Monday, November 30, 2020

MASTER COPY JOHN SINGER SARGENT ILLUSTRATION | ART + DESIGN




Here is a John Singer Sargent master copy painting done in gouache earlier this year. 

My art on Instagram: @lizzvisions

My art and books reviews on TikTok: @lizzbooksandart 

Saturday, October 31, 2020

HOW I AM MAKING VINYL STICKERS | ART + DESIGN



For the month of October, I decided to put my Microsoft Surface tablet and pen to use and practice some digital drawing! I drew a sunflower design, which came out way better than I expected, and a pink justice scales logo. 

This is different from my usual portraits but I really enjoyed the process of making these stickers. (Another fun thing I can attribute to being on Tik Tok nonstop these last few months lol 😄). I saw some other artists who make stickers and thought it looked so fun. I drew up my design and then uploaded it to a website called Stickermule. They arrived in the mail a few days later and viola!

I also turned my original Meg Thee Stallion sketch into a sticker. But it’s a bit too large for my water bottle so I made this collage of stickers instead. It’s on 8 x 8 canvas that I painted with pink acrylic paint. Turns out I actually like it this way! 

Check out my process and mini-tutorial on my Instagram: @lizzvisions

Wednesday, September 30, 2020

SEPTEMBER SKETCHES AND DRAWINGS ROUNDUP | ART + DESIGN





Here are some of my sketches from September. I enjoyed doing this one of actor Chadwick Boseman. He was an inspiration. He said “Sometimes you need to get knocked down before you can really figure out what your fight is and how you need to fight it.” I hope to live this fully and purposefully in my own life. Rest in Power, King.

Some of my favorite quotes from him: “When you are deciding on next steps, next jobs, next careers, further education, you should rather find purpose than a job or a career,” he said at the time. “Purpose crosses disciplines. Purpose is an essential element of you. It is the reason you are on the planet at this particular time in history.” - Chadwick Boseman at Howard University commencement 2018. 

“I feel that I’m living my purpose. But the thing about purpose is that it unfolds to you more and more everyday,” the actor said. “You could be living in what was revealed to you at a particular time, and then you might get stagnated because there’s more that you’re supposed to do. It doesn’t just stop as you do one thing. I think it’s [about] being open to what you’re supposed to do at this moment and not getting stuck in the past. Purpose is not related to career or career. It’s related to what God put inside you that you’re supposed to give to the world.” - Chadwick Boseman, at the NAACP Image Awards in 2019. 

Follow on Instagram for more updates! @lizzvisions 

Sunday, August 30, 2020

AUGUST SKETCHES AND DRAWINGS ROUNDUP | ART + DESIGN








Here is quick roundup of sketches I've been working on during August. One of my goals for 2020 and 2021 is to do more portrait drawing. It is a style I've always admired but felt like I was not the best at. I'm also interested in doing more gouache portraits and building up the layers for the skin tones in watercolor. I think it can make a really interesting effect similar to oil paints.  

The first one is of rapper Meg Thee Stallion. I'm working on 5 x 7 Crescent Illustration Board. It's my first time using this material. The board is a bit soft to the touch so I was trying to not press too hard. I'm interested in seeing how it handles watercolor paint. You can see I used the grid method for the Meg Thee Stallion sketch. I'm showing the early stages to remind myself how to push through even when the drawing starts out not looking exactly the way you want. 

The second one is of model Gage Gomez. I'm working on Canson L'Aquarelle Heritage 140 lb watercolor block paper using a mix of Winsor & Newton, Daniel Smith, and Mijello Mission Gold watercolor paints. 

Some things I liked about these sketches: I like how I captured the eyes for the Gage Gomez sketch. I also like how I captured the blush tones in the skin. It was my first time really mixing skin tones so I watched a lot of YouTube tutorials and tried to experiment. I like how I captured the eyes and lips in the Meg sketch as well and how I simplified her dress and chain in the bottom half of the sketch. 

Some things I can improve on with these sketches: I think I can get better proportions for the the lips in the male sketch. I want to have more dynamic lines and feel free to deviate from the reference photo. I think next time I can also try pushing the line weight and really making some dark lines for the shadows and values in the Meg sketch.

Which drawing is your favorite?
Follow on Instagram for more updates! @lizzvisions

Saturday, July 18, 2020

THREE WAYS TO STAY CREATIVE IN QUARANTINE | ART + DESIGN





So it's been almost six months of quarantine here in the US, and it does not seem like it's letting up anytime soon. While I'm at home doing my law school work online now, I try to take breaks to make art or learn new skills. Although I miss going outside for creative adventures (what I would give to be museum hopping in New York City right now...), there are some ways we can bring those adventures home to us! The greatest skill one can have right now is the ability to adapt. Now is a great time to think of odds ways to get resourceful! 👽 Here are three ways you can stay creative during quarantine:

1. Sign up for online art classes. This is one of my favorite ways to stay creative! Even if I'm not completing the art project immediately, just watching some of my favorite artists work through their creative process makes me happy! There are so many online learning sites available right now that offer art courses at reasonable prices, from Skillshare and Patreon, to my personal favorites Gumroad and Domestika. I'm currently enjoying this one HERE by James Gurney on Gumroad, and this one HERE by Alex Hillkurtz on Domesticka. For additional gouache and watercolor, I'm also following Justin Donaldson art on Gumroad HERE. Heather Ihn Martin, one of my favorite gouache painters also shares her art tutorials on Gumroad HERE and live painting on her Instagram HERE

2. Buy some new art supplies to refresh your creative juices. Okay, so this one might be a little more expensive! Especially if you are like me and love to buy high quality art supplies. For a long time I thought I was too much of a beginner to buy nice supplies. But sometimes when you are in a rut, the best way to refresh your creative juices is to try a different medium. Try going from pencil to watercolor. Or going from collage to oil paint. I even bought a box of Crayons recently! The point is don't be afraid to switch mediums!

3. Start your morning by writing or drawing in a journal. A practice I've been doing literally for years. This is long time practice of Julia Cameron in The Artists Way book, which she calls morning pages. Clearing out your mind in the morning can really help with your creativity, especially if you write by hand. I really like the rhythm of putting pen to paper, especially if I've had a hard week. When in doubt, write it out!

What are you doing this quarantine to stay creative?
Follow on Instagram for more updates! @lizzvisions