By Ashy Page
In this post, I describe what it was like for me, as a teenager dealing with mental illness and how I found an outlet to at least somewhat, help me cope with it. I will also explain how that outlet ended up shaping my artistic and personal styles.
Disclaimer: some topics may be triggering for some. In this post I briefly mention - but give little detail about sensitive topics like trauma, and abuse.Continue reading “How My Artistic Style Developed”
I started Color Space Art Studio in late 2022, as a way to show my artwork to anyone willing to look. By this time, I had been working on perfecting my art for the past few years with the intention of starting my business when I could afford better supplies, or when my techniques lived up to the standards that my favorite artists had set.
Eventually, on a whim, I just decided to go for it. It’s been quite a learning experience so far, and I’m more than happy to continue learning how to do it, and do it better. This is all new territory to me and so out of my comfort zone, but I think it’s something I really needed in my life.
For the record, I haven’t only been an artist for a few years. I’ve loved art and drawing since I was young. I’d always been told by family, friends and classmates how talented I was but I never thought I could ever turn it into something more than just a hobby. Even though my talent and skill kept getting better over time, it still wasn’t good enough. I never thought anyone would actually want my art, let alone pay money for it.
It wasn’t until I had had my third child, that I started to change my mind. I’d already been through cosmetology school, but then I had my second child and I was worried that career path wouldn’t pay well enough to support my small family. I got into nursing at another point, after that until I had to leave that school due to a medical condition. With trying those things, and not finishing/being able to follow through with them, I felt like a failure. I was so afraid to try again. Especially with my art.
Failing at something you aren’t passionate about, doesn’t hurt as much as failing at something you love.
I was spending so much of my time trying to reach this unrealistic level of talent and skill I thought I needed to have for anyone to be interested in purchasing my artwork.
At some point, out of the blue, I just made some accounts on different social medias and started a Shopify store. I signed up for a print on demand service, and immediately started taking pictures of, and scanning my work to upload and make into stickers.
I’ve since moved on to posters, canvas prints, and even acrylic prints, which I’m happy to say I have sold 1 of, for $154!!! I of course, didn’t get the entire profit, since I’m going through a POD service, but that’s alright. I’m thrilled that anyone in the world would like, or believe in my art enough to spend a couple dollars, let alone that much money on it.
I just wish I had believed in myself sooner, or at least trusted that eventually it will all work itself out.
As an artist, you’d think I would have a set process for how I create my work. Most professional artists do. Being self-taught, I definitely don’t have a set process. It varies like you wouldn’t believe. And honestly, I think most of my best work was pure luck. Sure, I’ve got some talent in these hands of mine, and a wild imagination in this head of mine but it seems to become more clouded the older I get.
“Life imitates art far more than art imitates life”
Oscar Wilde
This is an example of one of my watercolor pieces where I used crosshatching to outline the subject and give it, its detail. I think it’s a very classic, and underused technique that isn’t seen often enough nowadays.
Pictured is the finished product, and I will include more pictures of the entire process below.
I began by freehanding a few layers of red in watercolor.
Once dried, I began using a Sharpie S-Gel pen to outline the mushrooms, starting the the one in the back and from the bottom of the stem.
– I’m actually not very good at starting from the bottom so being completely honest, I almost always have to flip my papers upside down if they aren’t taped down to my desk 😅 –
Once I have most of the edges outlined, I usually take a break to start outlining some of the key details.
Details such as the spots on the mushroom cap. Outlining them only 60%-90% of the way. Leaving just enough of the edge blank, for the illusion of highlights we’re trying to create.
I like to do that before I finish the whole outline in case the key details might affect how I end up having to shade everything in. When you’re using pen, there’s no room for mistakes unless you want to start over.
However, there are some instances where mistakes can be beneficial. If you can work with a mistake, you also have an opportunity to create something even better than you originally planned.
Now this part may seem obvious but I’m still going to explain anyways.
I normally start crosshatching exclusively in one direction until I have all the main shadows covered.
Next, I go over it again in the opposite direction. Making sure to keep the strokes closer together where it’s darker and further apart where it’s lighter.
After I’ve filled in all the shadows, I add a little more depth by going over the original crosshatching, but shorter strokes, keeping closer to the edge.
After that, I just continue over it again, layer by layer until I’m happy with how it looks.
🖤 Thank you so much for reading! I appreciate each and every person who is willing to read my ramblings! Feel free to send me a message or leave a response! I’d love to hear about your techniques or silly things you do when working on your own hobbies! 🖤
If you’d like to see any more of my art, below is a link to my Instagram.
To be clear – I am a self taught artist, I don’t claim to have the correct terminology for some things I will talk about. I’m speaking only from my own experience in the way I best know how. I’m eager to learn all that I can, and hope to eventually become more knowledgeable about art techniques but I have all the time in the world to grow.
Edgy Art For Outcasts