r/ArtistLounge

As far as i know there arent many examples of this. On a logical level i know that there should be nothing that should stop an older person from making good art and writing good stories, but on an emotional level it doesnt feel good that there is no one i can look up to. Not that it will stop me from trying but i would lie if i said it doesnt feel a bit discouraging that there arent a lot of examples of people who started late, that made stuff that is generally seen as good.

I absolutely love painting (acrylic), I love art in general. A big reason is because I admire the passion, patience and drive that people commit to perfect their craft because oh boy that is NOT me and I am so jealous.

If I feel like painting, I’ll paint for like 5 hours straight and get frustrated it’s not looking good and just quit. It’s like whatever I do I try to do it one sitting, if it’s not, I never touch it again. I get so frustrated and demotivated in the ugly stages. How do you power through that? I’m so impatient with waiting for things to dry too like ugh it sucks. I excelled more in clases and school because I was forced to work on it for two hours everyday and give it the time it needed to dry, maybe I need to follow something like that? I even painted a mural at my school and it took months but I knew I HAD to finish it so I couldn’t just quit.

I really want to pick this up as my hobby again because I’m so tired of doom scrolling and not having a proper hobby 💔 Any tips would be soooo appreciated. 💖💖💖

There‘s a Life Drawing event taking place regularly that I attend. Now, the last time, the model asked if it‘s okay to have videos recorded of them and the life drawing class so they can use it as a reel later. People were asked at the beginning whether they are okay with being filmed and then seated accordingly so those not wanting to be on camera are facing the camera with their back.

However, the person was filming and walking around most of the time and I found myself worrying that I may be seen in a shot and others felt the same. Some where really into it and enjoyed being captured on phone. The person filming likely made sure that the other faces were not seen but somehow it really distracted me from focusing on drawing. Should the information that videos/photos will be taken be given before attending the event or am I just too stiff since they asked us right before it started at least? Idk.. if I had been prepared in advance, I wouldn‘t have attended in the first place.

Curious about your opinions. I know we live in a time in which photos/videos are normal but something about it makes me so anxious and I felt distracted while drawing BUT i was not being recorded myself. Just the person walking around and my worries of perhaps being seen on some footage by accident?

what are your takes..

i have this intense urge to draw, to make things. for some reason i dont get so mad if what i make/build in games like minecraft and ARK, but when it comes to drawing in a sketchbook, i just get irritated with every mistake i made.

I am having hard time understaing some things, tommorow i have presentation on how saturation, chroma, and brightness affect on the space in paintings. I am strudying in a language i am still learning so the books the proffesor gave as are of not use for me really. I just don't know what to talk about exactly, I know what saturation, chroma amd brightness are, but how they are used to create space i have no idea. I just want some direction on where to focus and maybe some videos i can watch or read something to better understand.

I’ve got no idea how to organise my references and I have years and years of “ideas” written down in my notes app but everything is just so scattered and overwhelming. Images saved on Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter, screenshots in my phone, so many comic books… what the actual hell. What’s the right way to go about it? What would a normal person actually do?

I'm not new to oil painting, however, I have been made aware of that oil paintings should be done on linen with an oil based primer, rather than a acrylic gesso primed canvas. I have a large oil painting project this year (84"x 66"). I'm studying the paintings of John William Godward. This painting will be in a similar style to his work. I want this painting to be of the highest quality with factoring in longevity and prevent cracking in the paint. I've researched different methods of making oil ground (chalk with oil and paint or rabbit skin glue). I'm still not sure what the best method would considering the size of this piece.

For the linen, I looked online for a good quailty roll. I saw good reviews on Blicks website but either the reviews are several years old or the 5 star reviews are for rolls smaller than what I need. I hoping someone here has experience with large oil paintings and could offer what resouces they trust. If anyone could offer advice or answers to the following, it would be greatly appreciated!

-Where do you recommend purchasing linen for large size and smooth texture? (For the large size I know I'll need a 10 or 12oz weight)

-What type of oil ground do you use?

-Any other tips as this will be my first time using oil ground with linen.

Hello!

I’ve been commissioned by a client to paint on a high oil wood (kauri) and have been trying to figure out how to prime it. He still wants the wood grain to show through.

Everything I’ve tried just hasn’t been working. I’ve tried clear gesso (which doesn’t seem to fully cure as I try to paint and anything I put on it seems to make it go white and tacky again), I’ve tried putting down matte medium before the clear gesso (still does the same thing) and have tried clear gloss mod podge before the clear gesso (still the same result)

It’s driving me crazy! Nothing seems to cure properly so was hoping anyone has an idea on how to properly seal a high oil wood before painting on it.

I should add I’ll be painting with acrylic and he wants to seal it was some sort of oil (I’m not too sure what he’s wanting to use)

Thank you!

As the title says, how did you do it. Ive been feeling a bit stuck on what to do with my art and I’ve been wanting to mostly make art for cafes or restaurants because it’s the easiest place to start from, just art for places in general.

I’m mostly interested in making like custom paintings, sketches, diy decors and murals. However I’m not sure how to approach them, I’ve message one restaurant so far and they never replied so that sort of discouraged me. I also want to reach out to a few more restaurants with ideas etc.

I have ideas for each places like the type of art that can best suit the place but I’m not confident in approaching them nor confident in my art. I have nothing in case they ask me for a portfolio of works I’ve done for other places except for my regular art portfolio. I’m also not sure how to make the budget because ive never done this before.

So I’d like to ask about your experience on this, how you started and how the process is like. Any tips and guidance on this would be appreciated.

TL;DR: I used to have a small, tight-knit group of art mutuals that sort of faded out over life being life and people growing up. I'd like to find a new one but I'm at loss on how to do so.

A while ago, during the pandemic, I stumbled upon this telegram group made of/for young artists from my country.

The moderation was not the best, so me and a small clique of people formed an "art cafe" group so we could talk in peace without all the drama. I was stoked to be considered cool and chill enough to be added to the special little group and, despite being the only furry artist there, everyone was super supportive of my art and helped me improve a lot.

That group motivated me to practice and gave a special kick to my artistic journey I'm still deeply grateful for. We used to do drawpile nights, discord calls, share resources, hype each other up, and share each other's work on social media. Everyone who was there is so insanely talented, it never failed me to inspire me, and I produced some of my best artwork during that time.

It was great, and I miss it terribly.

As time went on, everyone grew up and took their path, me included. I lost touch with everyone and I'm now looking for another group of friends that would inspire, support and help each other grow. I don't think I could be able to restore the old one because on top of not having the best people skills, there's a reason why it faded out and I don't want to force back the people who have might grown out of that phase.

Question is, how do you even find and form a tight-knit group of mutuals? I doesn't have to be big, but the older I grow the more I realize I need community in my journey.

I have some mutuals here and there, but nobody I'm particularly close to.

what are the differences in application/use? why do some brands have only the pointed ones?

Can you use gesso as a substitute for white paint? I mean I assume you can based off how it applies and dries but are there any drawbacks? Thanks!

Hi looking fot a course that will help mwith drawing some good characters, not only real. I know that there is kesh art camp and Marc Brunet c0urse but I don't know what to choose, can somebody tell me what is better?

Pls help I want something good for my easel

I’ve been working on a personal project related to creating recognition for an Artist Day (December 9th), meant to honor artists and creativity in general.

I’m curious what others in the art community think about something like this—do you feel there should be a dedicated day recognizing artists? How do you think it could impact the community, if at all?

Would love to hear different perspectives from artists here.

Hello everyone! I have two questions I’d love to get your thoughts on.

​First, about engagement. I've been posting my artwork (traditional sketches and pixel art) recently. While the posts get some views and a few comments, the actual feedback is very minimal. I usually spend around 4 hours on a piece, and I'm really looking for people to point out obvious flaws or areas to improve. Is this lack of detailed critique normal here? How can I format my posts to encourage more constructive feedback?

​Second, about protection. As I start posting more, I'm wondering how you all protect your work. This especially applies to pixel art, which feels very easy for someone to steal, recolor, or copy. Do you use visible watermarks? Hidden signatures? Do you upload at specific resolutions?

​I'd love to hear your strategies for keeping your art safe and getting better feedback. Thanks in advance!

​(P.S. Please excuse any mistakes, my English isn't very good so I used a translator for this post).

hey guys! I'm a new artist and I just bought these acrylic paint pens by Ohuhu.

Now, I like to draw comics for fun, and my question is would you guys reccomend acrylic paint pens for inking? I saw that artists would normally use like water colors or alcohol pens or ink digitally.

or does it come down to preference?