An Arty Quest.
6 
Whenever I stumble against an arty difficulty, I step into an arty quest. I don’t have a real road that I travel, but then again I guess that’s the whole point of a quest right? You have a map and some tools and you go on an adventure to find the ‘ancient treasure’.
I want to go on a real quest now…
That aside, in a way everything is a quest, because you’re never done learning. However, every now and then I’m on a specific quest that hopefully brings me to a new level so I can create even better art. The first arty quest I stepped into was for painting skin tones. When I look back now, I’m not sure why I was so scared to paint skin tones though. Probably because I was scared to mess it up, but since I wanted to add another dimension to my work, I had to face it. And you know, once I started painting them it wasn’t difficult at all. All I did was study pictures and checked what subtleties of colors were hidden in my references. Skin tones aren’t flat colors, at least not in how I want to paint them, next to the basic overall color there are blues, pinks, browns, yellows and greys hidden in there. Sometimes you don’t see it right away, but when you take a closer look you notice several colors. This also enhances the depth in an illustration.
The quest this time is flowy lines. There is a certain touch of life in my pencil drawings that I not always re-capture when I re-draw and paint my work. I wondered why and I think this touch of life often gets missing when I create a clean line-art. So again I look up references and simply stare at them. I read up on art techniques, watch videos on YouTube and ask around. While I’m doing this, I quickly try out small drawings to see how I like the outcome and what I find difficult and then I do more research and practice. Because eventually that’s what it all boils down to…practice, practice, practice! Oh and not being afraid of the paint. I do have to give the watercolors even more free range if I want to achieve more flowiness. When I have a soft pencil base and I’m not too strict with my brush strokes, I notice that I do get more of the flow back. It’s a different type of flow than in my pencil drawing though.
So I have a start, but the quest isn’t over yet and until then I’ll just keep bombarding you with quick sketches and ideas!
An Arty Quest.,
Tahira Lubrano, also known as TJ, was a Master Sociology student, but now she is chasing her dreams as an artist. You can find ramblings and observations surrounded by her own illustrations at her blog A Look in a Creative Mind. Everything is magical there and you are most welcome to float along and wander around her imaginative world. View My Profile
Tags: art material, arty quest, flowy lines, illustration, painting, TJ Lubrano
Sweet TJ, I love your flowing lines and personally believe “flowiness” has become an instantly recognizable Lubrano signature. Those lines suit your nature, which is flowy and not rigid. Life itself is fluid and constantly moving. It is so interesting watching the art process through your eyes. Your quest for learning is a wonder to admire.
Sweet Cher!! Thank you so much! I’ve always drawn soft lines and rounder shapes when I was little. Never could get the harsh lines completely harsh looking. I remember saying this to others when I tried to describe the doodles I did when I was younger. Yes, I really copied images without drawing for myself, but the line-work made it different from the original image. So I guess the flowiness has been there all along and now I can share it all with you guys!!!
Xoxo
Here’s to the quest for flowy lines! It’s so fun to watch you as you journey forward, learning new styles and techniques. And that painting is lovely and, dare I say, flowy.
Great job, TJ. Love it!
Oooh you said it! You said…flowyyyy
haha!
Woohoo *raises coffee mug* I can’t add more to all the lovely things you said! Thanks so much!
TJ, I find your work delightful, and I’m interested in following your learning process. We are all works in progress, but some of us put more into it than others. It’s a fascinating thing to watch you grow as an artist, right in front of our eyes!
Melody, Thank You and I am so happy you’re tagging along
It’s really interesting to see what others pick up from whatever I draw and how I draw it. It motivates me to draw even more haha.
DO NOT BE AFRAID OF THE PAINT! That’s really great advice for someone like me who gets nervous even *thinking* about dipping a brush into paint. I think all art is sort of that way-- you have to dive in and just see what happens.
I love these little glimpses into your creative process. It always inspires me to create!
Do Not Be Afraid Jen! Do NOT be afraid *jazz hands*
I’m so happy that it inspires you to keep on creating. You know what I always keep in mind as well? You control who sees your work. So if you painted something and you’re not happy with it, you do not have to show it to people (maybe one person or so who can help you with tips/tricks). Also, don’t throw it away just yet, put it in a folder and hide it in a drawer. Keep on practicing and after a while, grab the folder again and compare. Seeing the difference is always rewarding
Just start with a little drawing and use waterproof ink hehe.
Dive Glitter Lady
T J,
Everything about you flows! And I believe this opening line is why: “in a way everything is a quest, because you’re never done learning.”
As long as this is your perspective and approach, not only will your lines flow, but so will your life and your talent. A beautiful illustration crowns this piece and wisdom flows through it that extends to many areas beside the visual arts.
Keep on questing! May the flow be with you!
Larry
Ciao Larry! Now I am imagining a flowy TJ. Hehe.
But really, thank you for your lovely comment! It’s funny, when I was younger I couldn’t wait for the day that I’d be done with school. Funny thing, besides all the things I had to learn for school/college, I always read more and studied other things. So even though I was telling myself I wanted to stop with learning, I was actually learning more. I just wanted to learn about other things haha.
I shall keep on questing!! *bows*