I'm super excited to share week 2 of my 12-part portrait drawing series, "Whimsical Women of the World!"

I got so into this series, I've decided it's BOOK WORTHY!!! Even better - I'm inviting YOU to join me in this process!! 

Simply draw along with me in any video from the Whimsical Women of the World series, and submit a digital version of your artwork here. 

This week we are drawing a woman from India, and I've found another gorgeous art reference photo for us to use!

I've found drawing in a series is fun because it gets me out of my comfort zone! I think it's so easy to fall into a habit of drawing the same whimsical types of faces- but if we take a moment to look at all the different human facial features across our ethnicities around the world, it is just gorgeous! Not to mention all the variations of color in our skin tones... it's beautiful to work with as an artist! 

​I think you'll love our reference photo today as much as I do! 

There are a few things I found really unique about this image. I love the lighting on her face. It's rare to find a photo where a highlight goes exactly down the the center bridge of the nose! That calls for some dramatic shading - which I'm a huge fan of, so this photo really called to me.

I also love how huge her eyelids are. They happen to be basically the same shape I love to draw for my Fun, Fab Faces, so I was thrilled to find this in a photo from real life ;) 

​As I started to draw, I did find this particular face to be a bit tricky because the top of her head actually extends off the page. This makes sketching in her eyeline a bit more difficult.  Watch how I do it in the video, and you'll be fine to do it on your own!! 

Don't beat yourself up if it doesn't look like mine, if it doesn't look like the reference photo - it's fine! We're working on learning to draw faces that are well proportioned. That is our main goal!!  

And, if you already know me, you know I find drawing realistic faces to be super stressful! I prefer to do whimsical drawings so I can just have fun!! I think whenever you add the word "WHIMSICAL" in front of what you're drawing - it gives you some grace if things don't come out exactly right!

As you'll see, I'm drawing with my blackwing pencils again today because I just LOVE how soft and smooth they are. They also have this great, rectangular eraser that makes it SO easy to erase in tiny areas. If you need an excellent eraser for bigger areas of your paper, the vanish eraser if phenomenal!! Links for both of these are in the description box of today's video if you need any new drawing supplies.

I traced a circle for my irises today. Sometimes this is just easier, so if drawing circles stress you out- use a stencil!! 

Our model has some simple earrings, but feel free to look around on Pinterest for more intricate jewelry or hairstyles for your drawing. There are so many gorgeous variations you can do for Indian women. I kept it simple because I didn't want to overwhelm anybody with too much detail. 

I tried to replicate the model's beautiful bone structure- which is super subtle, but I felt was a really important aspect of capturing her look. Because both the hair and background on my reference photo are so dark, I had to imagine a bit what her hair looks like, so drew in some little bumps to indicate a low bun.

You'll see I pulled my circle template out again to draw the bindi (this is the small dot on her forehead that indicates she's married in Hindu culture). I wanted that circle to be exact, because this is an actual sticker applied to the face and there is depth to it. 

I love how this model has other beautiful facial features that are different from what I typically draw. She has very large, dilated pupils (which I used my circle template for again!).  Her nose shape is subtly different as well. It dips down  dramatically and  even has a nose ring! Her lips are parted slightly as well -showing some teeth - which I normally avoid!! She definitely pushed me out of my comfort zone a bit, but I loved it!! It forced me to really study the image.

I believe 50% of being a good artist is having amazing observational skills! Working with the reference photos in this series will help you develop those skills even more! 

Skin tone swatching is KEY if you're shading your drawing in color. If you're doing this in colored pencils, copic markers, etc. - swatch them ahead of time so you're not surprised by anything, and know the colors blend into each other seamlessly. 

Whenever I'm shading a dark skinned face- I start with my darkest shade first, and work my way through shades until I reach the lightest color. I know it can be scary to START with the darkest shade - especially if you're working dark to light!! Just take your time and continually check in with your reference photo. I'm always asking myself, where are the darkest shadows? Where are the lightest highlights? Then I do my best to replicate this on my own drawing. 

Now onto the "ugly phase!!!" LOL... 

I believe there is ALWAYS an ugly phase. That's what stage my drawing is in right here...

If I stop working on my drawing right here and come back to it  later- it could make me want to cry because she is unfinished- looks like a weird puzzle of colors, nothing is defined, etc. THIS is the ugly phase!! It's guaranteed. We all have it in our work. PUSH THROUGH IT!!!! It happens in every medium, and if you STOP working at this stage because you think your piece is ugly- you're letting the ugly phase win. KEEP GOING. 

​TRUST ME on this!!!! 

You'll notice as I'm working color into the shading of the eyes, there is barely any white left by the time I'm done, because this is what I see in the reference photo. When you're doing a portrait - If you're shading in color, make sure you've got your GRAYS out because nothing is usually stark white, even the teeth! Look for the shadows here to make your coloring realistic by knocking back that white.

When I'm done with my markers, I layer in colored pencil to help ease the transitions between shades. Sometimes I like seeing the marker lines, and sometimes I don't. If I don't want that look showing up - I take my colored pencil and shade in the opposite direction to try and wipe out those lines. 

So if my marker lines were horizontal, I do vertical lines for my colored pencil.

I know a lot of people get discouraged if they outline a face FIRST, and then shade with copics. It can be easy to run into your outlines and end up having the outline bleed. You'll notice today I outlined LAST with my microliner to prevent the bleed from happening. You might want to try the same if you're working with alcohol markers!

When it was time to add in eyelashes, I used my pentel pocket brush, or my "secret weapon!" If you struggle with drawing eyelashes, make sure to check out the recent video from my Mixed Media channel, I give you ALL my secrets for how to draw eyelashes !!

I added twinkle in the eyes with my white paint pen. I typically do a different look with those, but love how this one turned out and will totally do it again! See what happens when you step outside your comfort zone?! 

 
For the nose ring, I just used my pencil because the reference photo showed it as being shiny metal. 

I added white colored pencil on top of the markers wherever I noticed highlights occurring in my reference photo. To punch those highlights up a bit more - I used my white gel pen or bright white posca pen. This adds more drama and dimension for me!

If you're nervous to add in highlights -start with your white colored pencil to make sure you like where the highlight is going. The colored pencil is soft, and creates a gentle first layer. 

Remember, acrylic paint pen markers are awesome to add on top of anything. So if you're using watercolor or another medium- feel free to STILL use the posca on top of your work for additional  highlights drama! 

I was excited to discover the eyelashes in this photo have "undersided" highlights, and they look SO cool!! Those marks aren't me just being "creative," that's me reading the reference and adding the detail I see in the photo to my drawing. If you feel like you want or need the reference photo for this drawing project, or the entire series - just go to AwesomeArtSchool.com. You can get all 12 of the reference photos (+ all my cheatsheets!!!!) in the YouTube Library Collection.  

Remember to enter a photo of your beautiful drawing when you're done by clicking on this link to GET PUBLISHED! 

Come join me in the studio for the 40 minute tutorial! See ya there!!! 

You HAVE to do today's acrylic owl painting with me over on my Mixed Media channel!!

Not only is he the cutest, this is the perfect acrylic painting for beginners to try. The whimsical style alone means there's absolutely NO PRESSURE!! Plus there's just something extra fun about doing an acrylic painting on canvas!

If you've been wanting to learn how to paint with acrylics or are simply looking for cute fall painting ideas to melt your cares away and put a smile on your face (because it's 2020 dang it!!) - this owl painting is it!

You can paint along with me in REAL TIME during today's step by step, easy acrylic painting tutorial. There's nothing fancy going on - just straight up acrylics, and a FUN, fall art project! 

I've even got an acrylic painting supplies giveaway, thanks to ARTEZA!

For my reference, I'm using an adorable royalty free stock image of an little owlet. So cute, right?! 

I've pulled out one of my ARTEZA canvases and have selected paint colors from my "Whimsical Animals" Signature Paint Kit by LUKAS Cryl Studio - which you can get over at Jerry's Artarama!

Real quick - if you have any questions about the paint brushes I'm using, or if you missed last week's video, you might want to check that out first, because I shared everything you need to know about paint brushes for mixed media. Make sure you watch that if you need tips, or before you head out to the craft store! 

Now, back to today's project! 

I started this painting off with a super simple layer of blue for the sky. Try not to worry about being precious with your paint here. Use a generous amount because I  want you to be able to spread it freely. Keep all of your brush strokes going in the same direction, and remember to paint the edges of your canvas before you move on to the next step. 

Once my canvas is covered  AND dry (this part is SUPER important!), I'm ready to add a cute tree to the right side of my canvas in brown. Before your tree trunk dries - blend a little yellow into your brown for some added dimension. Don't worry if you're not in love with the shade of your tree trunk when you add your yellow-  just add a little more brown until you're happy with the shade you've got! 

​Next, I pulled out my chalk (YES - it's totally just regular, school chalk!). I used this to "pencil in" my drawing of the owl because the chalk is totally erasable when used on top of acrylic like this!! If you draw a line you don't like - you can wipe it away with your finger! ​

If drawing perfect circles stresses you out - grab a stencil or mug to trace so you can draw in the eyes of your owlet. You can totally just freehand it like me- a little wonkiness will make your owl just that much MORE adorable!!

Since I wanted the scarf of my owl to have stripes, and I've already painted a dark blue all over my whole canvas, I decided to lay down a thin layer of gesso to "prime" the scarf and eye areas for new colors. You don't have to do this- but I find throwing a layer of gesso down will help me cover a darker background color if I want something white or light in the foreground. 

​If you caught my video last week - you'll remember I talked about the importance of having ONE flat acrylic paint paint brush reserved just for gesso. I used my gesso brush for this light application below.

​QUICK TIP for ACRYLIC PAINTING: If you want to keep your colors sharp and crisp (especially for something like stripes!), take the time to make sure one color is fully dry before going in with the next shade of paint. If you're impatient like me, hit your first color with the hairdryer for a few minutes until you're good to go! 

Once all of my stripes are done, I headed over to the eyes to lay down a nice coat of white. Since my gesso is there already, this goes down in no time and covers SUPER well!  If you don't have gesso- you might just need to do two coats of white paint to fully cover the blue here.

For the owl's body and feathers, I decided to start with yellow. Feel free to gesso that area as well before you go in with whatever color you're using for your owl's body. I also worked in some brown (wet on wet) to texture his feathers. ​

While my feathers were drying, I pulled out these cute art supplies left over from when my kids were little. I call them "pouncers." Basically they are these little foam brushes with a handle, and if you cover the spongey end with paint, you can use them to stamp down a perfect circle. They work amazingly well for doing polka dots, suns, moons, and of course for the pupils on whimsical animal eyes!! 

After the pupils, I'm ready for my paint markers! Typically I will use my posca pens when I'm adding outlines or doodling on top of my mixed media paintings, but something about this little guy was calling for my chunky Arteza paint markers!! They have a super juicy nib - and I had a green to exactly match the acrylic I used earlier in my scarf stripes. 

 
I used my yellow ochre paint marker to doodle over the feathers, outline near the whites of my little owl's eyes, and on top of my tree trunk to add depth.  

Because I LOVE the look of a black outline - I pulled out my sharpie and added those in everywhere! Outlines are kinda one of those things that you either love or hate. They're also something that you either have to be "all in" for, or leave out completely. If you use outlines for some of your painting, but not all of it - it can make your piece look disjointed or unfinished.

After the outlines were done, I went in with a dry brush to add some teeny strokes of light gray around the inner edges of the eyes so they didn't look quite so flat! 

​That's it!! He's done :) I hope you have as much fun with this project as I did!!  I totally loved it. 

​A GREAT break from the outside world for a bit!! 

Don't forget to enter for the ARTEZA GIVEAWAY!! Details are in today's video and the description box !! 

See ya next week!!! 

Today I'm beginning a new face drawing series on my YouTube Drawing channel that I'm super excited to share with you.

Last week when I was live in my Facebook group, I asked members what they were interested in learning over on YouTube, and we came up with drawing a series of SEXY faces in various ethnicities! THEY requested the "sexy" part, which cracked me up! LOL! 

This week's tutorial is in REAL TIME, so go grab a pencil and a sheet of card stock or something similar (for alcohol marker art) if you'd like to work alongside me. 

​I love the Native American reference photo I found for today! There are so many FUN elements to her look that we're going to enjoy playing with!! She's got some sexy, dramatic makeup going on, and a tiny braid with feathers in her hair. 

To get us started, as always, begin by sketching in our face drawing guidelines to make sure the face we're drawing is proportionally correct.  

When you've got the facial features exactly how you want them, go over those lines with a fine copic multi-liner. A sharpie works well here too - if you don't have one of the copics! 

Once she's outlined, I pulled a variety of skin tone markers from my copic stash to see what might work well together.

DON'T SKIP THIS STEP!

Take a minute to do some copic marker swatches of your skin tones on a scrap piece of paper.  

This is super important because if you start laying down color based on the caps and what you THINK will come out- something inevitably goes wrong ;) TRUST ME!! From my collection, I decided to pull Yellowish Shade, Light Orange, Light Caramel, Light Suntan, Baked Clay, Chamois, Hazelnut, Leather, Copper, Dark Suntan and Dark Brown. 
 
I started my face shading with the darkest shade today, and studied my reference photo carefully to inform the shadows I recreated. 

​Once I had a good base for the darkest darks down, I start pulling in the medium and lighter skin tones. Then, I use my lighter markers to blend out some of my marker strokes and to soften the transition between colors. 

​The makeup in my reference photo is really dramatic (which I LOVE!), so when I've finished with the main skin tones, I bring in a couple shades of gray to add a bit more depth into the darker areas of her makeup - especially around the eyes, along the left side of her cheek, and a touch onto the lips!  Then, I head straight for my crimson marker to color those gorgeous, full lips!

​Even though the hair in my reference photo is basically black, I decided to alter that to dark browns so I could show some highlights and lowlights in the hair to make things a bit more colorful.

​Once these sections of hair were colored, I added a touch of black outline (you can totally use a sharpie here, that nib  may even feel a bit more stable for these lines). Next, I pulled out a variety of skin tones from my prismacolor colored pencils to blend the shadows a bit more and soften some of the transition lines between marker shades. I even use an indigo in some of my shadows because shadows are "cool colors," and bringing in some indigo or a deep plum add a bit more sophistication to your work. 

For the final layers, I added a few lip lines in colored pencil to her bottom lip, pulled a few white colored pencil lines through her hair for highlights, attacked that dramatic, white makeup with my posca paint pen, and added in some eyelashes with my pentel pocket brush. LOVE!!!

​l hope you enjoy today's drawing tutorial!  Thanks for watching and I'll see ya next week!!

How I've created over 300 YouTube videos on mixed media art and drawing, and NEVER once made a video about paint brushes is BEYOND me!!  The artist brush you use actually DOES affect your work- so much so, that it can make or break your piece. 

Sometimes people think it's them, when in fact their skills are GREAT- they're just using the wrong brush, and THAT is why they're struggling with a piece of art. Your paintbrushes are equally as important as the paper or substrate you're working on.  They make a difference, and should be thought of as an investment. BUT, as you know when you're working with me- you don't have to spend a ton on supplies. I'll demo both my favorite artist grade brushes that are more expensive, as well as my favorites that are less so. 

In the world of mixed media art, there are art supplies that dissolve or melt when water is added, and those that do not. Art supplies that don't dissolve when water is added, are called non water-soluble art supplies. A great examples of a non water-soluble art supply is acrylic paint! This is the first type of brushes I'll be demo-ing for you in today's video. 

​Even though I've got a GIANT stash of acrylic brushes, there are really only a couple of favorites I always reach for. I love my Princeton Artist Brushes for acrylic painting, in either the "bright" or "filbert" cut.

The bright cut (shown below) has a really flat top (that's typically what I call it - a "flat" brush), and it's great for getting into a squared corner, or making straight lines. I rarely use a round brush because I can't get edges or straight lines with one of those the way that I can with a bright. 

I also love the filbert cut as well, see below. I like my acrylic brushes to be super stiff with coarse, short hair. The stiffer, the better! I feel like when you're blending wet on wet, or wet on dry - you need your brush to be able to move around and "be the boss" of your paint! If the brush is too soft - you can't get anything accomplished! LOL!!  

Depending on how big you like to work - you may also want to pick up a larger size of the cut you like working with. I used to paint a lot of murals, so I have some huge brushes left over from those days! ​

Watercolor brushes are a totally different animal, and the second paint brush type I'm covering today. In addition to traditional watercolors, I use these artist brushes for working with any of my water-soluble art supplies. If an art supply is water-soluble, that means the marks you make with that product dissolve or melt once water is added. I LOVE water-soluble art supplies!

Some of my favorites include watercolor markers, watercolor pencils, fountain pen inks, AND my all time fave - the black stabilo all pencil!! Every time I'm doing a mixed media project with water-soluble art supplies,  I reach for one of my watercolor brushes.  These brushes act like a sponge and are very absorbent. If the brush is absorbent, it's easier to control. 

I LOVE Silver Black Velvet brushes for working with my watercolors, and water-soluble art supplies. They're super absorbent, and I've slowly added to my collection of them over the years.  The round brush is the most common cut and what I typically reach for. I also have some other fun shapes like the dagger and the flat (bright) to do crisp edge lines, if that is a look I'm going for. 

I've also really enjoyed working with some brushes by Creative Mark that Jerry's Artarama sent me. They're fantastic and a much less expensive option when it comes to watercolor brushes.  These also have a slightly different cut from my black velvet brushes, as you can see below (left is a brush by Creative Mark). Even though these are both considered "round brushes," their tiny variations can produce unique effects for me, so I love using BOTH of them!! 

Lastly, I have decided to talk about a third category of brushes because of one art supply in particular that I use ALL the time as a mixed media artist, gesso! 

Gesso is super fun to work with, but it will do a serious number on your paint brushes. If you decide to invest in any nice acrylic or watercolor brushes, make sure they're set aside so you don't accidentally grab one when you want to work with gesso. In fact, just set one acrylic paint brush aside that you use dedicate specifically FOR GESSO in our projects together! 

My preference for a gesso brush is a bright/flat, very stiff, coarse brush with short bristles. I like to grind just a bit of my gesso onto the first layer of a lot of my mixed media portraits, and I need my brush to be super dry for this wet on dry application. 

Make sure you go watch the video so you can see exactly what I'm talking about in today's post! 

I hope you found this helpful!! If you feel like you're having a tough time blending or shading while you're painting in acrylics or watercolor - consider changing up your brushes. You might be surprised to learn THAT is the problem, NOT YOU!! 

Thanks for watching!! See you next week!! 

The first thing to keep in mind when drawing eyelashes is DIRECTIONALITY. As you can see in my sketch below, I start by drawing a set of parentheses on the outer edges of both the top and bottom eyelids. 

Once you fill your lashes in on the top lid, repeat the process you followed for the lash line on the bottom eyelid.  The second important part of drawing GORGEOUS eyelashes has to do with the amount of pressure you apply with your pencil (or whatever you're drawing with!). 

You begin each lash line with MORE pressure, then flick up and out according to whatever directionality each eyelash needs to go.  Confused yet?! WATCH the VIDEO ;) It makes WAY more sense when you see it in action....

Once you have all the eyelashes drawn in for the top and bottom eyelids, it's time to take a second pass across each lid line, because as humans - we have TONS of eyelashes! And let's be real...you want the girl you're drawing to have fab lashes, right?! Let's glam her up!! 

While you're adding in a second set of lashes on each lid line, be sure to vary the length of each line. This is how our eyelashes are in real life. If you look closely - they're all different lengths. Paying attention to that little detail will make the eyelashes you draw look even more realistic! 

How do you put all this amazing-ness into action for your MIXED MEDIA PORTRAITS?!

I'm so glad you asked!!  Let me show you my secret weapon!! 

I'm in LOVE with the pentel pocket brush pen. Here's why...

First of all, I love this pen because it contains permanent ink. This is extremely important to me in mixed media work because I have lots of layering going on with sealants, etc. I NEED my ink at this point to be permanent. If I want to add a final sealant over the pretty eyelashes I've just drawn, I KNOW the ink I just laid down with the pentel pocket brush pen isn't going anywhere! 

One of the cool things about this pen is the tip of it is actually like a very fine brush. That means it applies like a paintbrush! Lastly - it's just a beautifully crafted pen!! 

I will give you a tiny warning about this pen though... it's super sensitive, and honestly takes a bit of practice to get a feel for it at first. You'll want to play around with it in your sketchbook before using it right out of the box on your latest mixed media canvas!  Just draw a bunch of practice eyes in your sketchbook and see what kind of pressure and look you like best! 

After today's little eyelash lesson, I'll take you straight over to put this into practice on one of my mixed media hamburger system girls! This particular piece is from a couple of years ago- before I discovered my fav little pocket brush.  Watch as I add these lashes in real time  - using directionality, pressure, and varying my lash lengths.  This cute little pen is also awesome for touching up eyebrows for a little added drama. ​So Fun!!

Come on over to YouTube and practice your eyelash drawing with me!!

If you need a copy of the Eyelashes Cheatsheet, just scroll down and request one in the comments of today's video. If you're a member of either the Fun Fab Drawing Club or Mixed Media Society (YAY!! I'm so happy you're here!!!), the Eyelashes Cheatsheet is already in your membership guide!! 

​
​I hope today's free drawing lesson helps you create mixed media lashes you are PROUD OF!! See ya next week ;) ​

This is part two of my 3/4 face drawing series on my Drawing Channel over on YouTube! If you missed the first episode, go ahead and start here so you can draw this girlie along with me! 

Today we're doing some EASY pencil shading techniques to add drama to our three quarter portrait face drawing!  I used the same photo reference as I did to sketch my drawing. Even though this is a whimsical face, I feel it makes a HUGE difference in my work if I use a reference photo to tell me where I should add in shadows, and how dark they should be. 

One of the fun things about drawing in a whimsical style, is I can mix and match reference photos for my work and use them in different ways. For example, I really LOVE the dramatic shadows and highlights in this image (below). If I'm shading a face in pencil, I feel like it's super helpful to use a black and white shading reference like this one...

In my How to Draw and Find Your Style book, I talk in depth about how to take advantage of the value scale when you are shading. because it adds so much more depth and dimension to your drawings and sketches. The more tones you incorporate into your drawing from the value scale like bright white highlights, and dark black shadows, the more sophisticated your work will be.

In today's shading tutorial I'm using one of my Blackwing pencils (TOTALLY unnecessary, but I SO LOVE THEM!!!). This one is equivalent to about a 4B, but you can absolutely use a simple #2 school pencil, so don't stress about your supplies! I start applying graphite by looking at my reference photo for the darkest areas first. When I'm shading, I often use the side of my pencil to begin.  ​My initial layer of shading is very light and almost scribbly. 

After I have  a light layer of shading down, I use my blending stump to "moosh" the graphite around. In this particular  reference photo, the model is very light skinned, so I actually use the cleaner side of my blending stump to work my shading in and around the face. If I lay down too much, I simply pick a bit of that graphite back up with my eraser and moosh some more! For the darkest areas, I use the super dirty side of my blending stump. 

When you're starting out with drawing and shading, I think it's SOOOOO much easier to practice in a whimsical drawing style. It just takes the pressure off and keeps things light and fun! And if you're having fun...you'll practice more, and if you practice... your skills will only grow and improve!! 

When my first layer of shading is done, I go back for a second layer of shading to really punch up my details that could have been lost while "mooshing" my graphite around with my blending stump. This is where the drama starts to come in!! Sometimes it can also help you to look at a reference photo with squinted eyes. It may sound funny, but doing this can often help you see darks and lights a bit more. 

The objective of shading for me is to use the WHOLE value scale. So you'll see me use a black colored pencil for the darkest darks - found in the crease of her lips and in her pupils. Additionally, for my brightest white highlights, I will typically carve out some of the graphite I already put down with an eraser. 

I hope you have fun with this face shading practice!! Please stay tuned for next week's video. I'll be shading another 3/4 portrait using copic markers. 

Have a great week!!!!

Would it surprise you to know that I don't sell ONE SINGLE PIECE of my art? I don't!! 

So WHY do I make art and spend all of my time and energy on TEACHING art with a team of people behind me? Because I know the way art makes us FEEL. It can have a HUGE impact on our own lives and the lives of others. 

​You might find it interesting to know that becoming an artist was NEVER even on my to do list when I was growing up!! 

Not for one second did I even consider becoming an artist! I  grew up thinking art was a hobby - no more, no less. 

So how did I get where I am today- with two YouTube channels, an online art school, and 12 art books already under my belt?! 

I got into art later in life because I got addicted to the way it made me feel when I spent time being creative. If I was having a bad day, stuck home when my kids were little and I was changing diapers and wanted to cry, the minute that I sat down to draw, sketch or paint, all of those feelings melted away. It was like a drug. There was a transformation that happened inside of me - in my brain, in my soul, in my heart...and it made everything ok again. 

Art gave me ALL the FEELS inside, and was something I craved because this goodness washed over me every single time I sat down to create. 

These amazing feelings are what I hope ALL my students can experience, and they're WHY I spend SO much time coming up with cheatsheets and shortcuts and break things down step by step for my online art classes - because I want my students to get to their happy place TOO, and to get there even faster than I did!! 

I became a good artist by default.

Because ALL the chasing of those good "happy place feelings" lead to practice, and all of that practice lead to really great results. Why does that matter? Because I grew up believing people who made art were BORN with talent. I didn't even entertain the thought that I could make art because I didn't think I was born with that talent.

Yet here I am, a successful working artist impacting students who are now making masterpieces of their own.  So how does that happen?!

This is my philosophy on what happened... if I CAN LEARN to be a good artist... so can anyone!!! 

SO CAN YOU!!!!!  ​

After you watch today's video, make sure you sign up to join one or both of the art challenges I'm running next week. They start on MONDAY!!! 

✅ SIGN UP for my MIXED MEDIA CHALLENGE 

✅ SIGN UP for my DRAWING CHALLENGE 

Now press play already for today's video so I can show you how YOU can become an awesome artist too ;)

I can't wait to show you!!!! 

​​Like usual, I'm gonna show you how to draw this tricky view from the WHIMSICAL drawing perspective FIRST, because it TOTALLY takes the pressure off! 

We are using a page from my drawing book,  How to Draw MORE Fun Fab Faces  as our cheatsheet to help us today, because these are PERFECT for beginners ;) If you'd like a copy of my cheatsheet, please make sure you request one in the comments of today's video and I'll get that RIGHT OVER!! 

​Before we start drawing, I'm going to show you with a reference photo and sheet of trace paper just how my drawing guidelines look on top of a real face so you have a strong point of reference before we begin. I'm a visual learner and assume you probably are too if you've found your way over here to learn about how to draw faces!! 

Using references is INSANELY helpful while you're drawing, even if you aren't doing a realistic style drawing.  These photos can help us add greater detail to every aspect of our drawings from the features of the face to hair, and eventually shading.

The second way I teach how to draw a 3/4 face is from my book, How to Draw and Find Your Style.  In this approach, we don't really use the grid guidelines, we kind of approximate with a circle to indicate the top portion of the head, and swoop in with a soft V off to the bottom left of that for the chin.

I hope you enjoy today's lesson and find these approaches to the 3/4 face helpful for your drawing practice!! 

Bryn shared that she started this altered book / art journal in a book of violin sheet music she bought at Goodwill for 99 cents!!! I LOVE doing this kind of thing too! It's so pretty to see the music notes peek through your art work. If you haven't tried it yet - you have to!! 

Bryn has created a gorgeous style that's all her own and SO unique... you just have to  come see for yourself!

While we chatted, she explained that she started this altered book back in March - when we all started hanging at home because of covid. She said she typically begins each page with a thin layer of gesso over the sheet music, then sketches her portraits in using a reference photo.  

Bryn uses a combo of painting and shading techniques using tombow markers, copics, micron fineliners, posca pens, india ink, and polychromos to create her beauties, and said each of her mixed media portraits takes a couple of hours to complete.  

Just LOOK at this insane masterpiece!!!!! 

Bryn was an art minor in college and shared that she's constantly taking art classes, and that's how her style has evolved over time.  She said she took a number of face courses a while back that weren't clicking. Then she stumbled onto my Fun Fab Faces books over on Amazon and did my #100FunFabFaces challenge last year. She even did ALL 100 faces!!!! Not many hung in there for the long haul like Bryn. I'm so proud of her, and her dedication shows in her work!!

Bryn also credits Toni Burt (LOVE HER! Everything she does is magical!) for helping her develop a looser style in her work. In addition to Toni, she loves James Burke (ME TOO! Totally "stalk" him and his gorgeous work!).

I'm super lucky to have Bryn as a long time member of BOTH The Fun Fab Drawing Club AND Mixed Media Society.  I have to share a quick look at one of the pieces she did in The Fun Fab Drawing Club earlier this year... 

​Absolutely STUNNING!!!!

​FYI - if you're interested in either of my clubs - Bryn has some GREAT ADVICE if you're someone (like us!) who loves BOTH drawing and mixed media, so stay tuned for her thoughts if you've been on the fence yourself! ​

After you watch Bryn's flip through, make sure you head over to Awesome Art School to sign up for my TWO SUPER FUN challenges beginning on Monday, September 21st!! Here are the links .... 

✅ CLICK HERE to SIGN UP for my MIXED MEDIA CHALLENGE 

✅ CLICK HERE to SIGN UP for my DRAWING CHALLENGE 

Each challenge is going to run for 5 days and kicks off open enrollment for The Fun Fab Drawing Club & Mixed Media Society! SOOOOOO .... if you've been waiting for these clubs to open up - your wait is almost over!!

We're having a blast and hope you come join us!!!! 

​See ya next week!

​
MY 30K GIVEAWAY PRIZE WINNER WILL RECEIVE:

• A FREE Karen Campbell book of her choice
• 10 lbs of Arteza Acrylic Paints (no that's NOT a typo- the box is SO heavy!!!)
• 14 Canvas Boards from Arteza to paint on
• FREE entry into my Challenge next month, and
• THREE FREE months in the club of your choice - Fun Fab Drawing Club or Mixed Media Society.

HOW CAN YOU WIN the GIVEAWAY PRIZES?

All you need to do is subscribe to my new Drawing Channel on YouTube.

After that- just pop back over to my LIVE STREAM video from Friday, and leave a comment telling me you've subscribed.

That's it ;) The winner will be selected at random and announced this Friday (9/4) on my Mixed Media channel!!


KAREN's CHALLENGE DETAILS

While I was LIVE on Friday, I also announced ALL the details about the Challenge I'm running next month!!!

I decided to go BIG...

We're starting September 21st, and the Challenge will run for 5 days.

I'm giving away prizes EVERY SINGLE DAY in my Facebook Group!!!

CLICK HERE to learn more & sign up for my DRAWING CHALLENGE - beginning Sept. 21st

CLICK HERE to learn more & sign up for my MIXED MEDIA CHALLENGE - beginning Sept. 21st

**IF you're a Club member of either The Fun Fab Drawing Club or The Mixed Media Society - you've automatically been enrolled in the challenge and will see that bonus in your classroom.**

If you're NOT a club member, it's just $5 to participate in either challenge to receive the daily 1-hour lesson. I HOPE you'll join me!!!

NEW Drawing Video Today

My last bit of news today is to let ya know I've added another video to my profile series on my Drawing Channel.

Today she's an adorable fairy that I've shaded using some super cheap copic marker alternatives from a brand called Par Koo!

I was actually really surprised by how much I loved these juicy markers!

Even better- they're only 37 cents/ each - so if you're in the mood to add a ton of colors to your alcohol marker stash - I highly recommend giving them a try!!

CLICK HERE when you're ready to watch today's drawing tutorial & please draw along with me!!!

See ya next week!!!