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Art Dabbler

survival guide, art, making art, drawing, newbie, learning to draw, painting, reviews, art books, art dabbler blog, acrilic, ink, books, art movement

Oh no! It's another art blog! Why? Why would I do this, you ask? Well because I find some cool stuff that you may find useful.

I struggle and find ways out of my creative slump and maybe it will help you. Did I mention I find stuff in two languages? Which means twice the cool stuff!

When I picked up a pencil and decided I needed to start drawing again, I hadn’t painted in twenty years! I was out of art supplies. All I had was an IKEA pencil and a desire to learn. I kept my first attempts at drawing to track my progress and be able to see my first steps many years from now. It was difficult to admit to others that I was drawing. There were confidence issues and I generally felt silly: "I am an almost forty-year-old woman, suddenly decided to draw! “What the hell is she thinking? What a silly idea!”-- was running through my head. But it was just a moment of weakness, it was something I needed to work on. Posting my work on social media helped me receive some support and get a much-needed ego boost. Criticism also helped. It made me see the areas I needed to work on. My first drawings were very frustrating to make, they were nothing like ideas I had in my head. Oh, I also couldn't use colour! I can't tell you how many things I ruined once I started colouring them! Desire to quit was strong in me…but I kept at it and I am still going on now. In the last three years, drawing kept me sane. It helped me through a lot in life; instead of trying to sleep away my problems, I painted; I put brush strokes on canvas instead of chasing circular thoughts in my head. I watched YouTube tutorials instead of fighting. I haven't done it regularly and took many breaks throughout these 3 years, but I am still going strong and I am still loving it. I analyzed myself through my art. It brought my insecurities and my fears out and gave me the ability to find the root of many of my problems, and let go, and move on.

So enough about me, let me tell you what you will be able to find here. I will post reviews on phenomenal books I have found and that are extremely useful for novices. I will post links to my favourite tutorials and artists who inspire me. I will post my thoughts on life and art and design.

May the force be with you,

 

Larisa


Articles

survival guide, art, making art, drawing, newbie, learning to draw, painting, reviews, art books, art dabbler blog, acrilic, ink, books, art movement

The progression of art is important topic. If you can predict a trend you can come up on top, isn't that what everyone wants in our fast-paced world? Here I want to give you my fifty cents on where art is going. I do believe the vast amount of knowledge that is available to us now, is a key in forming future art movements. We are entering the era of display of skill and rethinking of the past movements through the digital eyes. Display of skill will become key. If before art could have been controlled by teachers and critics, now the masses are the main critics, and without any gallery showings a person can become famous on Instagram, start selling art directly and selling their own brand of teachings and techniques, perhaps ridiculous to the academics. Oh, there will be a lot of winning and complaining over the ignorance of the new generation coming from them. But in my opinion, it will be glorious generation of truly free artists. Free from the opinions and free to explore any realm of their imagination capable of expressing themselves to the full capacity of their skill.

Always thirsty for new knowledge, always changing, always searching, they will speak of things that matter to them, they will make baroque style paintings of Zelda and impressionistic view of the back of their sofa. Their topics will be criticized by the old schoolteachers, but their skill will be undeniable!

Display of skill will be the main rule of the game, less and less artist will be able to get away with a few dabs of paint on canvas and a big memorandum written to go with it and call it an art and sell it for 20000$. But the digital world will give more freedom to those that perhaps not so good with tools of the trade in real live.

I feel that more than ever art will have to tell the story, even if it’s a landscape or still life. Our minds over exposed to imagery and just a pretty picture won’t do it, it will have to suck you in, hunt you or make you wonder. Global political issues will drive and create powerful art. Activism will be a main message. Politics will be heavily present in the topics as well.

Simplicity and minimalism is also here to stay, but, as everything it will be put upside down, and perhaps folklore and boho elements will find its way into it. Forgotten craftsmanship of our ancestors will be revived, those YouTube tutorials will give birth to new masters. In a way it will be glorious artistic anarchy a new renaissance if you will. I just can’t wait to see it all, we live in the exciting times!

My favourite ART books

survival guide, art, making art, drawing, newbie, learning to draw, painting, reviews, art books, art dabbler blog, acrilic, ink, books, art movement

Absolutly amazing book! It in detail and with vast amount of illustrations shows all the major techniques, such as stippling, hatching, and crosshatching. Makes you want to draw non stop, and you will spend countless hours stairing at all the illustrations trying to see how its done.

survival guide, art, making art, drawing, newbie, learning to draw, painting, reviews, art books, art dabbler blog, acrilic, ink, books, art movement

Great book for both the begginers and pros, it makes you fall in love with color and texture, and the process of painting it self, teaches you tricks that you can use in the future in your own projects.

survival guide, art, making art, drawing, newbie, learning to draw, painting, reviews, art books, art dabbler blog, acrilic, ink, books, art movement

This book is one of the series which introduces you to the abstract technics, which you can use in other projects that are not abstract and give you better understanding of lines , color and texture. I would recomend checking out all three books in the series.

survival guide, art, making art, drawing, newbie, learning to draw, painting, reviews, art books, art dabbler blog, acrilic, ink, books, art movement

If you are curious about astrology, do you ever wonder if your astrological sign can affect your artistic style; can it make you prefer certain subject matter, or maybe even predict if you will ever make money? Do you know that statistically speaking most artists are born under sun sign of Taurus? Perhaps Venus, Taurus’ ruling planet inspires them and sets them on the path of art creation. A close second spot is shared by two signs: Cancer and Aquarius. They are ruled by the Moon and Uranus. Moon makes Cancer feel and art helps them deal with the flood of emotions that they constantly carry inside. Uranus, on the other hand, gives flashes of inspiration and glimpses into future art pieces to Aquarius, and even if they ignore this for awhile, eventually, they will pick up a pen or a brush or even the tablet and will attempt to recreate it. Let’s look at each sign closer. Does your sign match your style? What do you think?

Aries

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Aries start drawing spontaneously, and it becomes their lifelong passion. They’re drawn to unusual styles. They’re driven, energetic and dedicate themselves fully to their craft. They rely on use of color to convey emotions to their viewers. Goya and Van Gogh are great examples of dedication that Aries bring to their work. Not being understood in their lifetime doesn’t scare them; they will keep going despite their haters. But you should be warned; if you decide to give “constrictive” criticism to an Aries they take it to close to heart and you might experience the Aries fury or end up on their blacklist for good. So, it’s a good Idea to keep your unsolicited advice to yourself.

Some of the artists born under the sun sign Aries are Francisco Goya, Vincent Van Gogh, Yayoi Kusama, Akira Toriyama, Joan Miro, Max Ernst, and Anthony Van Dyck.

Taurus

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When Taurus decides to start drawing, he starts with deep inspection of the subject; he reads every book he can lay his hands on, he watches tons of YouTube tutorials and enrolls in art class. He takes his time to search for a perfect art style to make his own, he tries many before settling for one that inspires him the most. He than perfects himself in it. After such intense study period, no line on his painting, not a drip of color will ever feel out of place. He will start producing masterpieces one after the other. You want to know who a perfect example of Taurus artist is? —Salvador Dali! He tried a few different styles before making his mark in surrealism and making it synonymous with his name. He perfected his style and made a phenomenal number of masterpieces! Another interesting detail to mention in regard to the art made by Taurus is that it is loved by Interior Designers; there is a sense of harmony, color and subject matter just loved by those who are looking to beautify their home.

Other famous artists born under star sign Taurus: John James Audubon, Eugene Delacroix, Samuel Morse, J. M. W. Turner, and Willem de Kooning, Tamara Łempicka.

Geminis

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          modern art, paint online, artwork, famous artists, art supplies, fine arts, tutorials, art lessons, Horoscope, astrology, sun signs, astrological signs

When Gemini’s first decide to start to draw, they first take their time to simply dream about it. I wonder how many famous artists the world lost just because they never took it further than their dreams. Geminis are very unsure of their skill; they are too worried about other peoples’ opinions of themselves and scared to look silly. This deep-rooted insecurity stops them from going further with their art. Once they actually start to draw, they often have tones of unfinished paintings; procrastination is also their big vice. If I can give one piece of advice to Gemini artists, its don’t throw away old unfinished drawings, try to come back to them later and finish them with a different outlook and a different mood. You might be pleasantly surprised with the results. You can see a lot of Geminis as founders of new art styles. For example, Andre Deraine co-founder of Fauvism; Paul Gauguin whose artwork was so different from all the other artists of his time and so easily recognisable now. Mary Cassatt, one of the great female impressionists. Also, many Geminis master hyperrealism; they have the patience and attention to detail that this style requires.

Famous Gemini painters are Paul Gauguin, Egon Schiele, Mary Cassatt, Nicolas Poussin, Diego Velasquez and Istvan Sandorfi.

Cancer

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Cancers start to draw as an escape from all the emotions they constantly feel. It releases them from the inner pain they often experience. It heals them and they often inspire others as well. Cancers prefer to paint in solitude as it can help them bring all the emotions from the bottom of their hearts without the fear of being seen at their most vulnerable. Cancers are drawn to circular and oval shapes. No wonder we see two great Cancer artists are part of the Art Nouveau movement; Antoni Gaudi and Gustav Klimt, they also love gold paint, just remember paintings of Klimt! Its all about gold! Another famous artist that brought her pain into every painting she made, Frida Kahlo She is a true Cancer artist, she felt each of her paintings and we can still feel her in each one of them.

This is just a short list of Cancer artists: Frida Kahlo, Antoni Gaudi, Gustav Klimt, Rembrandt, Marc Chagall, Peter Paul Rubens, David Hockney, and Edgar Degas Amadeo Modigliani

Leo

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Leos will not start drawing unless they will be sure that they will be good at it; if they not sure, they will probably stick to coloring Zen circles or find another hobby that they can master. Those who do stick to painting will most likely find success and fame during their lifetime. They are true masters, no other sign filled with so many famous names. They also need to hear your praise; if they don’t feel other people’s interest in their work, they can lose interest in art all together. They are not scared of going against the grain and their work often raises lots of emotions and sometimes even confusion. For example, the founder of DADA art movement, Marcel Duchamp or Andy Warhol.

Famous artists Leos are Marcel Duchamp, Andy Warhol, Ilya Repin, Aivazovski, Joshua Reynolds.

Virgo

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          modern art, paint online, artwork, famous artists, art supplies, fine arts, tutorials, art lessons, Horoscope, astrology, sun signs, astrological signs

Virgos are perfectionists and early stages of their studies they can feel very discouraged because they can see their own flaws in everything they do. Its something they just can’t unsee. Well, dear Virgos, just stop right there! You will get there with your hard work and determination; just give your self some time and cut yourself some slack already! Virgos naturally strive to perfection; in the end this makes true masters out of them. They are prone toward realism, because they have the patience and attention to detail that this style requires. Although they will still try to show extra beauty, because they don’t want to see the bad side of the world, they want to make it more beautiful, even if it makes it less realistic. They also love to draw flowers and nature is the prime subject of their drawings. There is never any chaos or disorder in the Virgos’ paintings. Everything is very put together is very clear and very finished. There's often a lot of symmetry. You can see the cleanness of lines and carefully put together colours.

The artists born under sun sign Virgo are Ai Weiwei, Jacques-Louis David, John Atkinson Grimshaw, Margaret Keane, Tarsila do Amaral, and Joseph Wright of Derby.

Libra

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Libras are born with natural good taste; they can sense what is beautiful on cellular level and even their early paintings are beautiful even if they lack skill. They are always a bit dramatic, they like big canvases and their paintings are close to theater decorations. They always make a statement and catch the attention of the viewer. They can experiment with the subject. To them, it is important to have a community of artists around them, art is not just paintings it is also a community of likeminded people that inspire each other.

Some of the famous artists Libras are Caravaggio, El Greco, Mark Rothko, Alberto Giacometti, Paula Scher, Tintoretto, and Faith Ringgold.

Scorpio

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Scorpios’ passion oozes through their paintings; their art is mystical, sometimes even dark, it makes you feel. Often their work inspires cult following. There is something almost sexual and primal in their work. Drama follows them behind the curtains as well; Rodin is a great example of a Scorpio artist and the dramatic relationship he had with his student Camille Claudel. The two formed a passionate but stormy relationship and influenced each other artistically. However, it didn’t end well for Camille. Even if it is a very reserved Scorpio like Claude Monet, his art nonetheless still to this day has undeniable cult-like following. Another Scorpio artist is Bob Ross, the most beloved TV personality, his following continues, and he will be remembered and cherished for many years to come

This is just a few of famous Scorpio artists: Bob Ross, Auguste Rodin, Pablo Picasso, Johannes Vermeer, Roy Lichtenstein, and Alfred Sisley.

Sagittarius

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Sagittarius often starts drawing as a way to express their freedom, freedom of thought and independent style. They get inspired by everyday life and by things that surround them, but they find a unique way to express their emotions. Often you can see philosophical side of Sagittarius in their paintings; they reflect on life and how it makes them feel, almost working through their own emotions through paintings Their work can also express their political views, like Diego Riviera for example, or show their fears like Edvard Munich. Just as for libras, they value the comradery of the fellow artists; they bounce ideas from each other and feed off of this creative energy.

The artists born under sun sign Sagittarius are Diego Riviera, Edvard Munich, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Paul Klee, Masaccio, Andrea Pozzo, Marie Tussaud, and William-Adolphe Bouguereau.

Capricorn

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If Capricorn has decided to become an artist, he will definitely become one! He will study day and night and will tirelessly perfect his skill to find his unique style! He will attend classes and read books, much like his fellow earth sign Taurus. But to Capricorn its not enough to just become good, they want to make money and be successful! This is what success is for them. It is not surprising that one of the only successful impressionist artists that managed to sell paintings during his lifetime is a Capricorn! Its Paul Cézanne. He is great example of Capricorn’s talent, determination and success. If you search through every art movement, the artists that were able to achieve a great financial success are often Capricorns, but they are not sell outs, they keep their artistic integrity and often lead the movements that they choose, they are just naturally business savvy , which is unusual combination for an artistic mind.

Some of the artists born under sun sign of Capricorn are Paul Cézanne, Henri Matisse, Khalil Gibran, Lawrence Alma-Tadema, Boris Vallejo, Ad Reinhardt, and Louise Bourgeois.

Aquarius

aquarius

When Aquarius decides to study art, he will either dabble in it for a bit and move on to something else or he will fully submerge in it and dedicate his whole life to it. He is amazingly quick and what takes others years of practice, takes him weeks or even days to master. They often have painting ideas long before they start paintings and they will eventually try to manifest them in real life. They are never short of ideas; if anything, they don’t have enough time to make everything that they can think of. The subject of paintings is often having to do with something they love, something nostalgic, fond memories, beautiful scenery, people they love, something that gives them a warm feeling while they create it. For example, the work of Norman Rockwell, whose little scenes from daily life define a whole generation and sets a warm and cozy mood. They don’t explain it to others, but the warmth can be felt from their paintings set an inviting mood. Another thing that interests them is psychology of color and how can colors affect viewers and implement that into their artwork.

Some of the artists born under sun sign of Aquarius are Norman Rockwell, Jackson Pollock, Jackson Pollock, Édouard Manet, Constantin Brâncuși, H. R. Giger, Fernand Léger, Anders Zorn, and Amrita Shergil,

Pisces

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Pisces are natural artists; they often start drawing at a very young age and it becomes a part of them like breathing or sleeping. They often start doing it not to make money, but to express themselves and simply because they just love to do it. Often evolves in the fulltime profession which makes Pieces very happy, because it never feels like a job to them! Their paintings full of shades of color; gradients and unusual color combinations, lots of texture and color. Their dreamy disposition very often comes through in their paintings and they have a magical and fairy-tale feel to them. They also love to have philosophical meaning to their paintings, sometimes even religious or mystical.

Some of the artists born under Pisces sun sign are Lizzy Ansingh, Milton Avery, Charles Le Brun, Kazimir Malevich, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Michelangelo and Piet Mondrian.