Mossery Inktober 2019

1

Brew
@haruko412

What do you do when you feel uninspired?

I will do some abstract makings on my sketchbook which helps me to let loose, so it is good to have one sketchbook that is purely experimental and not for "perfect art". Going to museums or galleries also helps give me inspiring ideas on how different artists work, especially when the mediums are something I have never used before.

2

Steep
@mameshii

What was your inspiration to start making art?

It's a funny story, but I actually disliked the idea of drawing when I first started! In middle school I had a friend who was super into art. She would constantly draw in her sketchbook and her doodles would look absolutely gorgeous to me. She talked me into getting my first sketchbook, and it was not only a way to spend time with my now bff, but also a way for me to express emotion! Now I can't imagine life without drawing, and I'll forever be thankful that she came into my life. Now my biggest source of inspiration is music. Without it my drawings become mindless scribbles, and I often end up unsatisfied with the results, or don't even finish them. It's all about displaying how you feel on paper, and showing that to the world. Art is a beautiful thing ♡

3

Dinner
@sara_and_groot

What do you do when you feel uninspired?

I look for inspiration around me, sometimes taking a walk helps and talking with others who I look up to and inspire me. Books, music and movies are also a big help in finding inspiration, switching mediums and experimenting with new materials can also spark inspiration! Inspiration is literally all around you, you just have to look for it.

4

Watch
@chelseagracei

What advice would you give to aspiring artists?

It's so important to build a positive relationship with your own artwork! I see so many artists being so critical with themselves, but too much negative self talk really holds you back and takes the joy out of art. Instead of just focusing on how you want to improve and what you wish you did better, try to always find at least one thing that you love about each piece of art you create. Turn that into a habit and you'll be surprised how much you can progress :)

5

Round
@byloishannah

What have you learnt in your journey of becoming an artist?

There are also going to be times where you feel blocked or frustrated. I have learnt to always treat myself kindly in these moments, as the best pieces of work sometimes appear out of nowhere — like magic! Usually when you're in the right frame of mind, feeling cosy and with a cup of tea.

6

Door
@claraencinas_

What are some of the things you love about being in the creative community?

When I was a child I always felt that I didn't fit in. Luckily, over time I met other artists and found the support and inspiration I needed. Although their visions of art are different from mine or they work in other disciplines, our way of understanding the world and operating unites us. I love being part of a community where it doesn't matter who and how you are, where you live or what language you speak. The important thing is to share what you do, learn from others, support them and enjoy your gift. What matters is respect for the work of others and your own. I like to be part of a community where people work every day to create something beautiful, denounce and defend using art and strive to make the world a nicer place.

7

Climb
@qiarateor

What are some of the things you love about being in the creative community?

I love being surrounded by amazing creative individuals, everyone has different perceptions of a particular subject/topic and they all show in their work. Being able to be constantly exposed to their creative minds not only helps improve my art but broaden my view on life in general.

8

Quiver
@onlyou718

What would you like to improve on in your art and why?

When it comes to my art, there are a lot of things I'd like to improve but what I struggle with the most is creating drawings that have more emotions to them. I tend to default to simple portraits with mild expressions because I find them easy and pretty but I really enjoy drawing expressions and I want to find a way to push my own boundaries.

9

Eye
@jb0xtchi

What would you like to improve on in your art and why?

I would like to improve on my proportion in anatomy, more complex composition ideas and different usage of colour combinations. I think by improving on these factors I can really elevate my work to the next level :)

10

Deliver
@ellievsbear

What are you thoughts on using social media to share your art?

Sharing my art online became a real game changer for me. Before then, I was making art on my own and not showing it to anyone. Becoming part of the art community and being able to talk easily with other professional artists was very inspiring and motivating. But even more importantly, it removed all geographical barriers and allowed me to work on projects with teams from other countries, and made it possible for me to make a living through my art. Without social media, not many people would have seen my illustrations, and I wouldn't have had as many opportunities. So I will keep sharing as long as I can, and hopefully it will inspire others just as much as I was inspired by the online art community.

11

Quick
@singajelly

What is your routine like as an artist?

Whenever I start a piece, my routine always begins with searching for references. This can be poses, characters, backgrounds or blend of styles. Then, I start sketching the piece and continue to do linework. And before I begin colouring, I always search for references that depict the same mood that I want my piece to. After colouring, I move on to making some final effects and adjustments in photoshop and yay, the piece is finished!

12

Stranger
@karla_alcazar_

What have you learnt in your journey of becoming an artist?

I've learnt to embrace my own voice. I think it's quite common to compare oneself to other artists, specially when there are so many talented people out there! But we all have different stories to tell, and even different ways to tell the same story! So I'm learning to say no to comparisons and to embrace my own way of expressing myself. I've also learnt to embrace playfulness and to allow mistakes to inform my process.

13

Graze
@kurboi

What would you like to improve on in your art and why?

Depth and emotion, because they're two of the crucial parts of a piece. I want to create art that appeals to me as something personal. In the future, I hope I won't lose the feeling of completing an artwork, the spark it gives me when it's finally finished. I don't want art to be just a routine to me, I want to be still as excited when i'm making a drawing, like it's my first time doing it.

14

Moonless
@naydeity

What are you thoughts on using social media to share your art?

I think that sharing your art on social media is a risk with the possibility for very positive or very negative outcomes. On one hand, it's a great way to build a community, get feedback, find art inspiration, and connect with opportunities you might not otherwise find. However, I've learned to keep in mind that putting too much weight on the feedback your art gets (likes, comments, reblogs/retweets, etc) can be detrimental and misleading. I think it's important to be always wondering why you make the art you make, so that you don't get trapped making art solely for others, and to remind yourself of the wealth of inspiration available outside of social media.

15

Fiction
@alisavysochina

What is your routine like as an artist?

As a mom that works from home my routine revolves a lot around my kid. After I drop off my son at school, morning is the most productive time of the day for me. Sometimes if I still feel a bit sluggish or not in the mood to work right away, I'll go for a walk or run some errands outside of the house. But mostly I try to approach my art as a regular job and follow some basic rules:

- Take breaks ever hour/two to stretch.
- Don't work past 6 pm and on the weekends, turn off computer and step away from my desk.
- Switch between sitting and standing desk to avoid back pain.
- Plan everything ahead of time! This also helps me be less anxious about future projects and deadlines.

16

Hold
@lyn_hui

What advice would you give to aspiring artists?

Being an artist can be a long and lonely process, so be sure to make friends along the way. Work hard but don't overwork, don't be shy to share your art to the world, you'll never know who is at the other end of the screen looking at your work. Most importantly be authentic and original because that's what makes you special.

17

Distant
@dariaesste

What is your routine like as an artist?

As an artist working a full time job in a different field, having a solid routine is the key to be able to make art. Respecting other routines of taking good care of myself (cooking, working out, reading, sleeping), I have up to 3 hours of time I can dedicate to art every day in the work week. I rely a lot on writing ideas down and preparing my creative energy and inspiration throughout the day so that when I sit down to work, I don't have to go through the process all over again. First 30 minutes to an hour is a warmup time. I sketch and take that time to ease into a medium I'm using for the project. After that I try my best to get into the flow without distractions. I put away my phone, use ambient music (with headphones to block out the environment), which is definitely easier to achieve knowing I have limited amount of time for it. During days off I try to keep the same routine just with allowing myself to take more time for sketching and staying in the flow longer.

18

Future
@ghost_puff

How did you find your art style?

I believe a style is a result of your genuine interest in a subject plus the work process you most enjoy. For as long as I could remember I have always been interested in every hobby that I could afford to pick up and this naturally transitioned into mixed media. With time and experimentation, I saw which paints, pencils and paper made the happiest. This is not to say that everything is final. You are completely allowed to change and explore new ways to make art. As for my subjects, they too changed as I grew up. My interests now are very oriented around building a home and creating a homey feeling, around the things I do in my daily life, about representing what brings me the most joy. It goes without saying that to develop any sort of continuity in style you need practice. However if you do follow up with the two components (interest in subject and enjoyable process) it's simply a breeze. The end goal is not a style, but the joy of creating (thanks Bob Ross).

19

Hidden
@moonchildillustrations

What have you learnt in your journey of becoming an artist?

The most important thing that I've learned on my illustration journey is to trust myself, my imagination and to not be afraid of being different. When you are starting your journey and posting your work online you can easily feel the need for your artwork to look a certain way to fit in but the truth is we already have that, what we don't have is you! Everyone has its own special kind of magic inside that makes us unique and special. There is only one of you in this universe and to realize that and to except it is the biggest step you can do as an artist or an individual in general.

20

Linger
@cpointss

How did you find your art style?

There are probably many answers I can give you because it can be quite a journey. I use many influences in my life to shape my style, but one thing that was really dominant at one point of my life was fashion. My younger sister studied fashion for some time and a big part of me was very interested. This opened my eyes to other interests such as patterns, textures, emphasis on colors, abstract shapes, and vintage fashion illustrations.

21

Room
@coco__glez

What would you like to improve on in your art and why?

I would like to continue improving my planning and problem-solving when painting traditionally. When working digitally, it's very easy to just press an undo button, but with inks and watercolors you need to change your mindset and accept mistakes as part of the fun!

22

Flutter
@milkywaes

What advice would you give to aspiring artists?

Whenever I catch myself in a state of mind where creating feels anything but good, I try to remember why I started drawing at all. It's because it genuinely brings me joy and happiness. So I have a motto; to draw primarily because you like to draw, not to get good at drawing. It's something I try to always keep in mind, and I think it can be helpful to any artists out there! As long as you like drawing, you will want to keep doing it, and then practicing wouldn't feel like a chore!

23

Pierce
@myleart

What do you do when you feel uninspired?

A lot of times when I feel uninspired, it is because I am burnt out, either physically or mentally, and all I need to do is walk away from creating for a few days. If that doesn't work, I would look back through my sketchbook for inspirations, or create a list of words and short phrases that are on my mind and use them as prompts. Sometimes, I also just look at other artists' works and images on Pinterest to see if anything sparks my imagination. However, this could backfire if my brain get too overloaded with visual inputs, so it is my last resort.

24

Glisten
@charbonnierlea

How did you find your art style?

I think finding your own artistic style is one of the most complicated things because it's a real introspection. First I tested a lot of style, colors, subjects and rated what I liked. I even made a list of ideas i want to continue working on. I also like to take a step back to learn how to separate the styles that correspond to me, from those I like. It is sometimes difficult to sort out, especially when you love artists with a variety of styles. I make sure to remember what defines me, what I like to draw, what I like when Instagram is off and I just have my imagination on.

25

Noise
@nightmerss

How do you make sure that you keep to your routine as an artist?

It is important to set a schedule for your routine. As an artist or illustrator, you mostly work freelance/at home, so it's easier to distract yourself from doing work and you need to set a routine for drawing. Try to work the same amount of hours everyday in what you want to focus at the moment and you'll notice it gets easier everyday. Don't struggle too much if you're not able to keep that routine all the time, everyone needs a break once in a while.

26

Trickle
@nlitvvin

What was your inspiration to start making art?

Art has been a really important part of my life since I can remember. Even when I was a little child I would steal my mom's pencils and I could draw literally for hours. When teachers at school asked me who I'd want to be in the future my answer always was an animator or just an artist but only recently I've fully grasped that I really can become one. Two years ago I was really struggling and stopped drawing but fortunately, one year ago I picked up drawing again and haven't stopped since, because doing that has helped me tremendously. Creating art is my therapy, something that makes me happy, something I can't live without and something I love sharing with the world. At the moment, my biggest dream is to help others with my art. What was my inspiration to start creating art? The possibility of creating something from nothing, the possibility to express myself and the idea of helping other people with my art.

27

Rhythm
@rachelhofs

What are some of the things you love about being in the creative community?

I love being part of the creative community because individuals are always able to express themselves and their art freely. The community is also full of talented creative individuals who inspire and motivate me to create more art!

28

Motion
@bakeddeer

What are you thoughts on using social media to share your art?

It means greater exposure for artists and for their work to be seen in this multidimensional space. Eventually, this allows artists to bond with others who share the same interest over the globe. However it also comes with the price of having their work being reposted, recreated, or printed for business purposes by other parties. Hence, artists should prepare themselves the moment they click 'post' as their work have the possibility to land in both good and the bad hands.

29

Guard
@nadiarausa

How do you make sure that you keep to your routine as an artist?

Time management and routines can be difficult to keep, especially when suffering from depression. I used to be an incredibly organized and "on-top-of-it" person, until my depression got worse. However, I do think it's possible, even when it feels impossible! My biggest thing is using to-do lists: I have an overall project list with deadlines with an app called Asana. I also have a physical planner — I really recommend one that resonates with you in its set-up and design. You may also give yourself projects with deadlines to work on and keep your routine. Something my husband is making for me is a time-tracking system where I collect points to be able to buy or do something I've been wanting. It might be handy for you to give yourself rewards if you keep your routine. Which leads me to my last tip: have an accountability partner — someone you tell your goals and plans to, that way you feel the need and drive to complete it. Keeping a routine can be difficult, but it's not impossible with some handy tools and accountability partners. You've got this!

30

Hour
@mavorie

How do you make sure that you keep to your routine as an artist?

The most important thing for me was to find a realistic routine that fits into my life and that keeps in mind my goals. Time is very essential as I spend much of the day at work. During the week I keep my art schedule very carefree, mostly doing studies, sketches and generally using art as a way to relax and enjoy my free time. The weekend is the time where I can tackle bigger projects, complicated paintings, etc. That's not to say I will never tackle a project during the week but I try not to burden myself with strict plans and instead keep things relaxed. Of course this is all based on the fact that art is mostly my hobby and not a job for me so my main goal is to enjoy drawing and improve my skills which of course is quite leisurely compared to a full-time artist.

31

Fortune
@milktu_

What was your inspiration to start making art?

I was a very artistic kid, I always carried around my little notebook and my pencils around and liked that I could illustrate my thoughts, dreams and feelings on paper. That love that I had for drawing as a kid never left, and I wanted to make more art to express myself and to tell others to express themselves as well. I want to motivate and inspire people to not be scared of showing their feelings and aspirations through art. Everyone can make art, and everyone can make it beautiful.