A Little About Me

Recently, the folks at Patience Brewster found my blog and asked if I would share about myself as an artist in accordance with the recent Artist Appreciation month. I appreciate Patience Brewster for reaching out to me. I am always encouraged when I get emails and requests from people I don't know who want to get to know me or support me in some way. Patience Brewster makes beautiful hand crafted Christmas ornaments. 

I hope you enjoy getting to know me a little better through these questions. 

1. As a child, do you recall a significant moment when you felt truly affected or inspired by any particular artwork or artist?

   The artist that influenced me growing up was my dad. Although he probably wont admit that he is an artist, his ability to see and recreate cartoons on anything from paper to birthday cakes inspired me as a child to do the same. He would always stop whatever he was doing to help me with my drawings or to teach me something new. My dad is the reason I draw, both genetically and by inspiration. Even today, with my skills beyond his, I still rely on his help. He has an amazing eye for seeing the tiniest details or changes I need to make to improve my drawings. He will always be the first person I go to if I need someone to give me a solid critique. Many people, even fellow artists, look at my unfinished drawings and think they are done, but my dad and I have the same standard of "complete". He understands what I am asking for when I call on him for help. I love my dad and I am am grateful for his love and investment in my life.

2. As an artist, what do you hope to convey with your work?

    At this point in my career I am mainly doing commissions. People will see my work and ask me to draw a portrait for them. A commonality in all my drawings is focus on detail. I draw exactly what I see in the photos I am given. If you has wrinkles or gray hairs, I'm drawing your wrinkles and gray hairs. Sometimes people want me to draw them younger, but I believe that what we look like is part of our uniqueness and our life story. I love drawing people as they are. Whatever makes you unique is what I love to draw. I want people to be happy with how they look and not be ashamed of getting older or being overweight or any of the other "problems" our society judges.   

3. What memorable responses have you had to your work?

  

    Since my artwork is photo-realistic (looks like a black & white photo) I have a lot of people think that my drawings are actually photographs. One time I submitted a drawing to a fundraiser expecting that it would be taken by someone, but the drawing never got chosen and I was shocked. I know that sounds arrogant, but everyone who saw it prior to the event told me they wanted it, so I assumed it would be chosen. I talked to some of the guests after the event and almost all of them thought my drawing was a photograph and that is why no one chose it. That reasoning made sense because if it had been a photograph, I probably wouldn't have chosen it either.

   Another memorable response was when a grandmother cried after seeing the commission I drew of her granddaughters. It feels great to bring joy to people through my drawings. 

4. What is your dream project?

   I have two dream projects so far. One is to do drawings of veterans. I have a lot of veterans in my family and feel that all veterans should be given recognition for the sacrifices they have made for our country. I am currently getting an opportunity to work with National Geographic photographers Robert Miller and Andrew Wakeford on a book that highlights veterans. You can see my blog post on it here. Another project I want to do is to draw my interpretations of all of Jesus' parables in the bible as well as biblical concepts in order to help grow and challenge my fellow believers in Christ.  

5. What artists, of any medium, do you admire? (Famous or not!)

    I am inspired by M.C. Escher, Alphonse Mucha and Caravaggio. Each of these artists has a very different style. I am inspired by Escher's attention to detail and his ability to create visually interesting scenes that combine Math and Art (tessellations). With Mucha, I am inspired by his posters that combine realistic figures and dark outlines usually associated with illustrations and cartoons. I also love the Art Nouveau era, which Mucha is apart of. Lastly Caravaggio inspires me with his use of chiaroscuro, the use of extreme lights and and shadows. As a black and white artist, I am very interested in light and how it moves around figures and objects.

Veteran's Voices

­This all started with an idea to do a series of drawn portraits of veterans in Ventura County and highlight their sacrifice for our country. My end goal was to have a show of these drawings, along with the stories of the veterans for people to read. As part of my artistic process I do a lot of research into other artists and projects that could be similar to what I was trying to accomplish. I then email the different artists to see if they will respond with any advice or tips that might help me in the completion of my project. I spent many hours browsing Google, Pinterest and Instagram. What I found was a lot of projects where the veterans themselves created the artwork, which is wonderful and therapeutic, but I wanted to find artists who were giving back to veterans with their art. I found 5 artists that created something similar to what I wanted to do and sent out cold emails to see if any of them wanted to respond. From those 5 emails I received one reply.

Robert Miller emailed me back within 24 hours. He is a photographer who worked on a book called "Portraits of Service: Looking into the Faces of Veterans". This book was exactly what I envisioned my drawing series to be, only I would use my drawings instead of photographs.  He said the loved my work and wanted to talk over a phone call. I was ecstatic! After we played email-tag for about a week or so, we finally got the chance to talk. I had a whole list of questions ready about how he funded his book project and how he contacted the veterans to interview. I was ready to get answers and start on my project, but before I had the chance to ask any questions Robert had asked if I wanted to be a part of the next veteran book he and another photographer were starting to work on.  What?! Seriously?! I was kind of in shock while I was processing his invitation, then he told me that he works for National Geographic. DONE, I was in! Wow, National Geographic!! What an opportunity!

The coolest part about it all was that before he emailed me to set up a phone conversation he asked his contacts at Nat Geo to see if they would be willing to let me in on the project. He contacted his fellow author/photographer, Andrew Wakeford, and discussed it with him too, all before we ever spoke. The fact that he was looking into bringing me onto the project, even before I said yes, proves to me that God works behind the scenes of our lives while we are in the middle of living them. I did nothing to receive this amazing opportunity except ask for advice, and I feel God dropped it in my lap.

The book I am involved with is called “Veteran’s Voices: Remarkable Stories of Heroism, Sacrifice and Honor”. I took this quote from their Facebook page to help you understand the book: “National Geographic Books and award-winning authors Robert H. Miller and Andrew Wakeford who wrote and photographed Portraits of Service Looking into the Faces of Veterans have come together to create an entirely new book tentatively called Veteran’s Voices: Remarkable Stories of Heroism, Sacrifice and Honor. This book will consist of thirteen sections and honors and explores the unique lives and remarkable stories of our men and women in the United States military.”

My part in this book has changed many times throughout this journey, and is continuing to change. I am not sure how my drawings will be used in the book, but I look forward to telling you once I know. In the mean time, meet the authors:  

Andrew Wakford

 Robert Miller

It is important to spread the word and get this book out there. Please take a few minutes to check out their website and like and share their Facebook page. 

The book will be ready for purchase on April 26, 2016. You can pre-order the book here.

I hope you will join me in sharing and celebrating the life of the amazing veterans of our military. I am honored to be a part of this book and its purpose "To inspire people of all ages to develop a greater understanding, empathy and awareness for the profound sacrifices experienced by our military veterans."

Starting My Zentangle Journey

     My first encounter with Zentangle was about a year ago when I was surfing the web. Stumbling across these very intricate and detailed line designs I thought to myself that it would be really cool if I could do that, but it seemed out of my reach. I had no idea how to start it and with my busy schedule had no time to invest in trying. I went to the Zentangle website and found that there was a certified teacher in my area, but never contacted her about taking a class.
     Months later I was hearing so much about Zentangle that my curiosity was peaked again. One of my friends encouraged me to take the class so I contacted Marta, the CZT in Port Hueneme and signed up. One of the main reasons for taking the class was to see if Zentangle would be something I would want to invest in and eventually teach my own classes. The morning of the class I was so excited I could hardly wait to leave my house. There were 6 of us in a tiny room and Marta at the front with a large Newsprint Pad of paper. The supplies were nicely arranged in front of each seat and after we all introduced ourselves we got started.
     As an artist who draws regularly I found that I was doing something that I had never done before. This type of drawing was only something I did in the corners of my notebook papers. I was starting from level one, just like those in the class that had very little drawing experience. I had 2 main struggles during the class. First was drawing with ink and not being allowed to draw my lines in pencil first. Second was adding pencil shading to my ink drawing. I was able to overcome the first but still had a hard time with the second.
    By the end of the class I was sold on Zentangle and knew I wanted to become a Certified Zentangle Teacher. Now that the decision was made I had to figure out the logistics. The only place of Certification is in Providence, Rhode Island. With more encouragement from my friends and family I put together a GoFundMe page and asked for donations to send me to Rhode Island to become a CZT. Within a month the money I need to go had been raised! I couldn't believe how much support I was given. I love being apart of the community I am in.
     On June 19th I left for Rhode Island and started CZT Seminar 20 a few days later. By taking the seminar I understood why you need to take the seminar if you want to be a certified teacher. I learned more about the Zentangle Method in 4 days then I ever could have from any other source. Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas, the founders of Zentangle, have spent years developing this method, researching the best materials to use and certifying others to teach Zentangle the way it is meant to be taught. I met amazing people at the seminar, made life long friends and am now apart of a CZT community that spans across the world. Here are some photos from my trip.

   

     The whole week became an experience. From the accommodating hotel staff to the wonderful meals and the love and attention to detail that was given to the workshops made for an experience, not just a class. Rick and Maria lead by example and provided a week that I will never forget. 

Finding My Focus

The last few months I have been seriously thinking about how to make my career as an artist work. I'm reading two books that I feel will help. "I'd Rather Be In My Studio" by Allyson B Stanfield is helping me with a "no-excuses" way to promote myself as an artist and "Creative, Inc.: The Ultimate Guide to Running a Successful Freelance Business" by Joy Deangdeelert Cho and Meg Mateo Ilasco is helping me to develop a freelance business doing what I love. 

   So what do I love doing? I love drawing portraits of people, for people.

Drawing people includes a very wide range of subjects and themes. I need to find a focus for my portrait drawings. Over the last 2 years I have been getting an array of portrait commissions of couples, children, families and individuals for a variety of reasons such as gifts for friends or loved ones, memorials, weddings and sometimes just because the client wants a portrait. I don't mind doing a wide range of portraits, but I feel that in order to create an actual business out of what I love doing, I need to develop a specific focus to build off of. Basically creating a niche for myself that can later expand into other areas of portraiture. 

I found that I really enjoy drawing couples portraits, especially for weddings. The drawings I have done, including the two below, were very enjoyable for me to draw. I work hard to try and capture the feelings of love and excitement I see expressed by the couples. I have given this niche some thought and can envision it to be a unique inclusion to making weddings and events memorable for all people involved.
I would offer 3 different drawing possibilities.
   1) Before the Wedding: using photographs of a couple, such as an engagement photo, I would complete the drawing in order for it to be display during the wedding ceremony and/or reception.
   2) After the Wedding: using photos from the wedding, the couple would receive a portrait within the first year of being newlyweds.
   3) Wedding and Anniversary Gifts: family and friends would commission me for a drawing using a photo of their choice or through a gift certificate given to the couple.

Here are two drawings I have done. The first was a wedding gift to my brother and his wife and the second was commissioned by the couple shown.

Patrick and Stefanie 14" x 11"

Jesse and Chris 9" x 12"

To test the waters and see if there is a want or desire for something like this, I am trying to contact wedding & event coordinators to see if I can make connections with them and pitch my idea. Would they be willing to promote my hand drawn wedding portrait service to their clients as a unique artistic addition to their special day? All I can do is put myself out there, ask and pray for doors to open. It was also suggested to me to go to wedding expos and promote my services in that way as well.

This is a really big move for me. Finally nailing down what I want to draw and starting to figure out and unify my business. This is going to be a lot of work and I am nervous that I may be biting off a lot. I need to continually remind myself not to get discouraged. The reality is this wont succeed overnight and if I am lazy or dragging my feet to get started, it won't happen at all. Those realities come from the "no-excuse" topics from Allyson B. Stanfield's book, which will help to get my butt in gear. 

I am trying to get as much feedback and suggestions as possible, so I would love to hear your thoughts and comments on this. 

Family Commission

A few months ago I was really busy with Christmas commissions. I finished more drawings in 3 weeks then I ever have before. It was amazing. One of the clients I was doing a commission for had bought a gift certificate at an auction for Heart of Hope in November. Heart of Hope is the non-profit organization I go to Romania with over the last few summers. Anyway, the couple I drew came back after their drawing was done and wanted me to draw both of their sons and their son's wives as couple portraits. There were challenges with them, as there is with any commission. No matter how many times I draw a face there is no shortage of small details I have to get just right.

I am very pleased with how these three drawings turned out. This is the first time I have drawn a family like this. I wasn't sure how well it would turn out. I had to ask for the original couples drawing back so I could make sure they all matched as a set. I ended up making alterations to the first drawing, the one I did during Christmas. It was easier to darken that one then it would have been to lighten the other two. So here they are. As individuals and as a group. I asked Don, the father, to send me a photo of them hanging together on the wall of their home. I can't wait to see what they look like all together.

Getting back into a Groove

One of the things I have learned about myself in the last few years of trying to draw regularly is this:

I get so frustrated when I have lost "the groove" of production and progress.

No matter what the reason for loosing it, I always have a hard time getting it back. Does anyone else have this issue? Currently I am in working toward getting my groove back... yet again. It would be interesting to track how often I "loose my groove" and how quickly (or not) I get it back.

Recently I posted about how the start of the new year has been overwhelming, frustrating and encouraging all at the same time. Not too much as changed since then, but the good news is that I have been able to make some progress on 2 of my commissions that are due soon. I also have a huge support system of family, friends and fellow artists that are always encouraging me to keep working hard and not to give up.

Eventually I will get my groove back. I always do. Not sure how long I will be able to keep it, but when I'm in it, I am there! Oh Yeah!



*I love Emperor's New Groove! It is one of my favorite Disney movies. Kuzco embodied how I have been feeling lately, so I had to include him in my post today.

Extra Drawing Time!

 This week I have found a fun and easy way to draw every day outside of my studio. It all starts with my "day job".  From what I have been told and from what I have read, many artists who are working today are not able to create their art full time. Many of us have to have a "day job" to help with the financial strain of trying to make it as an artist. I am no exception to this. I am working toward being a full time artist, but currently I have 2 different part time jobs that help me to pay for rent, bills and groceries.

     One of my part time jobs is a van driver for my church's after school program. Our day care center is called 7C's, which stands for "Camarillo Community Church Christian Child Care Center". About 3 years ago I took my Bus Driving test at the DMV and now have a Class B licence. I take kids to school in the morning and I pick them up throughout the afternoon. Check out the buses at my work! They are a rainbow of fun!!! I drive the blue van. And yes, we do park them in color order everyday. 

     My schedule is a split shift. I get to work at 7am, take kids to school, and after I get off work at 8:30am I have designated that time for my studio work. I go straight to my studio (which is also in Camarillo) and stay there until about Noon when I have to return to work for my afternoon runs. In the afternoon I drive to different schools and wait for the kids to get out of class. In the past while I was waiting for the kids to get out of school I would do a number of things within the 10 or 15 minutes before the bell rings. I have read books, my bible or magazines. I have taken quick naps and most of the time I play games on my phone.

     This is where my drawing comes in. Now instead of doing all of that other stuff I will be creating small 4" x 6" drawings. I have a small case with my essential drawing utensils (pencils, erasers, sharpener and blending stumps) and my sketchbook. Inside my sketchbook I place a 4x6 photo that I want to draw next to a 4x6 blank paper. When I am waiting for school to get out, I take my sketchbook and pencils out, place the sketchbook on my lap or lean it against the steering wheel and draw for a few minutes at a time. It takes a few days for each small drawing, but I was able to complete 2 drawings over 8 days of bus runs. Here is my set up:

These are the 2 drawings I did this last week

The start of this year has been....

The start of this year has been.... Overwhelming

   After starting a "lifestyle change" of eating good and real foods, and not eating what I used to (i.e. fast food, soda and junk food) I felt like I was in a panic, stressing about what I could or could not eat. The hole first week of the new year, food consumed my thoughts to the point where I couldn't really focus on anything else. However, after doing this for a few weeks I am finally getting the hang of things and being a lot more calm about it all. 

The start of this year has been.... Frustrating

   I have mainly been frustrated with myself for doing and scheduling other things when I should be in my studio drawing. With 3 commissions ready to be worked on and 3 more on the way, I need to be proactive about not doing anything during my studio time except draw. Today (January 19th) was the first day I was able to sit down at my table and draw for most of the day! It was awesome and felt good to be able to do it. Hopefully that will help jump-start my studio time again.

The start of this year has been.... Encouraging

   I have been able to talk to a few of the artists at my community art studio during the new year and have received some great advice and help on some of the things I have been struggling with. One of those things was raising my prices for commissions. I have was hearing from those who are asking me for commissions that my prices are “a great deal” and other comments like, “Are you sure that will be enough?” or “I know you gave me a discount on that.” And even others that flat out tell me my prices are too low. All the comments pushed me to raise my prices, so I talked to a very close artist friend of mine who helped me figure out a starting price for an individual portrait and then a formula for adding one or more portraits on the same paper. It is a great system and I am interested to see how it works. Now my challenge will be to be confident in these new prices when I am talking to people about them. Only time and experience will tell how this will all work out.  

   Another helpful adviser talked to me about what I was doing, what was taking the most of my time and energy. Taking all of that into consideration, was I being compensated for what I was putting in. I learned a lot from that session and will be making adjustments soon. 

Overall I would rate this month low at the beginning, but that rate is climbing higher each day.  There are a few other things that I will be working toward over the next few weeks and months. Being financially stable in my business, submitting my drawings to drawing competitions, learning to market my business efficiently and networking with other artist. Even thought I had a rough start to the year, I look forward to moving ahead, growing, and becoming a more confident artist.