Advice for young artists

I have been interested in art since I was a young child. My mother was and is very artistic. She encouraged crafts and anything creative and imaginative. Although I didn't know I would take my love of art into a more serious path, there are a few things I wish I could have been told about art and the art world when growing up.

So here is some of my best advice for young artists.

1. Date all of your work.

One of the best things is looking back at old work to see what I use to like to make and to see how much I have evolved as an artist.. Making sure you put a year on your art and it will ensure you know how old you were when you made something. Just TRUST me on this one!

2. Not every work has to best your best.

When I was younger, I would start a drawing or painting and it sometimes didn't end up how I wanted it, which art can sometimes do. This is something that even experienced artists deal with but I wish someone could have taught me this early on. Just because a piece of artwork doesn't come out the way you were hoping,  doesn't mean that you are not talented. Sometimes what we want it turn to out to be isn't even close to how it actually ends up being. Let it happen naturally.

3. Do not compare your art negatively with other's.

This is something that I use to do a lot but mostly to myself in my head. I rarely verbalized my feelings about how I thought my art wasn't very good because another person's was so much better. Please do not discourage yourself from creating art because of envy of another person's work.  Let it be inspiration that fuels you instead and one day you will be the fuel for someone else. 

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4. You don't have to be a realistic artist to produce great art.

So many people tell me they wish they could draw "they can't even draw a stick figure." This makes me so mad that many people think that they can't create art if it's not realistic.  Think of all the world's amazing abstract painters for example.  If you love art and practice hard enough,  just like anything in life, you can be successful at it.

5. Enjoy what you do.

At the end of the day you want to make sure that you are enjoying your art and the process. Making art is a freeing and meditative experience if you view it as such. The minute you start to stress or loose interest, think about trying another medium or even take it back to a simpler art like coloring. It will calm you and might just be exactly what you need to get you back on track with a happy inspired path to brilliant artwork.

If you think this helped you or could help another artist you know,  be sure to share and let me know your thoughts in the comment section below. Thanks for coming by and if you would like to get notifications for my art blog hit the blue subscribe button at the top right of the page.

Until Tomorrow - Dream Away

Samantha Menzo

Cloud Nine Studios

Etsy featured art of the day:

Little Boys Nursery dream wall art 

Song of the day:

Color of the day:
new age - 1444

Tips and Tricks for taking Art Commissions.

Good Morning! What a good morning is it! I woke up a little early today to take a shower and do some morning yoga. I have really missed doing yoga, especially in the morning. It makes my whole day so much better when I get some silence and stretching. It was also very nice to feel the sunrise throughout doing yoga because when I started it was still very dark but by the time I finished the sun was beaming through my blinds. It was lovely.

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I have received two new commissions and I started them both yesterday. **Will I ever start a new body of work?!** Oh well, I won't complain about fun commissions and money coming in. The first commission is going to be a gift from the person who is having it made. They sent me a picture of  what looks like an old tattoo of a butterfly. It represents their mother who has passed and I have to create a wine bottle based off this old tattoo. 

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I was iffy at how this was going to turn out but I would say I am about half way through and it is looking wonderful! I will post pictures to show you when it is completed. It will be a very thoughtful gift and I love that I knew what they wanted but I still had some artistic freedom with it. Those are the best kinds of commissions. 

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The second commission is even more fun and free! I have two beer mugs that my client wants turned into painted "Rick and Morty" pieces. So he gave me total artistic freedom but I just have to base them off of the show. Which I have never seen but I looked into it and it's a rough cartoon from cartoon network. I think I can have a lot of fun with these mugs!

(Rick and Morty Theme Song)

I started the base yesterday of both pieces. One I spray painted a dark navy blue color. The other I sprayed it completely cream and then went back while it was still semi-wet and sprayed the top yellow and blended it into the bottom cream. After looking into some images I have a few ideas for why I chose these colors but I don't want to give away anything yet!

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Whenever I get enjoyable commissions I always try and remind myself how lucky I am. I have had some not-so-nice commissions. The hardest part about doing commissions is that the client has something they want and inside their head. Unless they are getting something you already made but in a different color or easy variety of an already produced item, it can be difficult to pull out of their minds exactly what they are looking for.

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Another struggle with commissions is pricing. If pricing your work isn't hard enough already, try pricing work that you haven't even started! When taking a commission I always try and give a quote to make sure the client is aware and agrees upon a cost. But it is very hard to calculate how long something might take you and often you can find yourself shorting yourself after the piece is done.

(Great video of Tips and Tricks for Commissions!)

 I good thing to do when accepting commissions is to always ask for half of the agreed price up front. Unfortunately there are a many good number of people who talk a big game and when it comes time to deliver they just disappear. There is nothing worse than never getting paid or not getting paid in full for your time and energy you put into a commission. Asking for half up front makes you feel better that they are more locked into the piece but with not asking for it all up front the client also feels like they have room to wiggle if necessary.

(Another great video of Tips and Tricks for Commissions!)

Commissions can be horror stories or some of an artist's proudest work. Either way learning by trial and error is really the only way to learn when dealing with commissions. I am very grateful to have two at the same time that I am enjoying! How about you? Any commissions you are working on? anyone have any commission horror stories? How about any tips or tricks for accepting commissions? Let me know your thoughts below!

Until Tomorrow- Dream

Samantha Menzo

Cloud Nine Studios

Etsy Featured Item of the Day:

                        MICHIGAN COASTERS DETROIT - Tigers Themed Colors by - TheCloudNineStudios

Song of the Day:

Celine Dion - Thankful

Color of the Day:

Benjamin Moore Polar Jade CC-754