The Question I Get Asked Most Often “How do you draw like that?” It’s the question I get asked most often in regards to my animal portraits. Most of the time I just smile and try not to blush. Honestly, I never really know what to say. I never really thought about HOW I do it. It’s…

Plotting cast shadows can make or break your drawing. It might not jump right out at you but your brain realizes that something is off. It’s very much like if your perspective is off in your drawing. Why? Because plotting cast shadows IS perspective. That’s how it works. The reason…

Dealing with difficult art customers can make you want to ditch art and find a regular, boring job. Let’s face it, some people can just be nasty, unpleasant people. These folks make you want to just return their money and cut your losses on the time and materials you used. …

I did my fair share of charcoal drawings in art school. I wasn’t a big fan of the dust that ended up everywhere. On the days of the classes that required charcoal, I always wore black. There was no other way to get around messing up your clothes otherwise. Here’s…

Stop Drawing Like Other People! Developing artistic style is a huge concern for many beginner artists. One of the things that happens is that they start copying the styles of other artists that they admire. You can’t blame them, really. In fact, doing studies from the Old Masters is part of what you do in…

But Be Prepared… Don’t apologize for your art. Someone gave me a button that said, “Never apologize for your art.” I always thought it was a cool button. But beyond the coolness of the new button on my backpack, I think I always had an idea of how profound that statement was. …

I think we can all agree that critics suck. Nobody likes criticism. But what happens when your worst critic is you? You. The one person you can never get away from. Because as the saying goes, wherever you go there you are. And it’s common knowledge that we are all…

Communicating with art customers can be a tricky thing. As artists we might assume that everyone else (non-artists) understands what we’re talking about or what’s to be expected. When it comes to commissions, making that assumption can lead to sticky situations. Frankly, there are a lot of people out there…

This drawing marks my return to artwork after a year and a half long hiatus of sorts. After moving to Hawaii in November 2019 I didn’t get a whole lot of drawing in. Life was pretty tumultuous from that point on. Moving, settling in at home with my dad, settling…