Kick In The Creative's Podcast

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.