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The Best Teen Titans Fan Art!

I’m a huge fan of the Teen Titans series (the original of course). With the New Teen Titans Go! To The Movies film just released, and the announcement of the live action series, I thought it only relevant to celebrate with the top Teen Titans fan art! Disclaimer: The artwork may be a little biased to the character Raven only because she is my absolute favorite! 

These first ones are from the work of _picolo, who actually had fan art so good that he got hired to work on one of their incoming comics! Here are some other anonymous artists’ fan art that’ll make you want to do a version of your own! If you do, be sure to tag me I would love to see!

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Artist’s Spotlight!

Artist’s Spotlight is back with a new feature this week. I got some good feedback on the last post, so here’s another one as promised! Lately I’ve been inspired by the artwork of  carlawyzgala, which you can find on Instagram. She works primarily in watercolor (the medium I struggle with the most) and creates beautiful images of burlesque/pinup inspired women often adorned with skulls or cat ears. She just had a booth at the latest Comic Con convention and it was really inspiring to see how many people support her work just for simply creating what is beautiful to her. Take a look at her creepy/cute artwork that’s stealing the heart of thousands!

You can purchase some of her prints on her Etsy shop.

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Which is the Better Drawing Device? Surface Book or iPad Pro: Artists’ Review

A tablet has become a necessity to my art career, and especially important in the illustration industry. There’s been a debate going on about which drawing tablet is the best out there, and many are looking for a quick answer. I’m sorry to tell you that there is no real answer to which one is better, but there is one that can serve as the best option for what you need it for. I have experience with Microsoft’s Surface Book and Apple’s iPad Pro, so here is a list of the pros of each device to help you on deciding which one would better suit your needs:

Surface Book 2017

-Runs almost all programs like Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator,etc.

-Screen can detach from keyboard

-More storage capacity

-Comes with stylus pen and eraser function on the back of it

-Can be folded to any angle

-Never need to charge pen

iPad Pro with Procreate app

-Portable

-Smooth and natural drawing feel

-Can upload artwork straight to apps like Instagram

-Fast pen charge

-Convenient for sharing work and for traveling

-Records drawing that you can upload

-No Hot Keys Needed

Overall, I would say if you’re doing professional work and need the storage and programs then the Surface Book or even Pro is a good choice. If you want something to practice on, sketch a lot, or are constantly traveling, the iPad pro might be the better option. I like to have both as the Surface provides a backup for the iPad!

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I definitely don’t have enough raw images of my artwork on my page, so I wanted to post some more. Here’s a digital illustration I did of an alternative model I used to look up to who went by the name of Twiggx. Unfortunately, she isn’t a part of the alternative scene anymore, but she is always an inspiring beauty to me, especially growing up! This was done in Photoshop on a Surface Book Pro.

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Improve Your Drawing Skills Almost Instantly! Sketching Practice

Like most artists, I first started drawing on traditional pencil and paper in a sketchbook. However, I didn’t see much growth in my art until I really started to draw all the time, and sketch as much as I could. With all the great reference that can be found around the world, it’s important for an artist to be able to draw on the go. A small sketchbook is very handy for this, but you also need to bring materials such as pencils, pens, paint, paintbrushes, erasers, and whatever other mediums you use. It wasn’t until invested in an IPad Pro and started drawing digitally was when I found the most growth. I found that having a small iPad was much more convenient, and it was so much easier to sketch and draw while I was traveling (since I do travel a lot being an athlete) and I had everything I needed in one place to my disposal.

One of the main things that helped me with my growth is being able to sketch anywhere at anytime conveniently. Having all the digital tools at my disposal at the park, coffee shop, or wherever great references are around has really been a breath of fresh air! It’s also given me some motivation to draw and sketch more. Truthfully, I am having the most fun I’ve ever had in my sketching/drawing experiences! I sketch people on the go for practice, and jot down rough images I have in my head for future projects and ideas.

As an artist, I think one of the most important things to is to practice, practice, practice. It’s how you learn about who you are as an artist, what you need to work on, and what you truly like to draw when no one’s around to influence you. Finding your voice as an artist and establishing that will take you a long way! I would recommend that you draw everywhere and anywhere that you can, and I can almost guarantee you’ll see an improvement in your drawings at a faster rate. You can try out Apple’s iPad Pro, but ultimately, find something that works and is comfortable for you!

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A Walk Through My Art Journey

Art wasn't alwyas an easy thing for me, and it still isn't. Actually, I went through a lot of hardships mentally to get to the point I am today. It takes patience, time, and a lot of hard work to develop skills as an artist and it's not all just pretty pictures. Most of the time it's mistakes and learning and knowing you have so much more to learn. I wanted to show some of my early work and and the steps I took to get to how I am today. Take a look at my art journey and how I progressed as an artist all the way from when I was in Junior High School, to now, a Senior in College.

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My very first ever time lapse video! Happy I finally found out a way to screen-record. It feels a little personal now that you can see all my mistakes that occurred. If you wanted to get an insight of my process take a look at this speed paint of my latest sketch! I will post the final version also!

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Artist Spotlight!

So many artists have inspired me throughout my journey and art career and continue to do so daily. I thought if might be beneficial to share them with you guys too. Learning from others can play a crucial role in your development as an artist, and also help you find your voice. You shouldn’t flat out copy another artists’ style, but they can help point you in a direction that you are inspired by. The artist that I’m featuring has had a large impact on my artwork and how I approach the content I draw. Her name is Lauren O. Ulieme  and her account name is UnorthodoxFox. She’s a young artist with a pretty impressive following on Instagram. 

She doesn’t post many pictures of herself, but her page is flooding with updated, beautiful and inspiring art. She specializes in portraiture and illustration. She posts regularly, provides valuable art tips, and is happy to answer questions you may have! She shares her skills and art process and does commissions regularly at an affordable price. 

I have been following her for over a year now and I’m continually impressed by the content she posts and it’s inspiring how she is making a career out of the thing she loves doing. Be sure to follow this lovely soul on Instagram and you can buy a print from her on her website. She also mentioned she plans on creating a Patreon account, so I’m excited for that! 

    Depending on what you guys think, if this is a good idea or not, I’ll do an artist spotlight post monthly of artists i find influential to the illustration industry! 

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Digital Drawing I did for a class. Experimenting with curly hair.

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Get Inspired! Sources for Black Art

Art block has struck you once again, but you need to create, but your mind can’t think of anything and maybe you’re just not feeling it. Every artist has been there, and it can be a hard thing to get out of whatever the cause may be: exhaustion, laziness, no motivation, lack of ideas.

I for one have experienced this one too many times and have provided myself with many ways to get re-inspired and spark that creative fire inside me. I want to share with you guys the things I use to keep that keeps that cursed art block away.

The main thing that I use is other artists! That’s right, what better way to find inspiration than through someone that’s inspired themselves? I’ll share some of the top pages I get inspiration from on the daily.

Artthatinspiresme which is a page on Instagram. Their name is pretty self-explanatory. They post art from black Instagram artists very often daily. They will always have something new when you look back at their page. (Also, if you scroll enough, you’ll find my art featured on their page!)

BlackArtSpace inspired art and gives exposure to black artists. You’ll likely stay inspired looking at all that melanin!

If these pages don’t already give you that itch to create your own beautiful art, I would strongly suggest to create a Pinterest account and make a board with all the things that inspire you. For instance I have a board that’s titled I get most of my reference and inspo from Pinterest, as they have an infinite amount of creative visuals!

Ultimately just follow artists you look up to, people that inspire you, and search through genres you’re interested in. Try photos, models, even re-draws of your own work to see how far you’ve come! Don’t forget to follow my Instagram account violetartx so I can be inspired by you!

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Digital Art study using textures - Drawn with Adobe Photoshop

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New to Digital Art? Here are 5 Essential Tips for a Digital Artist

Digital art is becoming increasingly relevant in today’s society especially for illustrators thanks to technology and the use of television, social media, mobile apps, cartoons, animation, etc. It’s becoming more imperative for an artist to know or at least be familiar with digital art platforms such as Photoshop. I recently transferred over to doing more digital art because I found the tools very useful and you can make some pretty cool artwork without some traditional art troubles. Even though there are many that I think are important, here are top 5 digital art techniques that I found useful to achieve my illustrations.

1.       Use Textures and Customize Brushes!

One of the most common mistakes beginner artists make is using the same brush throughout the whole piece, or not indicating a change in texture in different objects. For example, you should use a different brush for someone’s hair than the one you use for the face. The face has a texture where you can indicate pores and smooth transitions, and the eyes have a glossier feel. The texture of say maybe trees in the background have a rougher texture. You can make custom brushes that fit the type of texture to make things a little easier. You can potentially use the same brush for an illustration if you can use it to indicate different textures. I just think using a variety of textures gives the image more life. In the end it all comes down to your stylistic preference!

2.       Make Use of Reference and Tools!

If anyone told you that using reference is bad or cheating, then they’re wrong! Most, if not all, professional artists use reference or source point when constructing their illustrations. References are good for finding a theme as a starting point, inspiration, proportion, research, the list is endless! References can help make your illustrations seem more believable. I recommend researching your subject before going right in to the final drawing. If you combine an existing idea and combine it with the image in your head, you can get some pretty awesome results! Also use your digital tools that makes constructing an image much easier! For example, rotate or flipping the image to check proportion and use layers, warp and cut and paste to fix errors you find later on without destroying your art.

3.       Don’t color pick reference!

As tempting as it may be, don’t do it! I’m saying this for the sake of your growth as an artist! Color picking is almost the equivalent of tracing as it is the act of placing a pixel of color in the same spot you couldn’t figure out yourself. Besides, you don’t want to be just a copier, that’s what photos are for! Instead, study the reference and pick your own colors as close as you can, or try different temperatures. This not only develops an observant eye, you’ll learn what hues and what colors work together. That’s more knowledge in your color library. It’s your job as the artist to make your illustration better than the reference!

 4.       Try Drawing in Grayscale Before Adding Color

It’s always tempting to start right away with color, for you have these beautiful colors already in your head but then turns out when you use them, they don’t look right. This often happens because the values aren’t though-out first. Figure out a way to effectively place the values then worry about color later, as that is a whole different beast to overcome.

 5.       Have a Portable Tablet/Drawing Device

This last tip is just for convenience and when you need to draw on the go. As an artist it’s important to observe the world around you and draw often. Having a tablet can be useful when traveling and if you spot something that inspires you or you might need reference for later, you can sit and sketch it quickly and get some good practice in!

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Digital painting I did about a year ago. Just a sketch for the aesthetic.

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Marker Illustration by me.

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Can Art Change Your Life?

Life is constantly throwing challenges at you; some may even be mentally self-harmful. It took me years to truly love myself because growing up, I was always surrounded by negativity regarding my skin tone, the way I dress, and what I was into. My skin was darker than most of the people I was around, and I was often harassed for it (which is silly). On top of that, I was into everything spooky, horror, and darkly inclined and dressed that way. You can imagine the type of harassment I got for it. Art was always my escape from it all. It provided me with a place where I could illustrate the beauty I saw that few others did. Art has no limits or rules, and purely self-expression and that’s probably why I love it so much. It was not until recently that I have embraced my African-American roots and my views of beauty. I’m starting this blog to help others see and appreciate, through art, their individual beauty that they may not have realized themselves yet. I want to minimize the negative stigma that I grew up around black women. I hope to connect with people who went through the same thing as I did, or even inspire others who haven’t, along with showing my art like as a portfolio. My page will not only highlight and appreciate the beauty of black culture, but to embrace your individuality! I’ll also provide art tips, spread knowledge, and the latest news around the art community. Join me on my illustration journey, how I progress in my career, and just enjoy art!