All my life I’ve been an artist. The term tends to come with preconceived notions, sometimes used exclusively. But ultimately what it has always meant to me is creation; I have been creating since I was little, and it will always be a part of me.
Younger me was in constant consumption of construction paper and Crayola products. I filled sketchbooks with scribbles and depictions of my family, friends, and self. Liking art was an innocent, common occurrence. Everyone had fun, and pieces were hung on the fridge or put away for safekeeping.
My relationship with art has complicated since then. The world isn’t always kind to artists, and it’s less popular than it was as a kid. Yet, my pursuit has always been highly individual. I don’t pursue art as a profession, but it’s something I make an effort to return to in spare moments. Personal ambition is my motivator, and I push forward as a means of taking care of myself and testing my potential.
The intent behind this post is to share a piece of myself with this audience, however small. At some point, I developed a reluctance to share my art, particularly online.
It feels unnatural to let a single snapshot of my work and abilities define a lifetime of practice. Part of this is due to the constant growth that art encourages. By the time I finish a piece, I am already better than the artist that created it because I have that experience under my belt. Looking at my work, I notice areas for improvement and am already planning what to do differently next time.
There is no conclusive stopping point to a piece. A quote from one of my favorite movies, The Half of It, says “A painting can be good, but if their last stroke is too bold, the piece could be ruined. On the other hand, the bold stroke could be a good one.” It’s a balancing act between too-little and too-much- keep going, or stop? Since I draw as a hobby, the reality usually ends up being that I continue until I am too bored or tired to keep going, resulting in pieces abandoned at all levels of completion. This will be evident while looking at my drawings later.
At the same time, my style is so inconsistent that I question its existence. Perhaps my art is just a reflection of how I viewed the reference image at that time and how my hand took to the act of drawing that day. Even just a break from drawing can completely interrupt the flow of a piece; if I leave and return, I set about the same task in a different way, making me feel like I can’t stop once I start lest it never be finished.
This nature of art makes artists with a hammered-out style so admirable to me. In art collections, the artist had the discipline to weave continuity into their pieces. To do this, a clear intent and understanding of their skills is necessary.
Usually, I set out simply recreating a reference image. But once you develop these basic skills- shading, sketching, etc- the next step is developing a unique style and really conveying something with the piece. Beyond just recreating a photo, the artist should add something individual to the image. I remember how I used to think in terms of not being able to draw certain things like noses and hands, but now my exasperation usually stems from not being able to convey an emotion or some other larger intent.
With these sentiments in mind, here’s a look at some things I’ve made!
First, I wanted to show a few of my favorite spreads and drawings from my most recent sketchbook. Most art I’ve made is found within a sketchbook of some sort. They function as an ongoing conversation with myself; an area where I jot down ideas and experiment. Flipping through, they reflect a progression of my abilities and interests.
Additionally, I’m learning digital art. It feels completely different, but I love the way it allows me to use color in ways I never imagined on paper. My understanding of color can be summarized as a gut-feeling, really just a guess-and-check, but I love the depth color provides.
I tend to fall into habit with what I draw; people, especially faces, are my favorite. Conscious effort is necessary to challenge myself with new subjects. This means embracing the struggle of new structures and patterns.
This last piece I will share was another attempt at growth; a test of communication.
This marks the end of my little tour. It’s a little brave & self-indulgent, so thank you for reading!
Hi Grace! This is SUCH a cool blog with all of your amazing multimedia components. I really like how you use it as a way of taking care of yourself and also testing your limits. When you mentioned how when you finish a piece, you are already better than the artist that created it. I think this can be parallel to many aspects of life in that it is a lot of little compounding progressions, but eventually they will become large. I also consider myself an artist in the way you do, a creator, and resonated with the first sketchbook that you shared, a conversation with yourself. Beauty is always challenging yourself, and both the journey and the payoff are amazing, if frustrating at times. In the future I would love to see more of your work! Potentially some more recent pieces, or maybe a very in depth discussion of one piece in particular. The way you drew the hands in the last piece is very impressive as well, I love the colors! Did you use oil pastels? Also, what is your favorite type of medium, if you have one. I thoroughly enjoyed reading and it has inspired me to sit down and paint today!
Grace, it’s interesting to see how conflicted you are about the nuances of art, and I feel that it only shows how passionate you are about it. I like how you learn from each piece you do, not limiting yourself and continuing to grow. I think that’s the best way to have interests, working to learn more. Considering that you mentioned that you don’t often share your art, I admire your vulnerability in allowing us to see parts of your sketchbook. Speaking of the sketches themselves, I am in awe. I’ve never been much of an artist myself, but seeing so many different sketches, some further developed than others, but simply getting concepts onto a page is so beautiful. I’ve found myself staring at a sketchbook, being discouraged after one drawing, and putting it down for an indefinite amount of time. I love the assortment of poses, expressions, and personalities you display. What stands out to me the most in your sketches are the eyes, and the amount of emotion in them. I love the way you decide to give your pieces color, and my favorite has to be the fish piece. I hope that you share more with me, and potentially even the blog, because it was very enjoyable to look through.
Hi, Grace! For starters, I just want to say that it’s incredible for you to share such a big part of yourself. I love how you can see your development from the start and towards the end of your photos. You truly capture yourself in each piece. My favourite would have to be the last piece with a person clenching their heart. The warmth of the red heart and blood trickling down contrasting towards to the colder, gray colors of the skin and shirt truly shows great color manipulation (or is it theory?). The emotions (presumably pain) that the person is feeling in the piece is definitely projected to its audience. As someone who also likes to draw, I too, abandon a lot of my pieces. Oftentimes we think that we have to finish what we start, but I believe that we find a lot of ourselves/a lot of skills we learn in the journey of making that piece which carries on to the next. I love how your art is very experimental. It’s refreshing to see the “messier” side of artists when a lot of media are just finished pieces or perfect drawings of references. It was great reading your blog and seeing your artwork! I hope you continue on your art journey!
Hey Grace! I want to start by saying how much I love your art. Even though I’m not necessarily an artist, I look at the portraits you drew and almost want to get to know the people in them. They look so real, not just because they’re accurate drawings but because I can see a personality in them and they seem so thoughtful. Your digital art is also so beautiful and has a transportative quality to it. I’m not sure what the process was behind choosing the colors, but they’re really captivating. It’’s amazing to see how much you’ve grown with your art, and I’m sure you have even more.
I think keeping a sketchbook is a great way to see your progression and, like you said, have a conversation with yourself. It’s clear you have a love for creation and maybe add a personal element to each piece.
I’ve never seen The Half of It, but the quote you pulled resonates with me too. I think it’s up to the artist’s opinion, but I think judging when to stop based on boredom can be a good indicator. Excitement is a big part of any kind of art because it can give an artist the drive to create.
Thanks again for sharing your art; the thought behind your process was really interesting to read!
Grace — I really loved reading your blog post! I’ve long admired your creative talent, and your passion for art comes through clearly in your writing. Your work is obviously stunning, and the way you describe the process of creating art is really lovely; I’m especially struck by the part where you say that a single piece can’t define you as an artist because you’ve grown in the process of making it. That’s a really wonderful way to look at creativity, and I think it’s really special to have a passion or talent that encourages constant growth and self-revision.
I enjoyed getting a glimpse into your sketchbook spreads and the variety of ideas you explore within them. I’m especially impressed by your ability to capture faces — I’m not much of an artist, and have never been able to get the proportions of facial features correct, or to replicate the intangible quality that lends a drawing life and personality that you do so well. However, your reflection on the necessity of resisting habit and complacency in favor of taking on challenge and growth might inspire me to try being creative when I have the time.