This is the official Blog for the EBSQ Self-Representing Artists Community, where you'll find news, reviews, site announcements, and of course, a generous helping of art!
I think Spring has come to EBSQ. Here’s a peek at some of the fantastic, fresh art from the EBSQ front page.
This week’s Friday Five is a collection of just a handful the amazing Youtube Channels to be had for artists.
1. New Masters Academy – Their Daily Life Drawing sessions are what I love most about this channel. Don’t have the time or means to sit in on a life drawing session? They have both nude and non-nude, timed sessions!
2. Will Terry – Looking for tips and advice on becoming a children’s book illustrator? Will Terry supplies this and much, much more.
3. ImagineFX – Digital Artists and Fantasy Artists will love the invaluable resources from one of the best magazines in the industry.
4. Blick Art Materials – Did you know Blick has been around since 1911? Their Youtube channel offers more than just product reviews. Take look!
5. Strathmore Artist Papers – There are a wealth of tutorials to be found in this channel, even entire workshops!
I’ll highlight more of my favorite channels next month. Do you have a go-to Youtube channel for art learning and inspiration?
Fantastic art, fresh from our front page!
Fantastic art, fresh from our front page!
Fantastic art, fresh from our front page!
Gray Jacobik is our current featured artist!
I am a landscape painter who interprets abstractly on three planes that may, or may not, occur simultaneously: the lateral plane, the same as the land and sea itself; aerially, as derived from images of the Earth from space; and from a deep space perspective as provided through the Hubble Space Telescope.
See more of Gray’s Abstract Paintings in his EBSQ Portfolio. You can also find his work at grayjacobikartist.com.
Cara Shea Berkeley is our current featured artist!
I am a marketing executive living in Nashville, TN. A self-taught artist, I have sold paintings throughout the country and internationally. My work has been exhibited in retail in LA and even used in real estate home staging. Recently I had a piece pulled for a potential room make-over story in Better Homes and Gardens.
See more of Cara’s Abstract Paintings in her EBSQ Portfolio. You can also find her on Etsy at CaraSheaBerkeley.
New art straight from our home page. Take a look and see what’s new today.
1. Art Seen: Lunga pausa di silenzio (Long Silence) is a beautiful, dream-like watercolor by Alessandro Andreuccetti. The contrasting colors pulled me in!
2. Artist Guide: PACT published an excellent article this week by Armand Carbrera on copyright – Protecting Copyright.
3. How To: “How to Video Your Art” Part 1: Camera Guide – I know some of you have been wondering!
4. In the News: The Case Against Art Show Entry Fees – Let me know what you think in the comments below!
5. Exhibits: We have two exhibits this month, Naked Trees and Airships. Don’t miss out!
1. Art Seen: Janet Graham’s Ruby Crowned Kinglet is a little gem. I love her small bird paintings!
2. Artist Guide: How to Multiply your Art Revenue – I don’t think there is any one way to sell art, or increase sales, but this guide by Chris Wilson has some merit. I think everyone could tweak this method to suit their art business.
3. Learning Resources: Tip #14 from Cathy Johnson – Capturing the Effect of Distance and Depth.
4. In the News: 13 things about the man who gave his $500-million art collection to LACMA
5. Film: Mr. Turner will open to limited release (USA) in December, but it has been on tour with film festivals around the world. Have you seen it?
Artists featured above are: Laura Barbosa, Penny StewArt, Lisa M. Nelson, CES, and Erika Nelson.
See more in our Halloween Art Gallery.
1. Art Seen: This Zombie Pumpkin by Jordana Hawen is soooo creepy cute! He’s on the front page now. Go have a look!
2. Inspiration: EBSQ’s Sherry Key shared a link to Danish artist, Lise Meijer, blog post on how to get unstuck. Her #1 one way is the same as mine: ‘move the body.’ Going for a walk or anything that takes me out of the studio and gets the blood flowing is my best fix for any problem I’m having a with a painting.
3. Artist Guide: Muddy Colors has an excellent post by Greg Ruth titled, The Art and the Artist. The article is a guide for how we present ourselves as creators in this digital age–our online and offline presence and actions.
4. Learning Resources: Tip #116 from Cathy Johnson – Studio in a Backback. This is a must read if you’re planning a holiday and want to bring along some art supplies or if you’re on a mission to capture that hidden watercolor off the beaten trail.
5. In the News: If you’re lucky enough to earn a living from your art, you’re probably white. The thing about racial diversity among working artists in America is that it pretty much doesn’t exist.
1. Art Seen: Halloween is steadily approaching. It wouldn’t be right if I didn’t share a Halloween Skull by EBSQ’s own CES.
2. Artist Guide: 10 Website Mistakes that Kill Your Art Sales
3. Learning Resources: Tip #84 from Cathy Johnson – Sketching on the Spot in Cold Weather.
4. Exhibits: It won’t be long till the calendar turns over and we are November. Now is the time to start plannings for the November Exhibits at EBSQ. Coming up we have Airships (Zeppelins to Steampunk) and Naked Trees.
5. In the News: Are Over Half the Works on the Art Market Really Fakes?
1. Art Seen: A Colorful Burst by Delilah Smith captures the magic of autumn unfolding in the northern hemisphere.
2. Learning Resources: Tip #29 from Cathy Johnson – Utilizing Negative Shapes. “Don’t draw your subject, but where your subject is NOT.”
3. Exhibits: Congratulations to our September EBSQ Exhibit Winners!
4. Artist Guide: When and How to Negotiate During a Sale: A Guide for Artists
5. In the News: Tax Court Ruling is Seen as a Victory for Artists
1. Harvest on Hold by CES is this week’s featured art from the EBSQ home page! Every Friday I browse the new art and choose one for this blog post. If you want to be featured here, keep creating, keep sharing!
2. Business 101: Basic Business and Financial Practices for Artists – A must read!
3. 20 Things you can Use your Art For – This blog post from Kiri Østergaard Leonard is from a year ago, but it’s one of those articles that don’t have an expiration date.
4. Our September Online Exhibits are open for entries! Take a look at Celebrating Fan Art and FOTM: Sedums. What will you create?
5. Looking for figure drawing lessons online? Proko has everything from beginner to more advanced, gesture drawing to details of the eye:
1. This week’s Featured Friday Five artist is April Trice and her entrancing photograph, Undulation. Those blues… The water… Can I go there?
2. Dragon Con is next week in Atlanta, yours truly and fellow EBSQ artist Jasmine Becket-Griffith will be in the 2014 Art Show. If you’re attending don’t miss the Art Show!
3. How to Commission an Illustration – I think this should be recommending reading! Thank you to Mark Satchwill for sharing this with me.
4. We are nearing the deadline for the August Exhibits at EBSQ. Don’t miss out on the chance of winning prize money for Member’s Choice!
5. Making Purple: The Science of Art – Another short but excellent video from The National Gallery in London.
1. This week’s featured Friday Five artist is Luba Lubin and her Blue Green Abstraction. I can’t resist those blues!
2. Enjoy TED Talks? Check these out: 5 TED Talks to Kickstart your Creativity.
3. James Gurney has a new instructional watercolor video and he’s posted a list of the materials used, with links and notes — Watercolor in the Wild Materials.
4. Looking for a way to improve your figure drawing skills? Sketch Daily References let’s you pick what you want to draw and the time you want to spend on each and then creates a slideshow for you. You can select clothed figures, nude, specific body parts and even animals.
5. Are you an EBSQ Artist with an upcoming exhibition or other event you’d like to share? Get in touch with me to be included in the Friday Five: amanda[at]ebsqart[dot]com.
1. Today’s featured artist is Cyra R. Cancel and her wonderful piece, Violet Bellied Hummingbird in my Garden. Who doesn’t love catching a glimpse of a hummingbird in their garden?
2. Do you love participating in art swaps and challenges? Yes? Then you’ll want to take a look at Art Drop Day, where art and scavenger hunt come together.
3. Have you taken a look at the August EBSQ Art Exhibitions? This month we have Toolbox and Flower of the Month: Summer Veg.
4. Looking for some Art/Anatomy book recommendations? I found this list via a deviantART artist, Qing Han.
5. Summer is a time for conventions and big art shows. They are fun and often full of freebies and entertainment. But did you know you can also learn valuable skills? I’m leading a panel this summer at Dragon Con titled Basics of Digital Painting. My panel is one of many that will teach artists both traditional and digital skills. There’s even going to be a life model panel–bring your own sketchbook! Take a look at my blog post for more info – Conventions: Panels, Art, Books and Leather.
1. This week’s featured Friday Five artist is one of my favorites at EBSQ. Gretchen Del Rio’s Spirit Bear stands out on the EBSQ front page this morning.
2. Voting has begun in the July EBSQ Online Exhibits! Cast your vote now for EBSQ Ripped Off 2014, Flower of the Month: Dianthus, and Plein Air: Found Reflections. Voting ends Aug. 8th.
3. Words can inspire and words can kill your spirit. Surround yourself with positive people. – Need a pick-me-up? Read Will Terry’s blog post: Don’t Let Them Crap on your Art.
4. Too incredible not to share – Artist’s newsagent shop made entirely from felt looks sew real – in pictures.
5. How to Draw the Figure in Charcoal with Steve Huston – Free HD Tutorial from New Masters Academy
1. This week’s featured Friday artist is Natasha Wescoat and her magical siren painting, A Little Birdy Told Me.
2. The Art of Copying – a history, a business, and a tool. This is an excellent blog post from Dinotopia creator James Gurney.
3. This week I want to invite my fellow artists to take a look at a Kickstarter campaign – Pictures at an Exhibition. Even $1 will help, but if you can’t donate to the campaign can you share it with a few friends? This is a fusion of Art and Music:
Join us on an adventure as a young woman journeys through the art that inspired Mussorgsky’s classic Pictures at an Exhibition!
4. The deadline is approaching fast for three EBSQ Art Exhibits – Plein Air: Found Reflections, Flower of the Month: Dianthus, and the 14th Annual EBSQ Ripped Off Show.
5. Another great video from Will Terry – How to Get Past Artist Block:
Art & News from EBSQ 