This post is for all you artists who are hoping to gain some traction on Instagram, and to offer an explanation for any artist who feels like their own growth has stalled. Last year, I felt pretty confident on Instagram. I understood what elements were required for a good reel, and typically had strong engagement on my posts. I felt like I had it all figured out. Until I didn’t anymore. In Spring 2024, Meta announced that they were changing their Instagram algorithm to be more similar to that of TikTok. The changes immediately slashed engagement on larger accounts, and boosted engagement on smaller. How the Instagram algorithm works (the ultra simplified version): The old algorithm would show your reel to 7-10%...
Today, I'm excited to share the journey of creating a painting that's super close to the heart: it's all about bringing a client's beloved childhood memory to life. Her grandparents' cottage had undergone many changes throughout the years, and throughout the process of creating this oil painting, we worked together to make custom adjustments to honour those memories.
Before we start this blog post, here's my latest YouTube video that breaks down the whole process of painting in oil on paper: Regardless of your subject, painting into a multimedia sketchbook is an absolute blast. Here’s the steps I like to follow to create sketchbook entries that pop from the page. Insert the drawing. You can do this directly with ballpoint pen, or you can do a light contour with graphite pencil, before layering the ballpoint pen on top. When you do add the pen, make sure that it’s waterproof. Most ballpoint pens are, but some have a gel base that will bleed when wet. I usually do a test before using a new pen in my book on...
I get asked about the ethics of using a projector or tracing a drawing a lot on YouTube and Instagram. Can we really call ourselves artists if we don’t do the entire thing freehand or by using grids? Isn’t it cheating to use technology to bypass the difficulty of the drawing stage and head straight into the painting?
