Kick in The Creatives Podcast: Recent Episodes
Kick in the Creatives
Kick in The Creatives Podcast - We talk Creativity, Art and Writing with Creative Challenges and Gossip
Tara and Sandra, met by happy accident. Tara had been listening to a Podcast that Sandra just happened to be being interviewed on, and having her own podcast at the time, she invited Sandra to be a guest. The two of them quickly hit it off and went on chatting, long after the recording had stopped… And they haven’t shut up since! Tara was a whizz at idea generation, but having been a graphic designer for 25 years, she had long lost her connection with a ‘real’ pencil. Sandra, on the other hand, was and still is, a realism painter, yet she had the inability to just ‘let go’ in her sketchbook. Over the following weeks, they began setting each other creative challenges. As a result, Tara rekindled her love for drawing by hand, and Sandra horrified to be handed a ‘chunky marker’ to draw with by Tara, was forced to let go of her pedantic sketching style and just ‘have fun in her sketchbook.’ It was clear that the two of them as a duo, were a good influence on each other and having finally met in the flesh, they became firm friends. Knowing the power that creative challenges had held for them, they decided that they wanted to help other people find and embrace their creative side and just ‘have a go.’
https://kickinthecreatives.com/fun-art/
Welcome to today's art podcast, and today we’re going to chat about prioritising the fun stuff with your art. What we mean about that is making sure you make time to do the creative work you enjoy, rather than worrying about your art or getting bogged down by the business side.
Shownotes
You can find the shownotes for this episode at https://kickinthecreatives.com/fun-art/
Our Sponsor Evolve Art
This podcast is sponsored by Evolve. Evolve can teach anyone how to paint in a realism style to a professional level in a year. They offer online lessons, support and also provide the materials you need.
To find out more sign up for a free art masterclass at
https://kickinthecreatives.com/evolvewebinar
Our Art Challenges
We have 3 challenges every month:
https://kickinthecreatives.com/all-creative-challenges/
On Social Media
Instagram | Facebook Group
Character and Cartoon Course
Just a quick reminder about our new Characters and Cartoons course
https://kickinthecreatives.com/cartooncourse
https://kickinthecreatives.com/artmindset
Welcome to today's art podcast! Today, we're talking about how your mindset affects your art. Whether you're new to art or already selling your work, your mindset plays a big role in how you improve. Let's dive in!
Shownotes
You can find the shownotes for this episode at
Our Sponsor Evolve Art
This podcast is sponsored by Evolve. Evolve can teach anyone how to paint in a realism style to a professional level in a year. They offer online lessons, support and also provide the materials you need.
To find out more sign up for a free art masterclass at
https://kickinthecreatives.com/evolvewebinar
Our Art Challenges
We have 3 challenges every month:
https://kickinthecreatives.com/all-creative-challenges/
On Social Media
Instagram | Facebook Group
Character and Cartoon Course
Just a quick reminder about our new Characters and Cartoons course
https://kickinthecreatives.com/cartooncourse
In today’s art podcast we are having a general art chat. This is you getting to listen in to the sort of things we might chat about art wise if we weren’t on air.
https://kickinthecreatives.com/art-chat-2
Some of the things we chat about
- Podcasts that use AI to generate a voice.
- Artists complaining about being referred to as ‘talented’
- Not being able to put my finger on what isn’t quite right with the painting
- When you start going blind, walking away from the artwork for a while helps
- Prioritising the fun stuff for a while
- Overthinking with your art - paralyzed by options
- learning about business and interesting market research
ShownotesYou can find the shownotes for this episode at
Our Sponsor Evolve ArtThis podcast is sponsored by Evolve. Evolve can teach anyone how to paint in a realism style to a professional level in a year. They offer online lessons, support and also provide the materials you need.
To find out more sign up for a free art masterclass at https://kickinthecreatives.com/evolvewebinar
Our Art ChallengesWe have 3 challenges every month:
https://kickinthecreatives.com/all-creative-challenges/
On Social MediaInstagram | Facebook Group
Character and Cartoon CourseJust a quick reminder about our new Characters and Cartoons course
https://kickinthecreatives.com/cartooncourse
In today’s art podcast we’re going to chat about the highs and lows of being an artist. Whether you create art for fun or are selling your art we all have our ups and downs. We’re going to share some of those today:
ShownotesYou can find the shownotes for this episode at https://kickinthecreatives.com/artisthighsandlows
Our Sponsor Evolve ArtThis podcast is sponsored by Evolve. Evolve can teach anyone how to paint in a realism style to a professional level in a year. They offer online lessons, support and also provide the materials you need.
To find out more sign up for a free art masterclass at https://kickinthecreatives.com/evolvewebinar
Our Art ChallengesWe have 3 challenges every month:
https://kickinthecreatives.com/all-creative-challenges/
On Social MediaInstagram | Facebook Group
Character and Cartoon CourseJust a quick reminder about our new Characters and Cartoons course
https://kickinthecreatives.com/cartooncourse
Welcome to today's art episode, and today we’re going to talk about striking while the idea is hot. What we mean by this is not sitting on the idea too long before you execute on it.
ShownotesYou can find the shownotes for this episode at https://kickinthecreatives.com/strike-while-idea-is-hot/
Our Sponsor Evolve ArtThis podcast is sponsored by Evolve. Evolve can teach anyone how to paint in a realism style to a professional level in a year. They offer online lessons, support and also provide the materials you need.
To find out more sign up for a free art masterclass at https://kickinthecreatives.com/evolvewebinar
Our Art ChallengesWe have 3 challenges every month:
https://kickinthecreatives.com/all-creative-challenges/
On Social MediaInstagram | Facebook Group
Character and Cartoon CourseJust a quick reminder about our new Characters and Cartoons course
https://kickinthecreatives.com/cartooncourse
Welcome to today's art episode, and today we’re going to talk about our art year in review and our art goals for next year. We also explain why we missed an episode. This will be out last episode of 2023 so we wish you all a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays or whatever you celebrate. We look forward to your company again in March after a break.
ShownotesYou can find the shownotes for this episode at https://kickinthecreatives.com/art-year/
Our Sponsor Evolve ArtThis podcast is sponsored by Evolve. Evolve can teach anyone how to paint in a realism style to a professional level in a year. They offer online lessons, support and also provide the materials you need.
To find out more sign up for a free art masterclass at https://kickinthecreatives.com/evolvewebinar
Our Art ChallengesWe have 3 challenges every month:
https://kickinthecreatives.com/all-creative-challenges/
On Social MediaInstagram | Facebook Group
Character and Cartoon CourseJust a quick reminder about our new Characters and Cartoons course
https://kickinthecreatives.com/cartooncourse
Welcome to today's episode, and today we’re going to chat about how our surroundings can affect our art. This could be anything from the music you play to how your art area looks.
ShownotesYou can find the shownotes for this episode at https://kickinthecreatives.com/art-surroundings/
Our Sponsor Evolve ArtThis podcast is sponsored by Evolve. Evolve can teach anyone how to paint in a realism style to a professional level in a year. They offer online lessons, support and also provide the materials you need.
To find out more sign up for a free art masterclass at https://kickinthecreatives.com/evolvewebinar
Our Art ChallengesWe have 3 challenges every month:
https://kickinthecreatives.com/all-creative-challenges/
On Social MediaInstagram | Facebook Group
Character and Cartoon CourseJust a quick reminder about our new Characters and Cartoons course
https://kickinthecreatives.com/cartooncourse
Welcome to today's art podcast episode. Today we’re going to chat about the importance of planning your composition.
Shownotes
You can find the shownotes for this episode at https://kickinthecreatives.com/plan-composition/
Our Sponsor Evolve Art
This podcast is sponsored by Evolve. Evolve can teach anyone how to paint in a realism style to a professional level in a year. They offer online lessons, support and also provide the materials you need.
To find out more sign up for a free art masterclass at
https://kickinthecreatives.com/evolvewebinar
Our Art Challenges
We have 3 challenges every month:
https://kickinthecreatives.com/all-creative-challenges/
On Social Media
Instagram | Facebook Group
Character and Cartoon Course
Just a quick reminder about our new Characters and Cartoons course
https://kickinthecreatives.com/cartooncourse
Welcome to today's art podcast episode. Today we’re going to chat about how sometimes the smallest things can make a big difference to our art. It’s those little aha moments that can thrust our art forward. This is part two of a two part episode.
Shownotes
You can find the shownotes for this episode at https://kickinthecreatives.com/big-difference-art-part2/
Our Sponsor Evolve Art
This podcast is sponsored by Evolve. Evolve can teach anyone how to paint in a realism style to a professional level in a year. They offer online lessons, support and also provide the materials you need.
To find out more sign up for a free art masterclass at
https://kickinthecreatives.com/evolvewebinar
Our Art Challenges
We have 3 challenges every month:
https://kickinthecreatives.com/all-creative-challenges/
On Social Media
Instagram | Facebook Group
Character and Cartoon Course
Just a quick reminder about our new Characters and Cartoons course
https://kickinthecreatives.com/cartooncourse
Welcome to today's art podcast episode. Today we’re going to chat about how sometimes the smallest things can make a big difference to our art. It’s those little aha moments that can thrust our art forward. This is part one of a two part episode.
ShownotesYou can find the shownotes for this episode at https://kickinthecreatives.com/big-difference-art/
Our Sponsor Evolve ArtThis podcast is sponsored by Evolve. Evolve can teach anyone how to paint in a realism style to a professional level in a year. They offer online lessons, support and also provide the materials you need.
To find out more sign up for a free art masterclass at https://kickinthecreatives.com/evolvewebinar
Our Art ChallengesWe have 3 challenges every month:
https://kickinthecreatives.com/all-creative-challenges/
On Social MediaInstagram | Facebook Group
Character and Cartoon CourseJust a quick reminder about our new Characters and Cartoons course
https://kickinthecreatives.com/cartooncourse
Welcome to today's art podcast episode. Today we’re going to chat about art scams, spoofs and trolls. Here are a few of the things we discuss
Shownotes You can find the shownotes for this episode at https://kickinthecreatives.com/artscams
Our Sponsor Evolve Art This podcast is sponsored by Evolve. Evolve can teach anyone how to paint in a realism style to a professional level in a year. They offer online lessons, support and also provide the materials you need.
To find out more sign up for a free art masterclass at https://kickinthecreatives.com/evolvewebinar
Our Art Challenges We have 3 challenges every month:
https://kickinthecreatives.com/all-creative-challenges/
On Social Media Instagram | Facebook Group
Character and Cartoon Course Just a quick reminder about our new Characters and Cartoons course
https://kickinthecreatives.com/cartooncourse
In today’s art podcast we’re going to chat about art resistance and how to resist it!
What is art resistance: Art resistance is very different to art block, it’s a much more temporary thing. It’s the procrastination side of not making art. Like when you have a day when you plan to paint and then find 100 different things you can do before you actually make a start.
Shownotes You can find the shownotes for this episode at https://kickinthecreatives.com/art-resistance/
Our Sponsor Evolve Art This podcast is sponsored by Evolve. Evolve can teach anyone how to paint in a realism style to a professional level in a year. They offer online lessons, support and also provide the materials you need.
To find out more sign up for a free art masterclass at https://kickinthecreatives.com/evolvewebinar
Our Art Challenges We have 3 challenges every month:
https://kickinthecreatives.com/all-creative-challenges/
On Social Media Instagram | Facebook Group
Character and Cartoon Course Just a quick reminder about our new Characters and Cartoons course
Don’t forget we have an early bird offer of $29 dollars!
https://kickinthecreatives.com/cartooncourse
Welcome to today's art podcast where we’re going to talk about coming out of an art block. It’s a little update on episode 133 where Sandra was having a serious art block and Tara was having a mini one. Catch up with how we are getting on and maybe pick up some tips for dealing with your own art block.
Shownotes You can find the shownotes for this episode at https://kickinthecreatives.com/coming-out-artblock
Our Sponsor Evolve Art This podcast is sponsored by Evolve. Evolve can teach anyone how to paint in a realism style to a professional level in a year. They offer online lessons, support and also provide the materials you need.
To find out more sign up for a free art masterclass at https://kickinthecreatives.com/evolvewebinar
Our Art Challenges We have 3 challenges every month:
https://kickinthecreatives.com/all-creative-challenges/
On Social Media Instagram | Facebook Group
Character and Cartoon Course Just a quick reminder about our new Characters and Cartoons course
Don’t forget we have an early bird offer of $29 dollars!
https://kickinthecreatives.com/cartooncourse
Welcome to today's art podcast. Today we’re going to talk about titling your artwork. We have quite differing opinions on this topic so it should be a good one. What are your thoughts, does it really matter?
Shownotes
Shownotes for this episode
https://kickinthecreatives.com/art-title/
Our Sponsor Evolve Art
This podcast is sponsored by Evolve. Evolve can teach anyone how to paint in a realism style to a professional level in a year. They offer online lessons, support and also provide the materials you need.
To find out more sign up for a free art masterclass at https://kickinthecreatives.com/evolvewebinar
Our Art Challenges We have 3 challenges every month:
https://kickinthecreatives.com/all-creative-challenges/
On Social Media Instagram | Facebook Group
Character and Cartoon Course Just a quick reminder about our new Characters and Cartoons course
Don’t forget we have an early bird offer of $29 dollars!
https://kickinthecreatives.com/cartooncourse
Welcome to today's episode, which is all about taking part in an art show. We are doing this now as Sandra did an art exhibition a few years ago with a friend and Tara recently did a stall at an art and craft show. We are definitely not experts but can share what we learned as beginners.
Shownotes
Shownotes for this episode
https://kickinthecreatives.com/art-show/
Our Sponsor Evolve ArtThis podcast is sponsored by Evolve. Evolve can teach anyone how to paint in a realism style to a professional level in a year. They offer online lessons, support and also provide the materials you need.
To find out more sign up for a free art masterclass at https://kickinthecreatives.com/evolvewebinar
Our Art ChallengesWe have 3 challenges every month:
https://kickinthecreatives.com/all-creative-challenges/
On Social MediaInstagram | Facebook Group
Character and Cartoon CourseJust a quick reminder about our new Characters and Cartoons course
Don’t forget we have an early bird offer of $29 dollars!
https://kickinthecreatives.com/cartooncourse
Today’s art podcast is at the request of one of our listeners, Debora. It is all about abstract art. Although neither of us are pure abstract painters, Tara paints semi abstract faces and we both have an appreciation for abstract art.
Shownotes
Shownotes for this episode
https://kickinthecreatives.com/abstract-art/
Our Sponsor Evolve ArtThis podcast is sponsored by Evolve. Evolve can teach anyone how to paint in a realism style to a professional level in a year. They offer online lessons, support and also provide the materials you need.
To find out more sign up for a free art masterclass at https://kickinthecreatives.com/evolvewebinar
Our Art ChallengesWe have 3 challenges every month:
https://kickinthecreatives.com/all-creative-challenges/
On Social MediaInstagram | Facebook Group
Character and Cartoon CourseJust a quick reminder about our new Characters and Cartoons course
Don’t forget we have an early bird offer of $29 dollars!
https://kickinthecreatives.com/cartooncourse
Today’s art podcast is an unusual one. All we know, is that we have both been going through an art block and instead of talking about it between ourselves as we’d normally do, we thought we would save our chat and share it with you. Mainly because we try to keep things real on here. And the reality is, that not all art comes easily and not all artists always feel like painting.
ShownotesYou can find the shownotes for this episode at
Our Art ChallengesWe have 3 challenges every month:
https://kickinthecreatives.com/all-creative-challenges/
On Social MediaInstagram | Facebook Group
Our Sponsor
This episode is sponsored by Magic Mind is a productivity shot, but unlike other energy drinks, Magic Mind’s benefits don’t come from excessive amounts of stimulating compounds such as caffeine.
Each shot is packed instead with natural ingredients, such as Nootropics and adaptogens which are scientifically designed to improve mood and support focus, calmness, energy, and productivity.
To get your shot of magic, you can go to…
http://magicmind.com/kickinthecreatives
And to get up to 56% off your subscription for the next 10 days, use the code KITC
Character and Cartoon CourseJust a quick reminder about our new Characters and Cartoons course
Don’t forget we have an early bird offer of $29 dollars!
https://kickinthecreatives.com/cartooncourse
Our art podcast guest today is Megan Auman. Megan is an artist, metalsmith teacher, writer, and business coach. In addition to making and selling her jewelry, she helps artists and makers grow their businesses through her books, online classes, and coaching. Now, after Megan reached out to us, I read her book, Try It and See it's all about mindset shifts to help creatives get things done. I loved the the book. It was a real kick up the creatives for me. And so I was curious to hear more from her. So I really hope you enjoy the show.
ShownotesYou can find the shownotes for this episode at https://kickinthecreatives.com/productive-artist-megan-auman/
Our Art ChallengesWe have 3 challenges every month:
https://kickinthecreatives.com/all-creative-challenges/
On Social MediaInstagram | Facebook Group
Our Sponsor
This episode is sponsored by Magic Mind is a productivity shot, but unlike other energy drinks, Magic Mind’s benefits don’t come from excessive amounts of stimulating compounds such as caffeine.
Each shot is packed instead with natural ingredients, such as Nootropics and adaptogens which are scientifically designed to improve mood and support focus, calmness, energy, and productivity.
To get your shot of magic, you can go to…
http://magicmind.com/kickinthecreatives
And to get up to 56% off your subscription for the next 10 days, use the code KITC
Character and Cartoon CourseJust a quick reminder about our new Characters and Cartoons course
Don’t forget we have an early bird offer of $29 dollars!
https://kickinthecreatives.com/cartooncourse
In todays’s art podcast we are going to talk about the joys of doodling and how drawing for fun can boost your creativity
ShownotesYou can find the shownotes for this episode at https://kickinthecreatives.com/joys-doodling-podcast/
Our Art ChallengesWe have 3 challenges every month:
https://kickinthecreatives.com/all-creative-challenges/
On Social MediaInstagram | Facebook Group
Our Sponsor
This episode is sponsored by Magic Mind is a productivity shot, but unlike other energy drinks, Magic Mind’s benefits don’t come from excessive amounts of stimulating compounds such as caffeine.
Each shot is packed instead with natural ingredients, such as Nootropics and adaptogens which are scientifically designed to improve mood and support focus, calmness, energy, and productivity.
To get your shot of magic, you can go to…
http://magicmind.com/kickinthecreatives
And to get up to 56% off your subscription for the next 10 days, use the code KITC
Character and Cartoon CourseJust a quick reminder about our new Characters and Cartoons course
Don’t forget we have an early bird offer of $29 dollars!
https://kickinthecreatives.com/cartooncourse
In today’s art podcast we are going to talk about A.I. (artificial intelligence) for artists.
When Tara suggested this topic, I was not keen. Frankly I’ve always been wildly opposed to AI, for so many reasons, and to be honest, I still am, and I’ll go in to the reasons why later on. But, I can’t deny, despite my huge reservations, I do recognise that it can be really useful for some people.
Shownotes: https://kickinthecreatives.com/aiforartists
Our Sponsor Evolve ArtThis podcast is sponsored by Evolve. Evolve can teach anyone how to paint in a realism style to a professional level in a year. They offer online lessons, support and also provide the materials you need.
To find out more sign up for a free art masterclass at https://kickinthecreatives.com/evolvewebinar
Our Art ChallengesWe have 3 challenges every month:
https://kickinthecreatives.com/all-creative-challenges/
On Social MediaInstagram | Facebook Group
Character and Cartoon CourseJust a quick reminder about our new Characters and Cartoons course
Don’t forget we have an early bird offer of $29 dollars!
https://kickinthecreatives.com/cartooncourse
In today’s art podcast we are going to talk about finding your art niche. Where do you fit in?
Well, first of all, we should clarify that you don’t need a niche if you are purely painting for fun, although most people are drawn to certain subjects.
ShownotesShownotes for this episode
https://kickinthecreatives.com/finding-your-art-niche/
Our Sponsor Evolve ArtThis podcast is sponsored by Evolve. Evolve can teach anyone how to paint in a realism style to a professional level in a year. They offer online lessons, support and also provide the materials you need.
To find out more sign up for a free art masterclass at https://kickinthecreatives.com/evolvewebinar
Our Art ChallengesWe have 3 challenges every month:
https://kickinthecreatives.com/all-creative-challenges/
On Social MediaInstagram | Facebook Group
Character and Cartoon CourseJust a quick reminder about our new Characters and Cartoons course
Don’t forget we have an early bird offer of $29 dollars!
https://kickinthecreatives.com/cartooncourse
In today’s art podcast we are going to talk about how to get back on track with your art after taking a break. And we thought this would be quite a good episode to do at this time of year, because like a lot of people, we took a break over Christmas, and it took us a while to get back into the swing of things.
Shownotes: https://kickinthecreatives.com/back-to-art-after-break/
Our Sponsor Evolve ArtThis podcast is sponsored by Evolve. Evolve can teach anyone how to paint in a realism style to a professional level in a year. They offer online lessons, support and also provide the materials you need.
To find out more sign up for a free art masterclass at https://kickinthecreatives.com/evolvewebinar
Our Art ChallengesWe have 3 challenges every month:
https://kickinthecreatives.com/all-creative-challenges/
On Social MediaInstagram | Facebook Group
Character and Cartoon CourseJust a quick reminder about our new Characters and Cartoons course
Don’t forget we have an early bird offer of $29 dollars!
https://kickinthecreatives.com/cartooncourse
Our podcast guest today is Zach Wolfson. Zach studied poetry, creative writing and filmmaking at Colorado College where he got his underdrad degree. He is now a filmmaker and educator based in Denver where he founded a video content and strategy studio.
Zach teaches artists and creatives how to promote themselves in an authentic way using video. In this podcast he'll be sharing tips to help you create videos for social media.
Our Sponsor Evolve ArtThis podcast is sponsored by Evolve. Evolve can teach anyone how to paint in a realism style to a professional level in a year. They offer online lessons, support and also provide the materials you need.
To find out more sign up for a free art masterclass at https://kickinthecreatives.com/evolvewebinar
Our Art ChallengesWe have 3 challenges every month:
https://kickinthecreatives.com/all-creative-challenges/
On Social MediaInstagram | Facebook Group
Character and Cartoon CourseJust a quick reminder about our new Characters and Cartoons course
Don’t forget we have an early bird offer of $29 dollars!
https://kickinthecreatives.com/cartooncourse
Today's episode is a little bit different.
You get to be a fly-on-the-wall on one of the art conversations Sandra and I would normally have off air.
It all started when I asked a Sandra a question after we'd recorded a podcast and she said, why not record this and let's see what happens.
SO we did, and there's no editing either.
So get your paints out and join us for some studio art chat.
Our Sponsor Evolve ArtThis podcast is sponsored by Evolve. Evolve can teach anyone how to paint in a realism style to a professional level in a year. They offer online lessons, support and also provide the materials you need.
To find out more sign up for a free art masterclass at https://kickinthecreatives.com/evolvewebinar
Our Art ChallengesWe have 3 challenges every month:
https://kickinthecreatives.com/all-creative-challenges/
On Social MediaInstagram | Facebook Group
Character and Cartoon CourseJust a quick reminder about our new Characters and Cartoons course
Don’t forget we have an early bird offer of $29 dollars!
https://kickinthecreatives.com/cartooncourse
In today's art podcast we are going to talk about gift ideas for artists. So, if you are hoping for an arty gift yourself, you could sneakily put this podcast on while your family are nearby… You never know, it might give them some good art present ideas!
Shownotes Shownotes with links to gift ideas we mentioned
https://kickinthecreatives.com/gift-ideas-for-artists/
Our Sponsor Evolve Art This podcast is sponsored by Evolve. Evolve can teach anyone how to paint in a realism style to a professional level in a year. They offer online lessons, support and also provide the materials you need.
To find out more sign up for a free art masterclass at https://kickinthecreatives.com/evolvewebinar
Our Art Challenges We have 3 challenges every month:
https://kickinthecreatives.com/all-creative-challenges/
On Social Media Instagram | Facebook Group
Character and Cartoon Course Just a quick reminder about our new Characters and Cartoons course
Don’t forget we have an early bird offer of $29 dollars!
https://kickinthecreatives.com/cartooncourse
In today’s creative podcast we are talking to Jeff Schmidt. Jeff is an illustrator, speaker and author of the best selling book, Heart Attack, which is all about finding hope, joy, and inspiration through recovery.
As a young professional in his 40s, Jeff‘s life was thrown into chaos after he experienced a series of heart attacks. Today, we talk about how he used his passion for drawing, particularly urban sketching to help him slow down and take stock. I hope you enjoy our chat!
Our Sponsor Evolve Art This podcast is sponsored by Evolve. Evolve can teach anyone how to paint in a realism style to a professional level in a year. They offer online lessons, support and also provide the materials you need.
To find out more sign up for a free art masterclass at https://kickinthecreatives.com/evolvewebinar
Our Art Challenges We have 3 challenges every month:
https://kickinthecreatives.com/all-creative-challenges/
On Social Media Instagram | Facebook Group
Character and Cartoon Course Just a quick reminder about our new Characters and Cartoons course
Don’t forget we have an early bird offer of $29 dollars!
https://kickinthecreatives.com/cartooncourse
In today’s art podcast we are going to talk about the most important skills an artist can have.
And you might think the most important skills are things that revolve around knowing how to draw and paint! But there are so many more skills you need to work on if you want to be a successful artist. Being good at what you do, isn’t enough.
Shownotes: https://kickinthecreatives.com/artist-skills/
Our Sponsor Evolve Art This podcast is sponsored by Evolve. Evolve can teach anyone how to paint in a realism style to a professional level in a year. They offer online lessons, support and also provide the materials you need.
To find out more sign up for a free art masterclass at https://kickinthecreatives.com/evolvewebinar
Our Art Challenges We have 3 challenges every month:
https://kickinthecreatives.com/all-creative-challenges/
On Social Media Instagram | Facebook Group
Character and Cartoon Course Just a quick reminder about our new Characters and Cartoons course
Don’t forget we have an early bird offer of $29 dollars!
https://kickinthecreatives.com/cartooncourse
On Today’s art podcast we are going to talk about the things we wish we had known when we were beginner artists. And hopefully, it might help some of our listeners who have just started out.
Our Sponsor Evolve Art This podcast is sponsored by Evolve. Evolve can teach anyone how to paint in a realism style to a professional level in a year. They offer online lessons, support and also provide the materials you need.
To find out more sign up for a free art masterclass at https://kickinthecreatives.com/evolvewebinar
Our Art Challenges We have 3 challenges every month:
https://kickinthecreatives.com/all-creative-challenges/
On Social Media Instagram | Facebook Group
Character and Cartoon Course Just a quick reminder about our new Characters and Cartoons course
Don’t forget we have an early bird offer of $29 dollars!
https://kickinthecreatives.com/cartooncourse
In today’s art podcast we are going to help you figure out how to start drawing again if you’ve stopped and want to get back on track. It easily happens and there can be lots of reasons behind it, so the first thing you need to think about is what’s caused you to lose your way and how you can get back into the habit.
Our Sponsor Evolve Art This podcast is sponsored by Evolve. Evolve can teach anyone how to paint in a realism style to a professional level in a year. They offer online lessons, support and also provide the materials you need.
To find out more sign up for a free art masterclass at https://kickinthecreatives.com/evolvewebinar
Our Art Challenges We have 3 challenges every month:
https://kickinthecreatives.com/all-creative-challenges/
On Social Media Instagram | Facebook Group
Character and Cartoon Course Just a quick reminder about our new Characters and Cartoons course
Don’t forget we have an early bird offer of $29 dollars!
https://kickinthecreatives.com/cartooncourse
In today’s art podcast we are talking about the AHA moments we experience as artists and there is no more useful AHA moment than the good old ‘happy accident!’
And it’s often the happy accidents that help us progress, because it almost always means that we’ve learned something… It’s just that we learned it by mistake.
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In today's art podcast we are talking to Carmel Jenkin. Carmel is a figurative artist from Melbourne Australia who specialises in the female form. We both came across Carmel at around the same time but on different social media platforms. We were immediate fans. Her paintings are incredibly beautiful and unique.
In today’s podcast we are talking about how to stay focused on your art.
According to a study conducted by Northwest University, highly creative people are generally more easily distracted than the average person!
On today’s podcast we talk about about why artists need to be brave.
So, the most successful artists out there are often the ones who have been brave and not been afraid to try new things …and they’ve just put themselves out there no matter what the outcome or reaction might be. But that’s not easy for everyone. Particularly if you’re an introvert!
Today, we’re talking about taking action with your art…And what we mean by that, is when you find yourself a bit stuck somewhere, then how to do something about it.
In today’s podcast we are giving you 31 ideas of how to share your art on social media and in real life! It’s not always easy for us to find new ways to share things without being repetitive, but you don’t always just have to share your physical art. There are lots of different ways you can engage your audience.
In today’s art podcast we are talking about art collaboration ideas. We are are going to give you some suggestions on different ways you could work with other artists and creatives.
In today’s podcast, we are talking to Zentangle and floral artist Anna Zubarev. Anna creates the most beautiful floral designs. Watch her timelapse on Instagram and you will be mesmerised by her process. Anna shares: the lightbulb moment of discovering Zentangle, developing her own floral-inspired style, creating a range of colouring books and evolving into digital art alongside creating by hand
In today's art podcast episode, we talk about why it’s so difficult to talk about our own art.
TARA
This was a topic idea I had when I reaslised that I had no idea how to talk about my art. It started when I went to some group online art talks for people to sell their digital art.
They were calling people up to talk about their art or pieces of their art. Not only do I not like talking in front of a lot of people I had absolutely no idea what to say.
In today's art podcast we ask “Is time to evolve your art style?”
It seemed appropriate to talk about this today because Sandra feels like she is at a bit of a crossroads herself and we both always try to share our own experiences as artists with you.
In today's podcast episode we’re going to talk about finding art reference and creating your own.
This is part 2 of our podcast about NFTs for Beginners. You can find Ep 108 Artist’s NFTs for beginners Part 1 here. We will go into more about what polygon is, promoting your NFT and some of the scams you need to be aware of in this podcast.
Today, we are talking about NFTs. First of all, I do want to stress that neither one of us are experts. But sometimes I think it’s better actually to get guidance from someone who is not a beginner but not yet an expert, because you’ll more likely get the information you need in simple terms, without being blown away by a whole new language.
Today, we are talking about the Artist's playground.
As we know, a child always performs better at school when they’re also allowed a bit of time to exercise, to play and to not be a slave to the rules. It’s their time to have fun and let go.
It’s the same for artists. If they also allow themselves time out to let go and have some fun, then they will work better at their more serious pieces.
Today, we are talking about why you should date your inner artist. And this is a concept briefly spoken about in Julia Cameron’s book, The Artist's Way.
When you think about it, it really does make sense to look after that side of yourself, because if you don’t, your creative well is going to run dry pretty quickly and that can lead to a lack of inspiration and worse still, artists block, and that’s something you really don’t want.
Our podcast guest today is Artist Jason Chambers who recently quit his job to become a full-time artist. Something I am sure many of us dream of. Jason is a US-based artist who specializes in abstract cubism.
Jason always wanted to be an artist, but life took him in a different direction. After selling a few of his paintings online a friend encouraged him to try selling his art as NFT’s. NFT’s are a way of selling art digitally, with proof of ownership. Although he was initially reluctant as he liked to paint by hand, Jason decided to give it a try. Find out what happened in the podcast
So, a passion project simply means something you do entirely for your own pleasure and not something you start off with the intention of it leading to anything in particular. That doesn’t necessarily mean it won't lead anywhere, but you don’t do it with that sole intention. It’s purely for the joy.
Today’s podcast guest is Caricature Artist Kevin Wells. Kevin who is also known as Squiggle King has always been a compulsive doodler. When he was 30 he became a London cabbie and for the first time in his adult life, he had more control over his time and decided to get art education. He did an A level in art and design at his local college, followed by a part-time Fine Art Degree course. At his degree show in 2005, he was selected the winner of the Windsor and Newton Watts prize, which led to him becoming the first artist in residence at the Watts Gallery in Compton. This began a long association with a gallery, where as well as having a solo show there in 2006, he led drawing and painting workshops with schools and groups from the local community, and did so until a few years ago, in 2015, he was elected a member of the prestigious Society of graphic fine art, or the drawing society with whom he now exhibits regularly.
Our podcast guest today is artist Nick George who paints abstract face art. We first spotted Nick’s work on Instagram and were completely wowed by it. It was very different to anything we had seen before. Imagine the silhouette of an exaggerated face filled with an eye, fragments of text, collage and cartoon characters. They have the feel of street art, like walls where posters and stickers have been layered and peeled back over time.
We were also excited to see that Nick is teaching on Kara Bullock’s portrait art course Let’s Face It course 2022. We are looking forward to watching his lessons.
Welcome to today's episode, which is episode 101, and part 2 of our previous special 100th episode. To celebrate the 100 episodes, we invited you listeners to ask us anything… And we got so many questions, that we decided to make it into a special double episode! So today is part two
Welcome to today's art podcast episode, which is….. episode 100!
And to celebrate our 100th episode, we invited you listeners to ask us anything… And we got so many questions, that we have decided to make this into a special double episode! So today is part one...
We’re just so glad that you all enjoy it. And you’ve all helped us to reach 100 episodes so thank you!
In today’s art podcast we are talking about how to be a more confident artist. Is your lack of self-confidence holding you back?
I don’t think it matters how experienced we become as artists, we all have this feeling at some point. But it can become a real problem when artist self-doubt just doesn’t go away because if we don’t learn how to get past it, it can stunt our progression as artists.
And I do speak from experience because I used to be very unsure of my place in the art world, even as I did become more experienced, and it was only through forcing myself to be brave that I overcame that problem. But, we’ll talk more about that later!
Today, we are asking the question, should I loosen up my art style? It’s a subject that is close to Sandra’s heart because it was something she felt was almost forced on her when she started creating art. She ended up being sick of hearing the words ‘loosen up!’
Welcome to today's episode. And today we’re going to share drawing challenge ideas that will help improve your drawing skills. That could be by taking part in existing drawing challenges or setting a personal challenge for yourself. We’re going to talk about how these challenges can help you.
In today’s podcast, we are talking about Instagram for artists with Amy Eaton from Amytakespictures.com. Amy is a product and brand photographer turned educator. Amy teaches makers, artists and creatives how to take gorgeous photographs for their businesses. Amy talks about how best to present yourself as an artist and how to photograph artwork for Instagram and social media.
Recently, we asked if there was anyone in particular that our listeners would like us to interview. One of the answers stood out to us. It was from a member of our Facebook group, Rick Fravor. Rick suggested that we interview an artist who is sight impaired, and that is not a subject we’ve touched on before, so of course we thought it was a great idea. But we decided, why not interview Rick himself… After all, he is artist and he is also sight impaired! Perhaps he will be the one to inspire other people who are physically disadvantaged in some way, to just have a go! Rick hasn’t let his sight impairment stop him from making art, and today he talks about how art has enriched his life.
In today's art podcast, we are talking about artist Imposter syndrome which we previously covered in Episode 10. Now is a good time to revisit this subject, because Tara and I have got good reason to be going through a bit of it ourselves, as well, I'm sure as so many artists in the Art Community do sometimes.
In today’s episode, we’re going to delve into the topic of being a self-taught artist and all of the self doubt that comes with it.
In today’s podcast we are talking about the art of idea generation. A few years ago I was a bit obsessed with learning about idea generation, it was to overcome that stuck feeling when I was working on a graphic design project. There are lots of different idea generation techniques, many of which you can apply to your art so Sandra and I want to share some of our favourites with you.
Today's podcast episode is about the misheld beliefs of being an artist. These are those strange perceptions that non-artists have about how an artist should look, act or be.
Welcome to today's episode. Today we’re going to talk about the biggest mistakes beginner artists often make. If we look back to when we first started creating art, with the benefit of hindsight we might have done some things differently. Even now with more experience we still make a lot of mistakes eg. does anyone else not want to start a new sketchbook for fear of “ruining it”?
In today’s podcast we are talking about the benefits of starting your art journey later in life. So if you’ve been thinking about creating or know someone that is, remember it’s never too late, whatever your age.
Today's podcast guest is Carrie Waller. Carrie is an award-winning watercolour artist working in a realistic, detailed style. Her studies in Interior Design and Graphic Design as well as her time spent living in Europe and Asia have influenced her as an artist. Her unique works are bold, vibrant and dramatic. As well as exhibiting and selling her art she also teaches workshops and private classes.
Dan Whiteson is a portrait/figurative painter from London. Since graduating from Central Saint Martins, his work has since been shown in numerous group and solo shows across the UK and can be found in private collections all over the world.
As well as his own painting, Dan also teaches. He created his life drawing classes in response to his own, negative experiences of life classes & creative education. He offers an informal approach with an emphasis on experimental techniques and exercises. He aims to create an environment in which students, regardless of ability, can feel relaxed and inspired.
Andrea Ehrhardt is a professional mural artist based in Springfield, Missouri, but she has created murals all over the world. Many of her murals allow passer-bys a photo opportunity, such as standing in front of Angel Wings. These get shared on social media and help spread her work. She has also grown her business through video, which she shares more about in the podcast.
Today’s podcast is all about ten skills that every artist needs. That’s from the creative side of things to admin or business skills.
In today's podcast we’re going to talk about using your imagination in your art, even if you don’t think you have any. We can all use imagination in our art. The key to it is finding a way of unlocking that part of your brain. We all have it, it’s just a matter of finding out how to access it.
In today's podcast, we’re going to talk about the curse of perfectionism for artists. And one of the first things to consider is why you are striving for perfection. Are you striving for perfection because you enjoy the process of getting there? (That’s not a bad thing) Or are you just striving for perfection to prove to others, or yourself that you are ‘good enough?’
Today we are talking about the pros and cons of social media for artists of which there are many. I think at some point we will all have had some great experiences on social media, whether that is making new friends and contacts or a great comment. But of course it also has its downsides too.
Today we are talking about creating cartoon characters. Sandra received a message from Penny Henriksen who is in our Facebook Group saying “I would love for you to talk about your comic process. How did you develop Felicity Fizz (create her)? How do you come up with your ideas? How do you sketch her up (digital/other)? What tools do you use for her? She's been up for while now - we just need a Felicity Fizz. As both Sandra and I like creating characters and cartoons we thought it was a great topic for a podcast. We both have very different ways of coming up with them, so we’ll both talk about our own approaches.
Today we are talking about how to start oil painting. Sandra remembers feeling scared to try them initially and so she talks from her own experience. She used to use watercolours because oil painting looked so complicated…. All those weird oil painting mediums, recipes, the expense, not to mention the health issues relating to oils and thinners that she had read about… And of course that unmistakable oil paint smell!
But about ten years ago an artist friend of hers said she should try them. The moment she tried them, she knew she had found the perfect medium to suit her style.
In today's podcast we’re going to talk about using your sketchbook to explore and have fun, rather than thinking of it as a portfolio. With the kind of sketchbook flip-throughs you see online, it’s easy to think a sketchbook should be a work of art in itself… but that’s not so! You wouldn’t expect an author's first draft or notes for a book to be perfect so why should we treat a sketchbook that way
In today’s podcast, we're talking about drawing and sketching people. It’s a subject a lot of people avoid because drawing people can be tricky, especially if they are moving. Drawing people is something that Sandra and I both enjoy and want to keep improving. There are lots of different ways to practice drawing people, whether that’s from life or photos and videos.
Happy new year and welcome to today's episode, the first of 2021! Today we are talking about our personal favourite art books… and not just tutorial books, but other inspirational books too. There are lots of obvious ones we could talk about, the Danny Gregory’s and the Austin Kleons, but we’re pretty sure that most of you will have heard of those, so we’re going to talk about the less obvious ones.
Today’s podcast is all about the art materials that we love the most as well as some of the ones our guests have mentioned to us along the way. We’d love you to share your favourites in the comments too. Everyone loves new art stuff don’t they!
Today's guest is Mike Brennan from MikeBrennan.me . Mike's childhood dream was to be a cartoon. When he realised that wasn’t possible he became the next best thing – an Artist. He loves sharing experiences and making connections through his art, and helping other artists and creatives establish a daily creative habit of their own.
Today's episode is all about how to cope with the feelings of stress overwhelm that can come with being, or ‘trying to be’ a creative.
Today's guest is Kevin Murphy who is co-founder of the Evolve Art Program. Evolve is an online art school that can teach anyone how to paint in oils in a realistic style, in a year or less.
Chris Riddell is a British illustrator who has illustrated many acclaimed books for children. He is also a renowned political cartoonist whose work appears regularly in UK newspapers.
This is the second part of our podcast about the best ways to present your artwork. In this part, we cover more of the physical side of presenting your art rather than sharing it virtually on social media.
In today’s podcast we are talking about the best ways to present your art. Not just our art, but ourselves as artists too. It can mean the difference between selling or not selling your work or just how your art is perceived by other people.
Russell Nohelty is a USA Today best-selling author who writes nonfiction as well as graphic novels which he describes as weird books for weird people. He's also an inspirational speaker helping artists to build better creative careers. If you're thinking about writing your own book, then this is the episode for you whether you're looking at going down the traditional publishing route all the cells publishing one, he really is a wealth of information.
In today's episode, we are going to talk about the importance of creating art from the heart. And by that, we mean creating how and what you love to create rather than creating what you think you should, or what other people want you to.
Today’s guest is Mitch Bowler. Mitch has a fascinating story from growing up in a small town in Canada with dreams of being a video games artist, to making his dream come true and moving to live and work in the industry in China. Since then Mitch has created the well known art platform and podcast called Pencil Kings where he has helped thousands of artists learn to draw.
Mitch’s latest project is an online learning platform called Evolve. It’s a program to teach anyone how to paint to a professional level in a realism style in a year or less. It’s some Sandra would have dreamed of when she was learning to paint.
If you go to KickintheCreative.com/Evolve you can get a time sensitive discount off the Evolve program. (please note this is an affiliate link - thank you for your support)
Today’s podcast guest is Andy J. Pizza from Creative Pep Talk. Andy is an American illustrator, podcaster and public speaker. He has produced vibrant illustrations for clients like Nickelodeon and Amazon.
Sandra and I are huge fans of Andy’s podcast the Creative Pep Talk where Andy shares creative advice, plus Andy knows how to tell fascinating stories which makes him a great speaker. You can’t help but find that some of his enthusiasm will rub off on you.
Today's episode is all about how to find your art style. But it’s a little different to our usual podcast
We’ll talk about how both of us found our art style, but Tara will be the main focus, because Tara found hers more recently. Tara didn’t stumble across her style… It didn’t just creep up on her through pencil mileage… she made a conscious effort to find it by developing her own 60 day ‘Find your Art Style’ experiment. And she filmed her process and her progress, every single day. It was something she hoped would work, but there was always the chance that it might not, so it was a huge commitment to take on, with no guarantees.
So, we thought it might be fun if Sandra interviewed Tara about her process, in the hope that she can help you to find ways to find your own, or develop the one that you already have. Plus Tara will ask Sandra a few questions about how she found her style along the way too.
Today’s guest is Caylee Grey from GetMessyart.com. Caylee is a South African artist living in Germany. We really wanted to have Caylee on the podcast as her mission is close to our hearts, to encourage people to have a regular creative practice. Caylee has a fascinating story of how she started art journaling as a challenge she set herself which then turned into her full-time business. She teaches others how to journal and most of all to love the process of creating art. Her mission is to empower 10 000 people into a regular creative practice.
Today’s guest is Laura Frankstone https://www.laurelines.com/ . Laura is an Artist, Urban Sketcher and Illustrator from North Carolina. Sandra first came across Laura's work about 12 years ago when she stumbled across her blog. It was Laura that inspired her to start her own blog all that time ago.
In today's episode, we are going to talk about completing a creative challenge. As many of us who have taken part in creative challenges will know starting a creative challenge is easy. You start out full of excitement and great intentions. However, maintaining momentum to see the challenge through to the end is much harder.
Today's guest is Lewis Rossignol, an illustrator and artist based in Portland, Maine USA. He specializes in combining hand-drawn and collaged imagery.
Website https://www.lewisrossignolart.com/
Podcast called Thumbnail https://thumbnail.podbean.com/
Etsy Shop https://www.etsy.com/shop/LewisRossignolArt where you can buy prints and books
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/lewisrossignol/
Youtube Channel https://www.youtube.com/lewisrossignol
Today’s episode is all about creating themes for your sketchbooks.
But why would you want a theme for your sketchbook?
It can really help with indecision, having a theme can prevent that feeling of not knowing what you are going to draw. But if you are worried you will get bored with just one theme, you could have several sketchbooks on the go, each on different theme.
For example you could have one for doodles, landscapes, portraits, cartoons, challenges etc. Then just pick up the one that you feel like doing the most.
Today's guest is artist Ian Fennelly. Ian is an amazing urban sketcher, artist and teacher, who loves painting on location. Most of his work involves painting buildings which he paints in a lively vibrant way. When we previously interviewed Ian we were speaking to him after the show and he mentioned his interest in art and mental health. With everything that is going on at the moment with the Corona Virus lockdown, we thought this was the perfect time to get him back to share his knowledge.
Today's episode is all about how to find creative ways to cope with isolation following the coronavirus outbreak.
And as well as the podcast we put together this bumper blog post with links to free creative courses, resources and ideas for things to do during the Coronavirus outbreak.
In podcast episode 46, we spoke about how sometimes, taking a short break from our art can be beneficial and help to re-fill our creative well. But what if you haven’t drawn for months, or even years? You pick up that pencil again and somehow it just feels so alien, that you just put it down again.Today we are going to talk about that.
Today’s podcast guest is Eric Hanscom, an intellectual property attorney who is answering your artist’s questions about copyright. Eric has been an intellectual property attorney for the last 20 years. He has successfully filed and prosecuted thousands of patents, trademarks and copyrights for his clients in more than 50 countries. As well as understanding copyright as an attorney, Eric is also a Drone photographer so understands the other side of intellectual property from a Creative’s perspective.
As Artists and Creatives we are often asked questions that can really ruffle our feathers, even if they are meant with the best intentions.
Todays interview is with artist and creative Marcia Furman. Although Marcia original trained in Graphic Design her passion is now for creating art. She sells her art through her Etsy shop and in person at crafts markets. She also shares her creative life and art tutorials through her Youtube channel "Art by Marcia Furman"
Today we are talking about inspiration versus imitation and the two are very different things! When we are starting with anything new we all tend to imitate, we copy drawings and painting techniques to learn how things are done. And that is completely normal. But then there comes a time when we need to find our own way and use what we have learned to create something new that we can call our own.
Today we are talking about the power of continuous practice… And I think that most of the people who joined KITC at the start and have been joining in with the challenges ever since will be able to see how much they have improved by adopting a creative habit. So if you haven’t joined us yet and you want to improve your skills, then now is a good time to start. Our Facebook Group is a great place to share your work, get encouraged by other artists and hold yourself accountable.
This podcast is a little different to our normal episodes in the fact that it’s an “Ask us Anything” Christmas Special. This is the second part of a two-parter, as we talked way too much for one episode!
You can find Part one here.
Ep 50 Ask us Anything Christmas Special Part 1
For this special podcast, we invited you to ask us questions. They could be anything, art or creativity related, personal (thank you for keeping it clean!!!) or random things. And we got a bit of everything so there is a good mix and we hope you enjoy the show?
This podcast is a little different to our normal episodes in the fact that it’s an “Ask us Anything” Christmas Special. Well, in fact, it’s part one of a Christmas Special. Now whether that’s because you asked us too many questions or Sandra and I talk way too much I will let you decide. Personally, I think it’s the former. But anyway Part 2 will air on the 23rd of December, so you can listen while you slurp on a little Eggnog or snog your significant other under the mistletoe (that’s going to be a very long kiss)!
Don't forget to listen out for Part 2 of the "Ask us Anything Christmas Special”on the 23rd of December. The normal podcast will resume on the 6th January and we also have some interesting guests coming up in the new year.
Today we are talking about drawing from life versus drawing from photos and which is best. And I think we know, now more than ever before, what a different skill drawing from life is since we started doing a lot more sketching trips out and about.
It’s really easy to rely on photo’s for practice, and while there’s nothing wrong with drawing from photos, it’s important to also practise drawing from life as much as you can.
In today’s interview, we are talking to Artist Ian Fennelly. Ian is an urban sketcher who creates and sells his amazing sketches. His work mainly features buildings which are painted with splashes of beautiful vibrant colours and use lively linework. Not only is Ian a fantastic painter he is also very entertaining and tells some interesting stories in this podcast.
Today we are talking about fun things you can do with a creative friend. Art can be a solitary activity, but it needn’t always be that way. Particularly now we have the internet. More than ever before we can connect with other creative people and find fun things to do together without even having to meet! In fact, Sandra and I didn’t meet in person for at least a year.
We can put so much pressure on ourselves to be productive and creative. Sometimes you really need to allow yourself a break to recharge ready to make new art.
Today’s guest is Illustrator and Urban Sketcher Lynne Chapman. Lynne has had a fascinating career and lots of tips to share if you’re an aspiring illustrator. But what made us reach out to Lynne was her amazing urban sketching. As you may know Sandra and I are both working on improving our sketching on location and whenever I’d google urban sketching tips Lynne’s name would pop up. So if you’re interested in illustration or urban sketching I think you’ll really enjoy this interview.
Today we are talking about the importance of going out specifically to sketch from life, and how to plan a successful trip.
Obviously, not everyone can dedicate a whole day to sketching on a regular basis. It might be that you can only spare your lunch hours at work, but we can talk about ‘snatching time to sketch’ in a future episode. Today we are focussing on arranging a dedicated sketching day trip.
Today’s creative guest is artist and illustrator Barbara Johansen Newman from https://www.johansennewman.com/
Barbara has had a fascinating career from puppetry to illustration to licensing. And now she has gone back to her first love which is painting. What is interesting about Barbara’s art is that although her figurative paintings are interesting in themselves, she builds a world around them using found objects and by painting on unusual surfaces.
As Leonardo da Vinci once said, “Art is never finished, only abandoned.”
Sandra wasn’t entirely sure it was Da Vinci, but we’ve checked it now… Phew...she was right
Today we are talking about how to recognise when your piece of art is ready to be abandoned. Not knowing when to stop can be the difference between a beautiful piece of work, and something that is overworked and almost sterile.
We release a new episode every fortnight on a Monday, you can subscribe in all the usual places.
Today’s creative guest is Deb Weiers from http://debweiersart.com @debweiersart. Deb is a mixed media artist based in Red Deer Canada who creates amazing semi-abstract faces. Her art is incredibly distinct and she uses a very intuitive approach to create her art. It was seeing Debs Faces that inspired me to try creating a few semi-abstract faces myself for our Abstract April Challenge.
In today’s episode, we talk about why artists and writers often live with guilt and how to overcome it. Although everyone can feel guilty at times, the problem for creatives is that they tend to get a double dose. Artists and writers can feel guilty when they are creating and yet they can also feel guilty when they’re not. So this is where finding a balance is really important.
Today’s creative guest is Karen Abend from www.karenabend.com. Karen is an artist and illustrator who licenses her work. You may also know her as the creator of Sketchbook Revival, a free online event which has run for the last two years. Sketchbook Revival brings together a group of art teachers to share their ideas and inspiration for filling up your sketchbook.
In today’s episode, we talk about the importance of experimenting with your art and daring to break out of your comfort zone. But you might be asking yourself why is that even important at all? If you’re happy with how you paint, what’s the point in mixing things up?
But it’s very easy to stick to what you know because you want to master one technique… and there is nothing wrong with that, but by never experimenting with new techniques and mediums, not only could you be missing out on a whole lot of fun, but you might be denying yourself the opportunity to evolve as an artist.
We also talk about a new project we are launching called the “Rediscover Your Art” Sketchbook project to encourage more people to create art. You can find out more about the project here.
Today’s guest is Carrie Brummer from www.artiststrong.com. Carrie was originally an art teacher in school, but then moved into a more administrative position. She started a blog about art in her spare time and discovered that people all over the world wanted to learn to draw and paint. That blog later became known as www.artiststrong.com where Carrie formed a community and taught people to draw through her online courses.
In today’s episode, we talk about the pro’s and cons of turning your passion into your career. We both have quite strong feelings about this topic.
Some of the things we discuss: How having a creative job can kill your original creative passion (I know this well) How if you get it right you’ll feel like you’re never working How it can be hard creating things “to order” How you can hone your skill and learn new skills while someone else is paying How you can end up creating things you’re really not interested in. How working for yourself can be great as you get to set your own hours How a creative job can help push you out of your comfort zone
Today’s guest is Jacqui Penn, also known by her pen name Penny Appleton. Jacqui who is 71, is the mother of well-known writer and creative entrepreneur Joanna Penn (The Creative Penn). Jacqui was a teacher for much of her life. She has also expressed her creativity in the past through painting in acrylics. Jacqui only started her writing career in recent years encouraged by her daughter Joanna Penn. She writes sweet romance books, based on aspects of her life.
In today’s episode, we talk about why it’s important to face your fears and draw or paint what you think you can’t. It’s all too easy to stay well within our comfort zone, but daring to break out of it is an important part of being an artist.
And what's the worst that can happen? Well if your fear is drawing deadly venomous snakes from life, quite a lot. Apart from that a bad drawing or painting is not the end of the world (I'd just stick to fluffy bunnies and butterflies)
In today’s episode we talk about ways of conveying a message or a story through your art.
This can be anything from saying something you feel the need to say without having to actually say it; in other words a way of expressing a message or your feelings. To creating a piece that tells its own story. And everything in between.
We recently asked on social media what topics you would like to cover and Nea Edmans was interested in advice on selling art. So this week our guest is Cory Huff from theabundantartist.com. Cory has a unique blend of expertise in the creative industry along with experience of working in online marketing. He now helps artists to market and sell their art offering advice through his blog, podcast, courses book and coaching.
In today’s episode, we talk about ways that you can improve your drawing. And of course, with everything the key to improvement is practice, but there are things you can do to help speed up your progress. We share some of our ideas, and also some of your suggestions. Different things will also work for work for different people.
Today’s guest is Stewart Hil, an ex-army officer who in 2009 suffered a traumatic brain injury during a second tour in Afghanistan. Along with perforated eardrums, a loss of his sense of smell and taste, Stewart’s ability to process and organise information were also affected. Since then Stewart has found a new purpose in art, initially using it as a way to help him focus. He is now a professional award-winning artist and he is also an inspirational speaker.
In today's episode, we talk about sketching in public places and how to do that with more confidence.
After our sketching trip to London late last year, we thought now would be the perfect time to talk about the topic.
Obviously, our number one tip would be to get yourself an incognito disguise like a furry hat and moustache or horses head mask. Failing that, we do have a few other suggestions from ourselves and the advice you all shared on social media (thank you).
This week’s guest is Will Terry. Will has been a freelance illustrator for 23 years. After finishing his BFA project at BYU he began working for magazines and newspapers not far from where he grew up in Washington D.C. His early clients include publications such as Time, Money, Wall Street Journal and Mastercard. He has illustrated around 30 children's books for many of the top publishers including Random House Scholastic and Penguin. He has created several indie ebooks that have sold tens of thousands of copies. He also co-owns www.svslearn.com - online illustration classes for children's book illustrators selling in over 80 countries.
In today’s episode we talk about whether you’re ever too old to start making art…. And the answer to that question is NO.
So that’s it for today, we’ll see you next time!!
No, but seriously… It’s a question you hear from older people, wondering if they’ve left it too late to learn. In fact Sandra wondered it too as she didn't take art seriously until she was in her 30s.
Happy New Year (that sounds so weird when I’m writing this in December)
Today’s episode is a round-up of the arty things we’ve loved and what we learned in 2018, plus a look at what we’ve got coming up for 2019.
We want to start by saying that having great art materials does not make you a great artist. Any pencil or pen will do, but they are blooming lovely and collecting them is a hobby in itself.
Today’s episode is all about New Years Resolutions. Don’t you just love them?
Why is it that after chugging down a load of wine and eating too much chocolate we feel that we need to make a resolution? Oh yeah, maybe it’s just that we’ve chugged down a load of wine and eaten too much chocolate.
Anyway, allow yourself to breathe and let that top button pop open, as we don’t think you should be making resolutions. However, we do think there are better ways we can make positive changes and build those creative habits too. One of your resolutions was going to be to be more creative or draw more, wasn’t it? And to listen to more podcasts?
Today’s episode is all about why too much social media can kill your creative confidence. Of course, social media can be a great place to share your work and meet like-minded people. However, along with the good side of social media, scrolling through too much of it can be a sure way of feeling inferior and it can even end up destroying your confidence.
Some of the social media creative confidence issues we discuss
- How easy it is to feel intimidated by other artists on social media
- Why you shouldn’t take everything at face value (retouched eye bags)
- How we can use social media for inspiration and encouragement
- How timelapse can distort our view on the ease of creation
- How we can curb our social media addiction
- How we should compare our own work with our past work rather than anyone else's
Today’s episode is all about how time management for creatives. One of the common things we hear that creatives struggle with is finding the time to create something, whether it’s finding time to write each day, or time to draw or paint. In this podcast, we discuss ways that you can make the best use of whatever time you have to keep your creative projects alive.
This week’s guest is artist Jon Burgerman. I think we’ve mentioned Jon in nearly every joint podcast episode we’ve done so far. But if you haven’t heard of him you should definitely check out some of his work.
Jon was born in the UK but moved to New York City in 2010. His art has a doodle like quality about it. What I like about his work is that it seems to be very much about play and experimentation.
Jon’s work exists in many forms including canvases, murals, sculpture, toys, apparel, design, print and even tatoos. He also does some really funny animation and video projects.
As well as writing and illustrating books, teaching on Skillshare and his other projects Jon has also collaborated with some very high profile brands including CocaCola, Samsung, Nintendo, Nike and Sony.
John talks to us about his artistic life and how he thinks you develop an artist style. He shares a few of his fun creative projects that he has done on the subway, which he does spontaneously. The projects start because he is perhaps bored, or feeling mischievous or perhaps just spots something he finds interesting.
We hope you enjoy the show.
In today’s episode, we talk about how to recognise and deal with a creative block. And, more importantly, why do we even have them?
And it comes at a good time because both myself and Sandra have been through one quite recently.
It seems that just about every Artist out there goes through this at some point, if not a couple of times a year and it is all part of being a Creative. But knowing that doesn’t always make it any easier to deal with.
This weeks guest is Joanna Penn from The Creative Penn. Joanna is an Award-nominated, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. She’s an independent (indie) author and has written 27 books and sold over 500,000 books in 84 countries and 5 languages. And as if that’s not enough, she’s also an international speaker and award-winning creative entrepreneur. Joanna shares the secrets to her success in multiple ways including her award-winning blog and her own Podcast for writers, ‘The Creative Penn’ (spelt with a double n)
In today’s episode, we are talking about painting/drawing for commissions versus painting for joy. Within the idea of paid commissions, we are also including those “jobs” where friends or family ask you to create things for them (we’ve all been there!).
We’ve been thinking about doing this episode for a while. Sandra has done a lot of commissions this year and I’ve also done a tiny commission recently and some in the past. So we thought now was a good time to talk about it. We’ve both recently been having a creative slump too, could that be to do with commissions? We talk about that in this episode.
This week's guest is Jake Parker. Jake is an illustrator, writer, and teacher based in Utah. Jake has worked on everything from animated films to comics to picture books since 1999. He’s lived in six states, working at the best studios with some of the most amazing and talented people in the country. Now Jake freelances out of his own studio in Utah.
Jake started his professional drawing career straight out of school, and in the podcast, he explains how he got that first break which kick-started his career. Since then he has worked for many high profile clients including Disney, Warner Brothers and Google.
Jake’s work has been published countless times in way too many places to list here, but despite that, he might be best known to our listeners as the founder of the hugely popular October drawing challenge ‘Inktober’.
Today’s episode is all about general tips for artists. It’s a bit of a follow on from Episode 15 about making the best of your creative space.
We cover a lot in this episode. Just in case you’re not aware, Sandra is an experienced oil painter who paints highly detailed still lifes. Prior to discovering her love of oils, she used to paint in watercolours. So Sandra has a wealth of tips to share, plus I throw in a few tips of my own that I’ve learned over the years too.
One of the biggest things you’ll learn is to take your bathroom cabinet out of the bathroom and transfer it to your art space. It appears that Sandra has miraculously found a use for everything in hers for painting. Even I found some of the suggestions a little eye-opening!
We are delighted to have the incredibly talented artist and co-founder of Sketchbook Skool, Koosje Koene on the podcast today.
Koosje was born in the Netherlands and lives in Amsterdam. She studied Graphic Design but later went on to become an award-winning photographer.
After 10 years as a photographer, Kosha got itchy feet and her pencils began calling her. She quickly re-discovered her love for drawing and started her blog.
Koosje then began developing online classes and not only is she now a highly talented illustrator, but also an online teacher. She also hosts ‘Draw Tip Tuesday’ where she offers weekly drawing tips, encouraging people to draw every single day. She shares how she gets inspiration for both Draw Tip Tuesday and her own personal art.
In the podcast, you will hear more about Koosje's creative journey on the way to co-founding Sketchbook Skool with Danny Gregory in 2014. She also shares her hopes for the future of Sketchbook Skool and her own creative work.
Today’s episode is all about making the best of your creative space. Now that includes keeping your stuff organised and tidy. Anyone that knows me well, will know that tidiness is definitely not my forte. In fact, my partner (who never stops hoovering) would be rolling around laughing at the thought of me giving anyone else advice on this stuff. Hands up who else has an “I don’t know where to put it” drawer
Now if you were panicking and thinking why on earth would I listen to someone so untidy, fear not. Fortunately, Sandra, who says herself that she is a little OCD in the clean and tidy department, can help balance out my messiness.
So just like you, I will have to listen back to this episode to see what Mrs Tidypants (as Sandra will be known from this day forward ) has to say about creative space organisation.
This week we are delighted to have Danny Gregory from Sketchbook Skool on the podcast. In fact, delighted is pretty much an understatement, especially for Sandra who had to decide what outfit she would wear for our voice-only podcast.
I'm sure if you love art and drawing you'll know all about Danny Gregory, but just in case you've had your head buried under a sketchbook for the last few years, let me tell you a little more.
Danny spent three decades working as one of New York's leading advertising directors. When his wife had a tragic accident which left her paralyzed, Danny started drawing and keeping a journal as a sort of therapy to help him come to terms with what happened. He has been drawing ever since. He also used drawing to help him cope with the death of his wife through another accident years later.
Danny has written several books, some of which show his beautiful journal sketches alongside his words, we talk about some of them in the podcast including A Kiss Before You Go and Shut Your Monkey.
A few years ago Danny got together with Koosje Koene to form Sketchbook Skool. Danny never dreamed he would end up teaching people to draw, but now he is inspiring people all over the world to pick up a pen or pencil and start drawing again.
You can find out more about Danny Gregory on his blog or at https://sketchbookskool.com
Our guest for this episode is realist artist Callum Stephen, who you may remember from the BBC Big Painting Challenge. Sandra takes the reins today as she interviews Callum while I’m off on holiday in France, which funnily enough is where Callum is now living.
Today's episode is all about idea generation, a topic we love. I have to try and keep Sandra under control otherwise she comes up with bizarre ideas like inflatable knickers (don't ask!).
If you have ever sat with a blank sheet of paper not knowing what to create, then this episode is for you. You really don’t need to wait for that Eureka moment to have an idea. There are lots of different creative techniques you can try.
Some of the creativity techniques we cover: * Mind mapping - but we put our own twist on this * How to get ideas out of your everyday life * How to use a random word to get ideas - we also try this live to show you how it works - yikes (we don't even cheat by picking the random words first! ) * Freewriting - Sandra shares a scary app for this too * Sandra talks about how you should carry a notebook at all times, but hasn't got one when we need one on the podcast :-) * Idea mash-up - Its a bit like making a cheese and potato pie, but completely different * Moodboards and White-Boards * Poetry and Character Tear-Ups * Oh my god I am still writing, and there are more creative techniques we shared that I haven't even mentioned...get your coffee ready.
This week we are delighted to have a guest on the show and that's Mike Young, better known as Youngman Brown creator of the popular podcast Your Creative Push. Now Mike has a lot to answer for, in fact, he is the reason that this podcast even exists. He's the one to blame when Sandra and I are warbling on in your ear, as we met via Mike's Creative Push Facebook Group.
Mike originally started his podcast because he was looking for a podcast about pushing yourself to be more creative, but he couldn't find one. Mike is a great writer but he found he wasn't motivating himself to write as much as he wanted to. Originally Mike was putting out one episode of the show a day, which is quite an achievement. Finding guests, interviewing and editing a podcast takes a huge amount of time and Mike was doing all that alongside his job of being a poker dealer. Mike shares how he managed his time and got so much done.
Mike shares some of the creative projects he is working on including Words plus music http://wordsplusmusic.com/ and Creative Push. He also speaks about some of the challenges he's taken part in. One was NaNoWriMo - a writing challenge, but Mike put his own twist on the Challenge. Cramuary was another challenge that Mike invented himself. The idea was that he would "cram"/do as much work on a creative project (his book) during January as he could. However, it didn't work out quite as planned which Mike explains more about in the podcast. Mike offers his tips for anyone else who is considering taking part in a creative challenge.
As a follow up to our episode about dealing with negative feedback, today's episode is about imposter syndrome.
If you haven't heard the term before, it doesn't mean you have to disguise yourself with a pair of googly eyes and fake moustache. Instead, it's that feeling you get that you get when you feel you shouldn't be in the position your in. That you aren't knowledgeable enough even though you have all the expertise and experience that you need to be where you are.
How to spot if you have imposter syndrome
- Feeling inferior amongst others in your field
- A fear of being ‘found out’... or people realising that you’re not really as knowledgeable on the subject as they’d thought
- Lack of self-confidence and self-belief
- Procrastination
- Feelings of self-doubt
Our experiences of imposter syndrome We share our experiences of imposter syndrome. Sandra talks about having Imposter Syndrome when her art was featured on the front cover of a magazine. Tara's art hasn't yet achieved such notoriety but she did once win a hamster cage age, (plus a teddy bear and R2D2 model kit that she forgot to mention in the show ;-) ). PS. she was only about 7. Tara has also experienced imposter syndrome on many occasions including the time she worked at a design agency and the most amazing designer worked there too - yikes.
How to overcome imposter syndrome Hold on to your hats, we got some ideas for you here, hint - that was one of them, but you can hear more in the show.
June Challenges We give a quick mention to the three challenges we've got happening in June
Copyist June Replicate a sketch, drawing or painting by a master or from an art book, every day throughout the month. One of the best ways to learn how to draw well is to copy from other artists who are masters of their craft. By replicating their style you will learn a lot.
Cartoon in June This is a challenge to create a cartoon every single day throughout the month of June. Your cartoon could be a single character, or an entire comic strip! You can use any medium.
For ‘Quick Kick June’ - Create a COLOUR sketch in 10 minutes or less. This challenge is particularly suitable for those who have a tendency to overwork their sketches or those who have limited time.
This week's podcast question Q. What is your favourite famous painting and why? The best answers will be read out on the next podcast.
Today we are talking about dealing with negative feedback and we'll be sharing some of our personal experiences. Now, I am sure if you have listened to the show before you're thinking, ...but Sandra and Tara are way too fabulous to have ever had any negative feedback. That was what you were thinking wasn't it?! But it's true we have both had some gut-wrenching experiences - I don't think I need to elaborate anymore other than to say the words "nose whistle" and "the teddy bear got its revenge". It will all make sense when you listen.
Why are you receiving negative criticism? Often it means you stepping out of your comfort zone and trying something new or stretching yourself, which is actually a great thing. It’s just that people aren’t always that tactful about giving criticism.
Tips for dealing with negative feedback We need to try and remember that feedback, whether good or bad is only someone's opinion. Sometimes the criticism can help us learn something and improve what we do, other times it's best to ignore it and realise it's more about the other person's insecurities, jealousy or downright tactlessness. We share how our negative feedback affected us at the time and how we might deal with it if the same thing happened now.
Ideas for ways to boost your own confidence Along with dealing with negative criticism, we also make some suggestions on how to boost your own confidence and make yourself feel better. This does not involve eating copious amounts of chocolate, although we are open to testing if it has beneficial effects.
Our supportive Facebook Group are busy creating We also give a mention to some of the fantastic members of our Facebook Group who are creating and sharing regular art in the group. You are welcome to join us.
Thank you for all of your answers to our previous question. It was fun reading some of them out,
This weeks question What would be your dream creative project?
Today we share some tips on how to make your sketchbook more interesting. Plus, as usual, we go on a few tangents and talk about other things that pop into our heads, usually art related, but we can’t completely promise that!
We also mention our April Art Challenges which had just started as we recorded the episode - Abstract Art April, Imitation April and Quick Kick April. Quick Kicks are our monthly challenges that you can complete in 15 minutes or less, so most people can fit them into their day.
Anyway, just like the podcast, I have already managed to divert my attention away from the main topic of sketchbooks. First, we discuss different suggestions for making your sketchbook cover more interesting. Sandra is a big advocate of this, but I prefer to concentrate on the insides. It reminds us both of having to cover exercise books when we were back at school in the dark ages. Does anyone else remember Fablon that sticky plastic stuff or is it a figment of my imagination? Do kids still cover exercise books? Do exercise books even exist anymore or have they been replaced by holograms?......
Read the rest on the show notes
In today's episode we talk about the benefits of having a creative mentor and where you can find them. We are also encompassing the idea of having creative friends or allies. These are the people who help encourage you to create and improve. We also talk a little about our April challenges - Abstract Art April, Imitation April and Quick Kick April.
Hello again and welcome to another podcast episode. Today we are talking about how to find your style and of course there’s a bit of arty chat thrown in for good measure. We also mention some of the fantastic work we have been seeing for our two March Art Challenges March Mixed Media and 5 Minute March. There are a few shoutouts for the work that has really caught our eyes too.
So first of all, just how important is it to find a style?
I guess it totally depends on why you are drawing and painting.
If you are painting purely for fun, then it doesn’t matter in the slightest. You can just paint what you want without considering if people will recognise that it’s your work. You don’t have to try and impress a gallery in this case either.
But, if you want to stand out from the crowd, then, of course, it’s very important to have something about your work that makes it stand out as your own… Your ‘style’.
In today’s episode, we’re discussing whether or not you have to go to art school in order to become an artist. There is no right or wrong path to follow here. We're all different and where some of us will benefit hugely from going to art school, others will only be stunted by it.
Going to art school does not necessarily make someone a good artist! And NOT going to art school doesn’t make someone a bad one either!