KelseyAnneArt introduces "art-to-art." A place where we can have heart-to-hearts about art. <3 (Really proud of how many times I got the word "art" in that sentence). As long as I've been an artist, I've found myself frustrated about art rules that you're taught and then a few years later, you're taught about all the great artists that broke those rules and why it was mind-blowingly awesome. I never knew (and still don't) when it was ok to break the rules and when I looked like an idiot for breaking said rules. I thrive on boundaries, on black and white, on definitive guidelines. Blame my Libra-ness.
On top of that, the art world can be a scary place. You put your heart and soul into a piece, it's your baby, you name it, you nurture it and then you reveal it to the world and the response is... less than desirable. Maybe this is just me coming from a graphic design background, but we artists can be snobs. Hear me out: we're very critical, i.e. blasting people for using Comic Sans or God forbid PAPYRUS. I know full well that they're fonts that are never used for the right purposes BUT a lot of people don't, and what are their resources for knowing WHHYYY? So whatever level you're at as an artist (or plumber or accountant or CEO), we can all probably agree that we're emotional, sensitive, squishy creatures that don't want our artwork babies to be judged harshly by fellow, critical peers.
So how is anyone supposed to get better?? I realize that I might be out in left field here but I've always felt like there's a lack of safe havens for me to ask a question about art and get a direct answer—whether it be about hand-lettering, illustration, art supplies, etc. You're probably thinking, "Just Google it." But it's not that simple. How do I ask Google a question that sounds like this: "What's that ornament in the middle of letters that look like little pointy things that some hand-letterers use?" (This is a legitimate question that I have and still haven't been able to find the answer. I've been hand-lettering for 6 years. NBD).
If I haven't made it clear already, I am FAR from being an authority on anything even though I've dedicated nearly my entire life to art. So my mission with "art-to-art" is to pose questions that either I have or that you have! And dedicate a week to trying to find the answers through the Internet, through speaking with other artists, through comments from readers, etc.! I will present the question every Monday and report back every Sunday night. This is meant to be a collaborative effort where no one feels like a schmuck, everyone has a voice and we just learn together! So leave a comment with any questions about art that you may have and we'll start a running list of topics to go over. Let's do this!
#arttoart