Deep Breath

10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 release. My brain has been on overload all week and to add to it, I'm not 100% on the new painting. I do plan to finish it this weekend and we'll let the crowds decide if it's worth it or not. I've been running the word FEAR over and over in my head because I'm catching more mistakes in my work than ever before, which I know is a good thing. Being human means that I'm subject to mistakes and closely following is the fear of failure. I know that for an artist fear of failure, rejection, and criticism are the most crippling feelings to have, but they must be overcome if you wish to succeed.

You must first come to the realization that when dedication and passion are applied to any task, you will not only make mistakes but the fear of failure will be amplified. The reason is that fear likes creeping in slowly as soon as we question any part of our passion for something. Fear is a natural side effect of being more passionate because being passionate means stepping outside of our comfort zone. We quickly start making excuses and before you know it, you have a really bad case of anxiety and that piece of art is sitting in a corner. 

Once you've acknowledge that fear, you need to confront it, take ACTION against it. Napoleon Hill author of Think and Grow Rich said, "The fear of criticism robs man of his initiative, destroys his power of imagination, limits his individuality, takes away his self-reliance, and does him damage in a hundred other ways." Those things are what make us artists, so we must take ACTION to protect them. You must pick up the brush, the pencil, the art book, the canvas and START. You will never finish that amazing piece of art, cartoon, or website if you don't START IT. 

I know you’re saying, "I always start things, but something always comes up." I tell you what comes up, FEAR. That's why persistence is so crucial. Persistence should NOT be doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results, that's insanity according to Einstein. If you fail, be persistent and try it again, but try something different, until you get the expected results. I personally have a natural talent for color and light, but I suck at form and motion. That has been my failure and accordingly my FEAR, so I took it upon myself to study it. The more I study it the more mistakes I catch, but I also have more AHA moments. 

Finally, you must try your hardest to keep things in perspective by remembering that most major human development came from a failure or a mistake. Early humans didn't look at a fire for the first time and say "hey, that looks hot don't touch it." Don't take it personal when you think you failed, when someone doesn't like your work or when an art gallery rejects your art. If you take those failures and study them, you'll notice that each one has a lesson. This doesn't mean that everything happens for reason; it means you did something incorrect and you need to learn from it and try again and again and again. Fate will not sell your artwork, correct persistence will.

Terry Baggs of Peacemakers Training says that in today’s business environment we must learn to Fail Forward Fast. It basically means that the faster you fail and correct it the faster you learn. Next time you're painting and the word FEAR creeps into your head remember that failure is the natural progression to success. 

Naked People

Today I picked up 3 books, from Borders, in my quest to better understand the human form. I've always painted from references and haven't really had the urge to study the human form until recently. Deep down inside I've alway want to kick some villain ass and my only real solution is to draw some comics. I think comics look great when they're done correctly and that's why I'm studying the human form.

As suggested by many comic book artists, I started by getting an anatomy book. Lucky for me it was also an anatomy book for artist. The book "Classic Human Anatomy" an artist's guide to form, function, and movement by Valerie L. Winslow is one expensive book. Just skimming through it, you can see this a very well illustrated book broken down into sections for each body region. One thing this book doesn't really explain is dynamic human motion, so I picked another book on that topic. Dynamic Figure Drawing by Burne Hogarth, which was on Scott Daniel's must have list for comic book artist. Being that Scott is a successful DC comic artist, I figured it was a must. This book looks very impressive, but the illustrations aren't as clear as I would expect, but they're definitely dynamic. Finally, I saw a book called "Drawing The Head & Figure" by Jack Hamm, which turned out to be packed with amazing examples of facial expressions, clothings, shoes, eyes and much more, all done in a comic book style. I have a feeling this book will be my best buy and it was also the cheapest. With 5 paintings to finish in the next two months I'm not sure I'll get all 3 read, but I'll try.

Survival Monday

Last week ended in a cloud, just as I expected, with 3 inches of snow and ice. I didn't mind driving home during the storm, but did run into the occasional slow dimwit that hadn't realized the temperature wasn't cold enough to freeze the wet road. Why does every hermit in the neighborhood (including me) decide that they should go outside and play during a snow storm? I guess that's an easy way to determine which neighbor never lived up north. I was also gonna swing by the store on the way home but decide I couldn't fathom the site of 100 people fighting over milk and bread.

Overall it was a very productive weekend of painting and baking and now we begin Survival Monday. On Saturday I stumbled across Keri Smith's artist's survival kit website. Even though it's mostly humor I found a few topics that really hit home. The list below really caught my attention.

I strongly agree with half of this list, but the other half needs some clarification. I guess #1 tends to be the biggest demotivator I've experienced, so I'll assume from its placement it also affects other artists. The day I stopped comparing myself to others was the day I felt free as an artist. I now look at other artist in 3 ways. First, other artists are inspirations and seeds for new ideas. Second they're people who share my struggles. Thirdly, they're teachers in the sense that their work and techniques can be studied. Improving your skill can be done by truly admiring someone else's work. It's easier to say, "I can't do that kind of work" than to say "I need to practice to achieve that technique." Don't take the easy way, it's plain lazy.

I'm so lucky because my family has been very supportive of my work, but like starting a new business, your family will give you 100 reasons why you will fail. Dealing with family can be very tricky. Most people don't follow their dreams because of fear and that same fear drives them to criticize others. You can't let fear win. Number 8 also talks about family pressure, which really shows how family and friends can influence your artistic development. I have recently found that I'm drawn to really dark art, which I know my family will not like or approve, but I can't learn it or experience it in a deeper way unless I do it. At the end of the day, real family will still love you.

Number 3 and 4 really make me laugh because they scream LAZINESS. Complacency is not an option. You can always do better. Just because one friend thinks a certain piece is your best, doesn't mean you should stop painting. That's just one opinion. On the flip-side, Just because the first attempt wasn't what you expected doesn't mean you should quit. I'm still learning how to draw comics. I know they look amateur but I also see the improvement and that's the important part. There is nothing more rewarding than experiencing an Aha Moment as an artist.

Ok, 5 and 6 are really tricky areas for an Artist. The value of your art is a very subjective thing in so many levels. If you want to be a serious artist you must confront the issue of money. I initially compared my work to others and then priced it accordingly. This was a huge mistake because it doesn't take REALITY into account. Yes, it's still around even for artist. Here are a few things you should consider when pricing your work and skill:

1. Your demographic area (you need to know the consumer)
2. Having pricing criteria for commissions.
3. Being consistent with your pricing.
4. Pricing differences between personal work, show work and commissions.
5. Comparing your price (not work) to other artists in the area, that actually sell.
6. Setting financial goals

Because I'm also very left brain oriented I can tell you there is nothing wrong with treating your art like a business. If you take a small amount of time to set realistic financial goals and realistic schedules, you will be successful. Having a plan is the first step to completing your next piece.

Finally, the societal pressures speech is overrated. We all have beliefs and for artists that's no different. It just gives us another way to express them. I don't bow down to social norms nor do I completely slap them in the face, and that's because I like selling artwork for the masses. If you want to constantly make provocative artwork that makes viewers really think, that's perfectly fine. There are always going be people that don't agree with what you do or how you do it. I have my happy balance by painting for people 50% and for myself 50%. Find YOUR balance and be happy.

So, if you want to survive Monday? Be yourself, know who your friends really are, keep working on getting better, plan your day, think like a business person when it's needed and above all LOVE yourself first.

-Eduin

A Week for Planning

OK, I've been known to procrastinate from time to time, but not this week. I plan to plan my week, or so I think. No really, I'm going to get to Friday on a cloud, but hopefully not a storm cloud.

Let's begin with my website. Designer Joe has mocked-up the site and we'll finalize the design over some wonderful Mexican food this Wednesday at Taqueria Jalisco. Anyone in the Douglasville area willing to listen to me talk about myself for an hour is welcome to come.

My gallery show at the Earl Smith Strand Theatre will be on May 7th during Art Walk Marietta. I'm currently working on six new pieces, which I plan to unveil that night. I'm strongly debating doing one as an oil for those folks that don't think I have the skill, when in reality it's that I don't have the patience for things that dry slow. I guess one Alla Prima in oil will be interesting.

It looks like Claire Dunaway and Brandon Hunt will both be featured as artist for Art Walk Marietta. Please support them and check out their sites.

This weekend is the big "Life is a Circus" Gala variety show hosted by the Humane Society of Cobb County. They're an independent, nonprofit, humane animal welfare charity. They're also a NO-KILL shelter, which means they're nice to animals so support them. I hope to post some pictures next Monday.

Have a great week!

Bambooya

Why would anyone spend $100 on a Wacom Bamboo tablet? Because it's so much freakin fun people. I must admit that it took me 3 months debating if I really needed this thing. So far, it's lived up to my expectations and then some. I'm not a big fan of Adobe, so I was a little worried I wouldn't be able to use it with GIMP, but it worked just fine. Here are a few things I really love about this thing:

1. I can adjust the opacity and size to pressure, so it's just like a marker.
2. It has 3 drawing parts. I can smudge with my finger, I can draw with the tip and I can flip the pen over and ERASE.
3. The size is perfect to put in front of my keyboard. I thought a bigger drawing area would be better, but this one was perfect.
4. No batteries needed. I'll say it again. "NO BATTERIES NEEDED!"

Now to the real question. Did it draw like I expected it to? At first it was hard to adjust from using a mouse. You don't pick up the pen and re-center like a mouse. The tablet adjust to the screen size and you will adjust to it because it's so natural. If you get one, be aware that you shouldn't sit in front of a screen for 36 hours. Enjoy.

Febuloso

So the month of Love and Animals is here. OK, not so much animals, the Cobb County Human Society is have their 2nd Annual Winter Variety Show/ Gala event this month. I will be attending because I'm a Gala Ho, as my wife likes to call me. I hear the show will be fabulous, but I'm still wondering who will provide the food. I'm a bit of a food critic and will rate 60% of any Gala event on food quality and presentation. If it's Chef Jeff from Carriage House Catering or theSugar Cakes folks, I'll be fine.

I finally finished the commissioned piece and will be saying goodbye to it this week. I've become attached to this painting more than any other commission. Now it's on to doing 6 pieces in the next 3 months. Ouch! I have a confirmed show date of May 7th and it's going to be spectacular. I need to finalize the 6 topics today, so I can get cranking.

I had a weird image pop in head last week as I was going to sleep and had to draw it. It's not what I would normally draw but here it is.