Skipping Painted Stones
An entertaining art blog based in rural Iowa and written by author and artist Haley McAndrews.
|
Many, many creative type people have day jobs in other fields – I know, because I’m one of them. My Bachelor’s Degree is in Fine Art Photography, but I work full-time in a corporate office. In a cubicle. In a room that used to be a large storage closet. That I sometimes share with… interns. (I say that jokingly; our interns this year were the best!) Most of the artists that I personally know are in the same boat – one job to pay bills, with their art on the side – or they are retired from their day job and can therefore work on their art full-time. But why is that the “norm”?  My mixed media collage, "She's An Author", 2022 I don’t think you have to look too hard to see that the arts aren’t valued as they should be in our part of the country. The summer after I graduated, my high school cut the funding for the arts in order to help pay for their new gym. Thankfully, people protested and the motion failed. As much as I hate it, I get it. There’s a lot of money in sports events, and I don’t believe I have ever seen a school art show get sponsored by local businesses.
Which is ridiculous, because employers want workers who can think for themselves, employees who can think outside the box, and come up with creative solutions. Where do you think we teach kids those skills? In the arts classes, of course! This isn’t supposed to be a depressing post, though, so let’s not dwell on whether our culture values our efforts or not. I hope you believe enough in yourself to make up for what society lacks. If not, please reach out to me, and I will encourage you in your artistic journey! Because I believe in you, and your art, and both you and your art are valid. In my early twenties I was fortunate enough to work as a Gallery Director at a privately-owned art gallery. The experience was invaluable! It really helped me to become active in the local art scene, to network with older, experienced artists without hesitation, and that’s carried with me ever since. After the building was sold and the gallery closed, I spent the next three years working in a tax and accounting office. I’m not sure there’s a less creative field than accounting. I enjoyed the clients and the work, and even designed some sweet payroll-calculating spreadsheets, but did it feed my soul? Not even a little bit. It did, however, feed my bank account. Jon and I have discussed the overall change in attitude towards work many times. In the past, you’d find work where you lived, and the pride you felt was from knowing that you were providing for your family. Now, we encourage our children to pursue careers that they are passionate about (except for art, because we want them to be in a field that makes money.) Can’t find an art job in your rural Midwestern community? Gotta move to the city for that kind of job in most cases. Even in a big city, the art field has a shortage of available paid positions. So we take other work, because we can’t rely on sporadic art sales when we have regular bills each month. I am proud that I can provide for my family with my steady paycheck. I’m also proud that my income from selling my art and books is enough to help contribute as well. Imposter syndrome can take a hike, because I’ve been building my art studio for over ten years, honing my craft and continuing to work. And that’s all valid, just like whatever your creative journey looks like. So I say to you, creative person in a non-creative field… I see you, I understand, and it’s okay. You are still an artist, even if you don’t make art as a full-time job. You are still an artist, even if you are too busy or tired every week to work on your craft. You are still an artist, even if you don’t sell any work. You are still an artist even if you only create for yourself and never share it with anyone. You are still an artist, and you and your art are both valid.
0 Comments
9/17/2024 0 Comments Step-By-Step: Rema and PerraOriginally I was going to break down one of my digital illustrations from Where Do My Brothers Go? but I've decided to use my newest digital illustration instead as it forces me to announce... I am writing a fantasy novel! At this point, I've written 31,000 words out of a goal of 60,000, and I started writing it in 2021, so nobody hold your breath for a publication date! I am quite serious about it though, and really think it might be good (oh, hey imposter syndrome) so I'm putting it out here, now. Also, if anyone wants to talk about writing a novel, PLEASE hit me up because I am in personally uncharted territory! Allow me to introduce Rema A'Lazea and her younger sister, Perra! They are water fairies, and are the main characters (I think) of my first fantasy novel.  This drawing was never meant to be a big, finished piece, my end intent was to use it as social media content. Full disclosure, my fiction is written under the pen name D.C. McAndrews (shocker, I know 😉) so feel free to find me on Facebook and Instagram for my writing - although there's not much there at this point (again, it's only half written.) Ok, enough about the writing, let's get to the drawing!  1. Draw with pencil and paper. Is that one a surprise? My first step is always to draw with mechanical pencil and paper. I've tried sketching digitally before, and I find I get too lost in the layers. So I stick with pencil and paper, as I'm much more comfortable that way - even when I know I'm going to be coloring it digitally later on.  2. Ink the drawing with pen. 2A. In the case of Rema and Perra, I also added shading with pencil I've talked before about my inking process. I use Faber-Castell pens, and the two I used for this drawing were S and XS. I go through two rounds of inking; the first is just straight lines (like on Perra's lower half), the second is to add more depth to the drawing with a neurographic technique and line variation (some lines being thicker than others.) After I finish the inks, I erase all the pencil sketch marks. For this one, I also added some shading with my pencil and a blending stump. I knew I would be digitally coloring it, and wanted it to have a nice mixture of digital and traditional mediums.  3. Scan it in! 3A. Ok, for this one I took a digital photograph of the drawing to color. It doesn't really matter how you do it, as long as the resulting digital image is high-quality. I will usually scan my drawings in with my HP ENVY Photo 7800 printer at a resolution of 600 ppi (pixels per inch - a good printing standard is 300 ppi; ok-printing is 150 ppi; and most images online are 72 ppi.) This enables me to resize my drawings as needed. I use Adobe Photoshop Elements 2020 to edit and manipulate my digital artworks, with a Gaomon PD1161 digital tablet (with screen - a game changer) and stylus.  4. Paint the Flats layer. 4A. And other details! I love my flats layers. When you turn off everything else, they look ridiculous and wobbly. I used to have many more flats layers, and on more complicated drawings I will still separate out my flats per section or character, but for the most part I am comfortable enough with my own process that I might just have 1-3 flats layers total. This is also where I add other details that aren't shading or highlights - like the whites of the eyes, or maybe freckles or blush. In order to get my digital coloring to let the drawing underneath show through, I made my flats layers transparent by setting the blending mode to "Multiply".  5. Highlights and shading. 5A. Secondary shinies, in this case! I remember being a teenager, learning Photoshop over twenty years ago. I wanted so badly to be good at it, to bring my drawings to life in a way I didn't have the skills yet to do with traditional mediums. I remember the first time I learned how to shade and highlight hair. I wish I could tell teenage Haley not to worry, because we'll get there. And people will pay us to do it, too. Maybe that's a blog post for another time. Really in this step, I'm giving more depth to the drawing. I didn't add any digital shading to Rema and Perra, since I had added the pencil shading earlier. But I did add one layer of highlights, with an additional layer of white for extra shiny spots: on Perra's knees, Rema's shins, the front of their hair, their noses, etc. I wanted their skin to look smooth, unlike the fabric of Rema's pants which are colored in a way to look more dull. Make the original image black and white to really make the added colors pop, and done! This wasn't ever meant to be a big, finished piece for printing or sale. My original motivation was to have an illustrated character reference sheet because I can't always remember what shade of teal Rema's hair is; and then once I added Perra I wanted to share it on social media as content to go with my book. I have the ambitious plan of someday illustrating the cover for the novel, too, and even have it sketched in my current notebook. If this was a finished piece that I would make prints for sale, I would have added a background and given it many more layers of details. It's not unheard of for some of my drawings to have over a hundred digital layers of color, to give them just the right look or have added details that nobody will ever notice but I know that they are there. While this isn't a how-to step-by-step breakdown, I did want to share my digital process with everyone. I don't know that it's necessarily a quicker process than when I'm working in traditional mediums, but there's definitely no waiting for it to dry! If you're curious about my illustration technique when I'm using watercolors and colored pencils, check out this blog post from 2022, where I show each step of my process illustrating my Counting Toasters 1 to 10 book.
Impostor (or Imposter) Syndrome: a psychological condition that is characterized by persistent doubt concerning one's abilities or accomplishments accompanied by the fear of being exposed as a fraud despite evidence of one's ongoing success Lately I've been more open about my struggle with imposter syndrome (IS). I remember the first time I admitted to having it to one of my closest friends (who is also an artist), and she replied "How can you have imposter syndrome? You're an established artist, known in the area and you are working on so many projects!" You can see Merriam-Webster's definition of IS above - it is, first and foremost, insecurity. I imagine it manifests in unique ways from person to person, as many psychological conditions do. For me, it's not necessarily an insecurity of my own abilities; I don't take on projects I know I couldn't do (hello, photo realistic portraits!) But most often it rears its ugly head when I am in the middle of a large project, making me doubt the work I am doing.  How many bored capybaras can you find? For example, my large drawing "Tree of Life" was a commission by the Putnam Museum and Science Center for a children's book installation called Tails from Tales. The idea for my drawing came to me quickly, I got my first choice of book, and I started drawing on a huge piece of paper. Things were falling into place perfectly. I spent hours on this drawing: sketching in pencil, going back over it in ink, filling in the details and textures... And when I was about midway through it I started thinking, "What if this isn't what they want?" "What if this isn't what they are expecting, and they hate it?" "They are paying me hundreds of dollars for this! Is it really worth that much?" "What if they want it in color, but mine is just black and white?" I reread the call to artists, the application, and all the corresponding emails a dozen times or more, trying to reassure myself that what I was working on, that I'd already put hours of time and effort into, still fit within the descriptions. I remember telling Jon one night that if I spent extra time on it that weekend, I could finish it and turn it in a whole month ahead of the deadline, and that way if they hated it I had a month to do a new one. Let me pause here to share a few truths I have learned in life: One, nobody owes you closure - ever - you have to be okay with yourself regardless. Two, I try way too hard in my first relationship following a divorce. Three, as a parent you will always have a measure of guilt - either from not giving the kids enough attention, or not giving enough attention to other things (lookin' at you, pile of laundry.) And four, my IS is a dirty liar. #unsolicitedlifelessons Recently I was talking to someone about having IS. He asked what IS means. I explained, "It's something that often happens to extremely successful people -" and he cut me off to say, "Well why do you have it then?" To be fair, I believe he meant it as a sarcastic joke. It still hurt to hear. No matter the logic I have, my long list of successes that I can recite, that careless comment was the exact fuel that my IS loves. Guys, I'll be honest with you, I cried later on over the comment. IS is no joke. It can be crippling. It can even fuel anxiety or trigger panic attacks. Sometimes my IS shows up in lesser forms, like my shyness when I talk about my books to coworkers. Or every single time I say, "I won't claim to be a poet" despite having published a haiku book and a rhyming book (with another rhyming book written and waiting to be illustrated.) I try not to be a pushy salesperson when it comes to my art, and part of that is my IS whispering that "illustration isn't real art!" Ok, Haley, so what's the secret to defeating it when IS comes knocking (or whispering quietly, like mine)? ... I'm sorry, but I don't have a secret weapon. I'm still struggling with it myself. My knee-jerk reaction is to defend myself with logic, reminding myself of my accomplishments. But insecurity isn't logical, so that doesn't always work for me. I have learned, however, to just keep going. Work through it. Ignore those whispers and stick to the plan! My IS is a liar. I am an artist and an author. I have been working to grow my skills and business for over ten years, and I both earned and deserve the recognition and awards I have. Do you, or someone you know, struggle with IS? It sucks, but you aren't alone. Here's a Moms Who Create podcast episode on 7 Ways to Combat Imposter Syndrome. Kelli gives some great tips that might help you in your fight. This is a great article from McLean Hospital on the topic of IS, with more information on overcoming it. If you need a dose of encouragement, please reach out to someone! If you don't have someone in your life who serves as your own personal cheerleader, here's an artist pep talk available 24/7. There are many other resources easily found online as well.
Try not to worry, because you're not alone. We are in the same boat together. And despite what IS tells us, we've got this! 🚣♀️ I'll start this post off with a shout-out to my high school speech teacher, Mr. Brennan. I've written hundreds of press releases over the years (one of them even got me a job running an art gallery,) and will surely be in thousands by the time I die. And every single one I write has the same structure I learned in speech class. Why speech? Because every news article is basically an informational speech, minus the sweating palms and audience staring at you.  I still prefer to do most of my writing by hand with a pencil on paper. There are three basic parts to a press release: an introduction, the body, and a conclusion. Just like breakfast is the most important meal of the day, the introduction is the most important part of the article. It needs to answer the who, what, when, and where. The body is the why, and the conclusion restates the information from the introduction with the addition of how to find out even more. Sounds simple enough, right? The very first sentence in your press release is vital to get right. This is not where you include your hook though - the article title is going to be the hook to grab the reader's interest. The first sentence needs to be to the point and include your who, what, where, and when. This is because there are many people who just glance through articles. If they are only going to read one sentence, you need to get the message across. So for example, if my title is "Local Author Earns 5-Star Review" (there's the general idea and hook,) my first sentence will be "Local author/illustrator Haley McAndrews of Denison, IA, recently earned a 5-Star review from ReadersFavorite.com for her third book, Toaster Haiku." To break it down: Who: Haley McAndrews, a local author/illustrator Where: Denison, IA What: 5-Star book review from ReadersFavorite.com When: recently The when would also come into play if this was about an event like an opening reception or a gallery show, you could add the dates and time in. Or maybe it's about an award you won last week. Then you would add that information in. Your introduction can be one sentence long. It's allowed. If you have more information needed in the introduction, you can add it but keep it direct. If you want to add details, make it a paragraph in the body of the article. Before we get too deep into the body, here are a few essential rules on writing professionally:
Alright, onto the body! Here's where your article gets interesting, and you get to give all your details; the big "why." What do you include in the body?
And finally we arrive at the conclusion. Ideally it is one paragraph and it's a twin to your introduction. Not an identical twin (don't just copy and paste) but more like a fraternal twin, definitely. You need to restate the first sentence of your intro, but reword it. Restate your who, what, where, and when. Also mention how people can find out more: a phone or address for the gallery, a website, or an email address. This is also where you can give your professional social media handles. If you have art at local galleries or will be selling at a local event, mention that too. Ok, Haley, I have a fantastic and very professional news release written... Now what? Now you submit it! I recommend getting the email address of as many local papers as possible. You'll want to send it to a community/arts reporter (if the paper has one) or an editor. Make absolutely sure that you are sending it blind carbon copy (BCC:) if you are sending one email to many different papers. This way you won't offend anyone accidentally. More on your email; make sure you include the following information before the article: your name, studio name, mailing address, phone number, and email. This way, if they have questions they have all your contact info. You'll also want to find out when the deadline for submissions is prior to printing, so you can send your release in a timely manner. Don't forget to attach a photo or other image to the email to be included with the article. Remember the saying - a picture is worth a thousand words! Writing a great press release is a skill that gets honed with practice, just like everything else is. If you use these tips when writing, you can take your articles to the next level. Keep in mind that submitting a press release should be free. Be wary of a reporter or paper that wants to charge you for submitting a release. And, they may choose in the end not to run your article, or to rewrite some of it. Try not to take it personally, they could be saving it for a later date, or maybe they ran out of room. Either way, take a deep breath and try again next time, because I believe in you! 😊
8/13/2024 1 Comment Finished! Kiron Train MuralEarlier this year I was hired to repaint a large train mural that had been painted on the side of a metal shed. The mural is located in Kiron, IA, and was repainted for their 125th town celebration! It took me 51 hours total to complete this mural, and I had two helpers at the end for the clear coat: my husband, Jon, and my dad. I opted for adding the clear coat because just about every time I worked on the mural, within 24 hours we would get heavy rain, hail, 60+ mph winds, or even a tornado or two! So I wanted to give the mural extra protection against the elements. It was an interesting experience, working on this mural. It's by far the largest painting I've ever done. After every painting session, I'd take a picture. Those are the photos I compiled to make this video. I also regularly shared work-in-progress selfies on my Facebook and Instagram pages. Oh, and it turns out I have a pretty intense fear of heights! My first time up on the scaffolding (a whopping 5-6 feet high) my legs shook so badly that my calf muscles started to cramp up. The more time I spent up on the scaffolding the more comfortable I became, but even on the last day I was still uneasy being up so high. I was happiest just sitting in one place on the boards. I have accepted that I am only meant to live 5 feet from the surface, and no more.  I've been asked to paint a few more murals, so I might need to invest in some sort of safety... strap... harness... sort of contraption for future use. Unless you think I could get away with only doing murals that are 6 feet or less high? 😉
|
Archives
October 2025
Categories |
RSS Feed
|
© Red Stone Art Studio, 2024-2025
|
|