Daily life

The Perils of an Introverted Artist – Part 2

| Whitt’s End Art

I told you I would be writing a part 2 so here it goes. In part one I covered why it is hard being an introverted artist. Mostly it had to deal with art marketing. It is hard to put yourself out there when you feel not up to the task. Well here are a couple of ideas I use to give my art exposure from behind the scenes.

1. Start a Facebook or Instagram page on which you can offer your art for family and friends to view.

2. Start a Blog. I use WordPress but there are many others out there for you to choose from. The good thing with my blog is that when I post on here it automatically goes to Facebook, Twitter and other places.

3. Join a local art group. Many local art groups have non-juried art shows where amateur artists can show their work.

4. Look for local shops that cater to showing and selling art by local talent. A word of warning you still may have to talk to the shop owner and offer up your work.

These are a few of the things I do to alleviate the effects of my introverted tendencies when it comes to putting my artwork out there. There are others. Look for my next article in this series.

The View From the End of a Pencil

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An artist has a peculiar view of the world because we see everything from the end of a pencil or brush. Our world is one made up of angles, relationships and color combinations. An artist’s world can be realistic or abstract depending on what mood we are in when creating a piece of art. So why do we love the view from the end of the pencil? Here are three reasons, for me at least.

1. The view from the end of the pencil is one of curiosity. Can I as an artist create a likeness simply by placing down a few lines or a few brushstrokes? I for one love to see a work in progress seeking to satisfy my curiosity. Is the drawing being created turning out the way I want? I need my curiosity sated so I move on.

2. The view from the end of a pencil is a challenge. As an artist I study a picture in order to seek and learn as much about it’s structure as possible. Then the challenge begins. I add more and more lines. Time passes. I don’t realize how much, but I press on. Soon in front of me is a likeness. I glance from picture to drawing to see if the challenge was well met.

3. The view from the end of the pencil is comforting. As I have written before, art is a mind quieting and soul fulfilling process. When you are drawing the world around you seems to melt away. Also as you place each stroke on the paper it leads to moments of learning and growth as your skills continue to grow. Opening your mind to art also helps you to see the deeper aspects of other subjects because your view from the end of the pencil is one of study.

So in the end my friends art on, art on because life is so much more when you view it from the end of a pencil.

#417 Sometimes There is Rain

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I created this painting using a piece of 9×12 grey paper; 3 colors of grey and a black soft pastel. The flower is color pencil. In life there is always going to be times when there will be some rain. These are the times we can either draw closer to God or push Him away. The comfort comes in the fact no matter what when we come to God as He states in Hebrews, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.” In the rainy times we need to look through the torrential downpour and see God right there before us.

#416 Life In A Goldfish Bowl

| Whitt’s End Art

There are times in life I feel like I am living in a fish bowl. There are cameras everywhere watching our our movements when we venture out of our homes. Some people even have cameras in their homes because they want to feel more secure. I know the cameras are there to protect to protect the innocent and as long as you don’t break the law you have nothing to worry about. Still in the back of your mind you know someone is always watching. What is comforting however is know that God is always watching over us in good and bad times. Well it is comforting to those who know and love Him. So if you don’t there is no time like the present to get to know Him

1001 Drawings #369, Oh What the Eye Sees

| Whitt’s End Art

I am a firm there is a lot of truth to a line in an old children’s song which says, “Be careful little eyes what you see…” The reason the eyes are truthfully the gateway to the soul. What we choose to look at is who we become in our hearts. Jesus said, “It is not what goes into a man which defiles him it is what comes from inside the man…” The eyes are the first line of what goes into our hearts. So be careful what you choose to look at because it becomes part of what is stored on your brain.

1001 Drawings #364, Take the Time to Read

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While on Christmas break from my job I have found myself doing something I haven’t done in a long time-reading. I have made my way through two books of fiction and several non fiction art books. One of my goals for next year is to spend more time reading books on drawing illustrations. The reason, many of my friends tell me they like a lot of my more simplistic illustrations. Let me know what you think.

1001 Drawings #332, A Silhouette of Love

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Love is a verb which means it is not stagnant but always moving. Here are some Bible verses about love:

Ephesians 4:2: “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.”

1 Peter 4:8: “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.”

John 15:12: “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.”

Notice theses verses are all about loving others and in the last verse Jesus commands us to love others. So at this time of year and all throughout the year let not our love be a silhouette but full fledged love others can see. and feel.

1001 Drawings #330, It’s All In Black And White

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Over the centuries many a written word has been penned to a page. Thousands of letter in black and white put down to entertain us, to instructs us, to spread our wishes to others. None of these creations in black and white are more important then the words laid out for us by God in the Bible. In 2 Timothy 3:16, the Bibles tells us that, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.” The Bible teaches us about the world and how we are to live as believers. The only thing we have to do it pick up the book, read the words and with God’s guidance place them in our hearts.

 

 

 

 

1001 Drawings #329, A Faceless Self Portrait

| Whitt’s End Art

Here is another in the handful of self portraits I have done. This however does not have a face for a very good reason. In life we all want to be something other then another face in the crowd. We want to matter, be popular, succeed in life. I wanted in growing, until a few years ago. I learned a lesson one day. What matters in life is not to be or famous, popular or successful. It is more satisfying to be the faceless one who helps those who need the most help not just at this time of year but all year long. Time is a fleeting thing. Why bot use what little time were given in giving back?