

Board or Canvas?
The eternal debate, which painting surface do you prefer? From what I can tell, canvas is better for larger, less detail oriented work. It can add extra texture to a piece and create interest. When I first started painting, I used canvas. But as soon as I discovered board - I never looked back. The smooth surface of a board is perfect for fine details and is a pleasure to flow acrylics across. And I find that I don't have to use as much paint on board., which is a bonus. Most


Why it's hard to do what you love.
Why is it that the very thing we long to do the most, is often hardest to face? A blank page, a fresh canvas, an empty vase? There are roadblocks in every creative endeavour - that thing inside that keeps you terrified of getting to work. I never knew what this was called, this obstacle that kept me procrastinating from creating art. Then one day last year, I was handed a book called "The War of Art" by Steven Pressfield. Life changer. The foe we must face is called Resistanc


Making your own opportunities.
Back when I was young and naive, I used to think that if I put my art online - eventually, I'd be discovered. Someone would notice me; a gallery, a famous artist, a high end collector. And BAM, I'd be thrust into the spotlight in a whirl wind of my own talent and awesomeness. Yeah - that is NOT going to happen. Pretty much to anyone. 99.99% of us are going to have to work hard and make our own opportunities in life, because no one else is going to hand your dreams to you on a


Finding your style (is frustrating!)
A big puzzle that emerging artists can face is figuring out what their style is. What makes their artwork unique? What makes it recognisable as theirs? We look up to our favourite well-established artists and see that they have a defined and consistent style. But how do we get to that point? This doesn't happen overnight for anybody. It's a process of discovery, not a special gift that someone is born with. If you're game enough to scroll waaaaay back through some artists' In