flowers – Art By Jessica Jewett

I have been a portrait artist for so long that I almost got to a point of never imagining myself doing anything else. That’s not necessarily a good thing, however. Artists, in my opinion, should definitely develop a style but not at the expense of challenging themselves. There comes a point when you’re doing the same thing again and again that your creativity goes flat, so it’s incredibly important to find ways to stretch your style into new subjects.

A few years ago, I did this colored pencil piece when I was visiting family in Wyoming. This was where we were camping on the North Platte River a bit upriver from the Alcova Reservoir. I sketched it out in person, took a photo, and then added the color when I got home. It’s fairly obvious to me that I was hesitant and uncertain about how to work with earthy colors as opposed to flesh tones. It’s not terrible but I wanted it to be better. This piece now belongs to my father.

I’ve attempted painting landscapes with water elements before. This one turned out very well, much better than I expected at the time. It wasn’t any place in particular but more like a reflection of my thoughts on death and crossing into the afterlife. All in all, not a bad effort but I took it as a fluke because I did this under the guidance of a more experienced painter.

A trend has been developing, it seems, of me doing better with pencil scenes. It’s not that much of a surprise considering I’ve always done stronger work in charcoal or graphite. But I don’t think landscapes are meant for black and white unless you’re trying to create a darker mood with cemeteries or dilapidated houses. Nature is filled with beautiful colors that express every kind of mood or emotion in the universe and that is the real challenge for an artist to master.

But then I decided to at least work in black and white for a while to master (or at least get better) the technical parts of creating nature-based art. It’s totally different than portraits of people. I cannot approach those things the same way, otherwise I’ll fail at what I’m trying to accomplish. It could be said that people and nature have completely different souls that can’t be interchangeable on paper or canvas.

Maine Coast Drawing – Graphite pencil on sketchbook paper.

Colonial Woman – charcoal and graphite pencils on heavy drawing paper.

The Cemetery At Night is 11×14 on mixed media paper, drawn in black charcoal, white charcoal, and graphite pencil.

Recently I attempted doing a drawing of the coast of Scotland in color after such a long time of trying to understand things in black and white. My Scotland drawing was done in Copic markers, which has the benefit of mixing and blending the way I want to do with oil paint but I’m not quite ready to be that advanced yet. Oils are my ultimate goal but it’s been so long since I used them that I think I’m back down to the beginner stage again. That’s fine, though. I can play with color using Copic markers until I’m used to deciphering nature’s palettes and then I can go back to paint.

I’m definitely more energized and ready to try doing more landscapes and seascapes again. Seeing my marked improvement from the Wyoming piece to the Scotland piece tells me that practice really does make perfect, as much as I hate those little sayings. I wanted you all to see the improvement too because some of you might be struggling to master something in your artistic goals. Keep your old stuff because you will see your development over time. And seeing your skills grow will do a lot for your self-confidence as an artist. I certainly haven’t mastered landscapes or seascapes but I can see the evidence that I’m getting better. That’s enough for me.

Take a look at Scotland.

Donation

Please consider making a donation to help me keep up with the cost of art supplies, living expenses, equipment related to my disability, and so forth. The minimum is set at $10.00. Thank you for your generosity.

$10.00

Follow me on social media!

June 11, 2018June 17, 2018 by Jessica Jewett Categories: copic, Landscapes and SeascapesTags: art, arthrogryposis, atlanta, cemetery, copic, dark, disability, disabled artist, drawing, flowers, georgia, ghosts, graveyard, illustration, illustrator, ink, inspiration, landscape, motivation, nature, night, occult, ocean, scotland, sea, seascape, sketchbook, sketching, southern artist, southern gothic, spirits, spooky Leave a comment

It was a total impulse buy a few months ago and here we are now. My honest confession is that I can’t stop using these pens. They live on my desk on a permanent basis. I’m regretting the fact that I only got the 24 set considering there is the glorious bounty of a 72 set too.

Essentially what you’re getting is a metal tin filled with a variety of colors in the 0.4 mm tip size. To compare with the Sakura Pigma Micron fine liner sizing system, these pens are the same as their 04 size. That means you won’t get the super fine line you can get with the smallest Micron pens but I think Arteza isn’t going for the smallest line. They’re going for something in between that appeals to some professional illustrators right down to people filling in coloring books to relax.

Now let’s look at the claims Arteza makes about the 24-pen tin that I purchased. The inks in these pens are water-based, which means they are nor permanent like other fine liners. However, they are advertised as being made with non-smudging, odor-free, and acid-free ink. The nibs are long-lasting metal-clad encased tips for precise detailing with rulers and stencils. The triangular-shaped barrel is designed for a perfect grip with the added benefit that they won’t roll off desks or tables. Another claim states that they are ideal for left-handed use.

I can’t say whether these pens are good for right- or left-handed people because I draw with the tools in my mouth due to my disability. I can, however, say the barrel is one of the big reasons why I favor this pen. If you have a mobility impairment, it’s difficult to catch or grab rolling pens, so the triangle shape is easier to hold. The plastic is sturdy as well. I’ve been using these pens regularly for a few months and I haven’t managed to crack any of them yet. So the barrel design is a major pro on the decision whether to try these pens or not.

On the other hand, water-based ink can be a con in the decision-making process because a lot of illustrators out there who use ink often prefer alcohol-based ink. Personally, though, I haven’t found the ink problematic so far. I have found the ink mostly smudge-resistant, bright, strong, and smooth. Only one green pen has minor drag issues but I think that’s a fluke in my pack as opposed to anything reflective of the whole set. That one nib is a little stiff compared to the others. The difference is so minor that I only notice a little drag when I have to fill in a block of color. It is true that the inks are odor-free. I’ve never smelled anything when I use them. When I draw thin lines or fill in color, the ink does not bleed or move around my paper (so far I have used three kinds of paper – two white and one gray). Generally, the ink in these pens is fantastic quality.

Here are some of my experiments with the Arteza Fineliners.

I’m working on mock ups and ideas for logos, headers, etc., for my art shop, website, business cards, and general publicity. Since they’re just mock ups, they’re not final products. I still have a lot of ideas to sketch out, but that’s the great thing about these pens. You can do a lot of different art styles with them. If I had the bigger sets with more color choices, I could do a lot more too.

The pentacle is something I did for fun, for myself. Pentacles are symbols mostly used by Pagan people today, although they have been used in ancient Christianity and other religious paths as well. It’s important to know that the upright pentacle seen here is a symbol of spirituality, positivity, power, and harmony in the universe. The inverted pentacle, meaning one turned upside down, is a symbol of the darker arts. They’re not the same.

And forget-me-nots are an important flower to me and I’ve been wanting to practice drawing them. Drawing flowers wreathing different objects has been an exercise of mine lately. I’ve been working on mastering nature, greenery, flowers, rocks, trees, and so on, so I thought the Arteza Fineliners would keep my practice sessions interesting. I respond to color. I’m very stimulated by it. These colors make practice work and experimentation fun for me.

I highly recommend these pens.

You can buy the Arteza Fineliners on their website in different sets ranging from 24 to 72 in number. Prices range from $7.99 to $16.57 on their website at the moment. Those are sale prices and are subject to change at any time.

This was not a sponsored blog. I bought these pens with my own money and I wanted to review them for those who have disabilities and are looking for good products.

Donation

$10.00

Follow me on social media!

April 10, 2018June 17, 2018 by Jessica Jewett Categories: ReviewsTags: art, arteza, artist, atlanta, disabled artist, drawing, fine liner, fineliners, flowers, georgia, illustration, illustrator, ink, marker, pagan, paganism, pen, pentacle, product, review, southern artist, wicca, witch, witchcraft Leave a comment

Tag: flowers

Learning Landscapes

My Love Affair With Arteza Fineliner Pens