. Another style for PPF.



So get going! Draw draw draw with abandon--and help your kids do the same. Before you know it you will have your own amazing style.

xo

Drawn with the Kuretake brush pen.

66 comments:

  1. I think most artists end up reverting back to their own style even when there is a barrage of visual eye candy! Beautiful pieces...I love your colour combo for the cat and bunny...The open pillow piece is Stunning... really gorgeous work!!

    Hugs Giggles

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much Giggles! Visual eye candy--love it! And you are probably right--we probably can't to some degree veer too far from what we can do. I just know I wasted so much time trying to be everything for a while. I am trying to do a public service announcement I guess. Thanks for coming by! xo

      Delete
  2. I spent time in a gallery here for my photoblog a few days ago. It felt quite inspiring. I like your work!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you thank you William. I just saw your church photos--really beautiful stuff. xo

      Delete
  3. I really enjoyed your Grumpy Bunny video. What a wonderful tool for kids learning to draw. Also, your illustration of the bunny amidst tulips is so beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much Faye. I would have really enjoyed lessons like that when I was a girl. I had to wait for the summer when I would sign up for Valley Road School art classes. They were the best -- but they went too fast. Thanks for visiting Faye! xo

      Delete
  4. Wow! What fantastic drawing! So creative and inspiring!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Mona--I appreciate the nice words. :) Thanks for stopping by and happy PPF! xo

      Delete
  5. Wonderful drawings and illustrations, love the bunny in the tulips. We do need to get back to that stage where we try everything, like kids, who just do because they don't think about things they can't. Hugs, Valerie

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I SO agree with you Valerie! They have no idea they have limitations. I'm so glad you wrote that comment--I feel so inspired. xo

      Delete
  6. Gorgeous bunnies! I love seeing all the inspiration on the web but I also get a bit frustrated for not thinking it first and that sometimes gets me in a bit of a procrastination spell. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes! That terrible inertia of just starting sometimes--what is that?! And thank you Natasha--much a appreciated. Thanks for popping by! xo

      Delete
  7. Replies
    1. Thank you thank you sirkkis--and to you too. xo

      Delete
  8. Thank you for sharing your video!
    You are a talented artist.
    Thanks also for visiting my Magpie's Nest.
    oxo

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Patty. I hope some children get inspired. Thanks for coming by! xo

      Delete
  9. really love your open pillow illustration! And what a cool thing you are doing to get kids involved too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for saying Linda! I would have liked to have instructional videos as a kid--hoping some children might like them. Thanks for coming by! xo

      Delete
  10. Those tulips! and the intelligent looking bunny! and the black and white drawn background! - it's a tremendous illustration.
    Your video is such fun, this (very much older) kid loved it and could find it useful.
    Yes, I agree, to enjoying our wandering round the art web, but yes to trying not to copy and to keep and develop our very own style.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ah! I'm glad you liked the video. :) I had a devil of a time trying to recapture the style I used to use before I took a break to raise my son. So I just gave up and started to draw anything--with nothing in mind. It worked!
      Thank you for the nice words--I am still smiling xo

      Delete
  11. Both pieces beautifully rendered .. it's fun to experiment. Thanks for the video. It's fun to experiment and explore, however for myself, I really feel I have found my own unique voice and developed it in my paintings. Probably will not change much now ... hugs, Donna

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Dorothy. And it really is fun to experiment. But ohhh that lovely day when something clicks and we know we have something going. Glad you found your style, and thanks for visiting! xo

      Delete
  12. Oh my, exquisite and charming!!!
    Thank you for visiting me! So glad to meet you too!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much Peggy! I visited your coloring book blog too--lovely pictures. I just started taking photos also--I am in love. I'll see you around the art world! Thanks for stopping in. xo

      Delete
  13. I love your beautiful bunnies and gorgeous tulips. So cute.
    Come on Spring...we need you!
    Happy PPF

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes yes we need you! Sigh again. I want to be at the beach. And thank you very much for the nice words! xo

      Delete
  14. Oh I love your grumpy bunny and kitty friend! I also love your other bunny and the tulips are just gorgeous! It's so true, there's so much available these days!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you thank you Lisa. Yes--so much input! I have learned lately to make quick work of things that are not helpful--it cut down a lot of meandering. Glad you visited. xo

      Delete
  15. Hello Dea, How wonderful that you are encouraging kids! Your bunnies and tulips and adorable!
    ~~ Irene

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much Irene--I would have loved mini art lessons as a kid. I hope they catch on. Thanks for visiting! xo

      Delete
  16. Well, you certainly have your own style and I love it! That combination of colour with black and white doodles is very appealing. While I love seeing other artists's work, I find that looking at too many images can keep me from making my own art. Sometimes it's best to just shut down the computer and do your own thing. But I'm grateful for the abundance of images on the web, and for all those people so generously sharing what they know. I certainly have learned a lot from them!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am so with you! I can't look too much--if I need to find something I try to do it quickly--I am far to easily distracted. And thank you for the nice words and for stopping by. xo

      Delete
  17. Your art is unique and beautiful! Great to get you known!
    Happy weekend!
    oxo Susi
    I became follower as well♥♥♥

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you thank you Susi! Looking forward to seeing more of your art as well. xo

      Delete
  18. Replies
    1. Thank you very much Lorraine, happy you popped by. xo

      Delete
  19. Replies
    1. Thank you Clare! I had a funny bug lately that I wanted to get a bunny--so I figured I would draw and draw until the urge left my system. ;) Thanks for coming by! xo

      Delete
  20. Replies
    1. Thanks so much Karla B--I really appreciate you stopping by! xo

      Delete
  21. Love the bunnies-ha-ha! And how true about the internet. I think like everything-it has its pros and cons. I do think a big pro you didn't mention is the networking you can make on the internet, and having a place to connect and show your art...great post though.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh Erika I totally agree with you there! I have met so many nice people and made some true friends on the internet--something I never thought would happen. Thanks for the kind words and the great input. xo

      Delete
  22. Thank you so much for your visit to my blog and leaving your kind comment. It got me here to you and your heavenly illustrations. I love the pen and ink lines on your bunny picture. Oh, my, you are so talented. I am so happy to be here and I will add you to my blog roll so I will return each time you post. Have a wonderful sketch filled week. Stay warm.Now, I am off to see the video about the Grumpy Bunny. Take Care. genie

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh you are a sweetie! Such a nice warm comment--I hope you like the video even though it is for kids. I'll be looking forward to seeing you again. xo

      Delete
  23. I wish I'm that good in drawing/sketching. Love it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much Lux! So glad you stopped by. If you ever do any art I'd love to see. See you soon. xo

      Delete
  24. Oh my goodness your drawings are awesome! what an inspiration!!! makes me want to practice my drawings some more :) thank you so much for your kind comment on my blog and for being a new follower, thanks a million :) love your blog

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much Clemencia--I love your collage art and your name! I am glad to find new art friends and hope you will visit again! xo

      Delete
  25. Dea...I loved the video. I always tried to make learning FUN for my students like you are doing with the artwork. I sent you an email. Hope it goes thru to you. Genie

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Genie! I will go check my email right now. I'll bet you were a wonderful teacher. xo

      Delete
  26. I'm so inspired by real artists on PPF!!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am so inpired by PPF too! Love to meet everyone and make friends! I would love to have such lovely animal visitors in my front yard like you have in the pix on Google! Thanks so much for coming by! xo

      Delete
  27. Dea, love what I've seen of your blog and your talent!! I will definitely be back when I have more time. Thanks for your visit.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you thank you Sandy! I'll be looking forward to it. xo

      Delete
  28. love the kitten with rabbit ears :) So cool!
    It is hard for people to be themselves as they don´t know who they are really.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oooo NatureFootstep that is so true! You have to know what you want before you can get it. Great comment. xo

      Delete
  29. The Internet is great, but it confused me.
    I could never draw, have only painted with colors and was a textile artisan in my past life - maybe I should begin to draw with help of such videos? Hm, hmm ??
    Thanks for showing a way :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It confused me too Mascha--one of the reasons was because I LOVED it. When YouTube first came out it was like I was in college again--watching and learning and yes, getting befuddled. It is more mainstream now and I am older--I don't feel like I'm going to miss out on everything. xo

      Delete
  30. You are so talented, Dea. I love, love, love the video!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you thank you Veronica! I so appreciate the visit and the kind words. xo

      Delete
  31. Love your illustration! The combination of the colour, the black ink and the white spaces is just so delicate and beautiful. I love how, with the internet, I can connect with so many creative people around the globe, and I have learnt a lot thanks to its possibilities. But on the other hand, it can also get too much. Too much inspiration, that can leave me feel overwhelmed. I'm still working on finding a balance.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much Nordljus! Yes--the internet is like outer space to me--it just keeps growing and there is no end in sight. How could we possibly explore it all. I had to hyper focus and force myself to stop eventually--it is the ultimate time stealer! Glad you came by. xo

      Delete
  32. You inspired me!!! http://mymuskoka.blogspot.ca/2016/01/ppf-budgie-or-two.html

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh my gosh! I'm going to go over there right now and check this out. Yay!!! XO

      Delete