Maybe you’ve asked yourself this question before. Is what I do “art” or is it “craft”? I think the more you use your originality, the more art you do. If you are using only pre-made stamps and you buy all the colors available from any kind of ink or paint because you don’t know how to mix colors, then you are more a crafter. That is only an example.
I like stamps, different colors of paints and papers and I use them, believe me, I love those products. But, I also like to draw my not-so-perfect designs and paint them mixing different colors. In other words, I like to experiment.
That is my challenge for you: start your own drawings. If you feel uncomfortable by just jumping into this adventure, I have a few suggestions:
- Get inspiration: Browse a website that sells the stamps that you like. Take note of what is your style: do you like cute things, or more sophisticated designs? Get to know yourself.
- Be a copycat: Once you find the kind of stamps that you like, take a black pen and start drawing those designs. Try to copy them. Feel free to add your own lines or omit the parts that you don’t like. When you feel more comfortable with your ability to draw, do your original designs.
- Be a keeper: Keep the best drawings for reference. Take a folder and start saving your drawings, organizing them by theme. You are building your own library of designs for future reference. Those are going to be your blueprints.
- Don’t be a perfectionist: Just start drawing very simple things and keep adding more details later. Remember your drawings are very special for the person that receives them.
- Use a waterproof black pen. Let your drawing rest for a couple of minutes and you can paint over it. Use a brush and watercolor paints or watercolor pencils to start.
- Buy a few colors of “good” paint. These are the basic colors in watercolor: Cadmium Yellow medium, Cadmium Red medium, Permanent Rose, Ultamarine Blue, Cobalt Blue, Raw Sienna, Burnt Sienna and Burnt Umber. Mixing these colors with each other can give you an unlimited palette.
- Make your own backgrounds using paints. Very thin washes make nice and soft backgrounds.
- Are you more of a digital artist? Then, use the same ideas but with your programs like Photoshop or Inkscape and save those designs in different folders.
Again, experiment, create your own graphics and mix those with the stamps that you have. Imagine, you can have unlimited designs if you create them by yourself. Don’t be afraid of trying and expanding your creativity to the next level. You may be surprised by what you find out.
|
|
