I have the advantage, or disadvantage, of being entirely a hobby artist and now I've retired I have a lot more time - which means fortunately that I can go off on tangents, explore any new technique I come across, experiment with things, etc. Unfortunately it means that I can go off on tangents, explore any new technique I come across, experiment with things, etc!!!
I love these challenges. So cute. Good reminder for me to carve more often. It's so fun, and I love the modularity.
I also struggle to focus on a niche. But I have changed my view of what my niche could be. Instead of being a creative niche (ink, watercolor, carving, sculpting, sewing, etc.) or a professional niche (book layout, proofreader, cartoonist, teacher, etc.), I have decided to find a more . . . existential focus? I suppose you could say more of a topical niche. My personal brand of weird and nature and joy. And now I've been choosing a short-term theme for all my creative endeavors for a period of time, and then dumping all the resulting art in a digital magazine, keeping my passion for book layout in the mix. It has been a wild ride, and I am still working on it. So keep up the good work (these videos were fantastic!!) and I will, too.
Thank you Angela! That sounds wonderful! I really like your way of approaching it. I have been thinking of creating a creativity book to find new viewpoints and trigger new ideas, but instead of having it digital - hand it in for printing.
I actually did make a printable supplement for the digital magazine because it includes things like a coloring page, word search, feathers for a divination game, and paper dolls. 😂
Oh i wish i had seen this post before ordering the carving tools. 😓 Never mind, I’m sure they’ll be useful either way. We don’t get that lovely pink lino locally, but I can order some online.
Are you sure you have ordered the wrong ones? Didn’t you say L 12/1? That’s one of my favourites. L 11/4 is currently not available over here and I searched everywhere to find a replacement. L 11/3 was close, so I ordered a few for the courses I hold.
Yes L 12/1 and L 11/3. You’re right. These numbers are so confusing. Also I wanted to mention I illustrate mostly in procreate and lino is new to me but I’m in love. I also find it really relaxing. It’s perfect as a busy mom of 3, to have my own couple of hours a week to work on lino and I was afraid of my work looking like it’s all over the place… but it is what it is. I don’t want to stop and I do want to share the things I love, with others too. I’m basically carving motifs from my illustrations. :)
They are so confusing! Totally agree:-) Have you tried rubber carving blocks? They are even easier to work with than Lino, I would say. Lovely to hear you are working from your illustrations. It so fun to see how they turn out when done with a completely different technique.
I’m using the essdee soft cut carving blocks. Is that what you mean? Could you advise on tubes vs cans? I only use inks once or twice a week at most and although cans are more worth the money, I worry they’ll dry out. I’ll get some of the cranfield ones.
No, soft cut is slightly different from what I am using. I haven’t tried it myself. The blocks I am using is called Speedycarve by a brand called Speedball. If you search for ”Rubber carving blocks” - you will find the kind of blocks I am using. When it comes to ink, I am actually using inkpads for most of my stamps. The brand I am using is called Tsukiniko and they last for years! It’s amazing that they last that long. I also have ink from Speedball in a can that I apply with a roller sometimes for my really large stamps. I haven’t tried never tried the ones in a tube.
Hi Viktoria. I’ve been doing further research into inks. Unfortunately to ship the caligo inks to Cyprus it’s very expensive so I’m looking for an alternative and I remember you mentioned Tsukineko. Am I correct to say the VersaCraft ink pads are a product line by Tsukineko. Is this what you’re using? Thank you again for your help.
I wish you all the best with your new creative ideas, Victoria 😌 And I just wanted to say that I’m very familiar with the challenge to focus on just one thing. When I decide to focus on art licensing, the children’s book ideas just start getting into my mind and then I find myself sketching book layout and writing a story. But then when I decide to focus just on children’s books ideas for art licensing, like postcards and wall art starting getting into my mind. And then I find myself making Fonts and painting autumn illustrations set. I just don’t know if there is such a thing as me being able to focus on one thing. I’m trying to discover if it is my curiosity or some kind of FOMO. And I’m also a little bit worried if this kind of approach will slow down my progress. 🙈
Thank you very much Marina! It’s good to hear that I’m not alone, but at the same time I know what a struggle it can be.
I think it’s demand avoidance for me. As soon as I feel a demand of some kind, and I don’t have anyone that holds me accountable, I’m off to do something else.☺️
It definitely slows me down, but I have accepted that this is the way I work. Then I at least feel less stressed about it.🤷🏼♀️
Interesting point of view, that it can be also about demand. I just love to feel freedom in my art practice, and because of that I can relate to this idea. 😯 And yes, accepting yourself for who you are is very important, thank you for reminding! 🫶❤️
Exactly, the freedom is what I love too. I always do best when I can explore and play freely without any expectations. As soon as a demand appears, it gets harder for me. I am trying to figure out how to solve this 😬.
I understand how curiosity pulls in many different directions, and how frustrating that can be sometimes! When I started my Substack in April I intended it to be an outlet for whatever had caught my attention at the time, but I wanted to post every week to make sure I was engaging with creativity in some way, not letting myself put it down for too long. Through that practice I've found that I really enjoy drawing a weekly comic and that's what's sparking me right now. But I never would have found it if not for keeping myself accountable and engaging with the awesome community here (including you!)
I'm happy that the weekly carving challenge is lighting you up! I'm not much into carving and printing at the moment, although my wife has been interested in learning for some time. Maybe we'll join you one of these days! 😁
Thank you Joshua! Accountability is really a key to get things done for me as well. It’s lovely that you have found your thing with your comics. It’s really nice to see. You could start carving and stamping recurring elements for your comics:-).
Thank you so much!
I have the advantage, or disadvantage, of being entirely a hobby artist and now I've retired I have a lot more time - which means fortunately that I can go off on tangents, explore any new technique I come across, experiment with things, etc. Unfortunately it means that I can go off on tangents, explore any new technique I come across, experiment with things, etc!!!
And HEDGEHOG!!!!!!!
That is a really nice advantage! I can really relate to going off on tangents. My latest experiments revolves around resin.:-)
Mine are around old photo paper and sunshine...
I love these challenges. So cute. Good reminder for me to carve more often. It's so fun, and I love the modularity.
I also struggle to focus on a niche. But I have changed my view of what my niche could be. Instead of being a creative niche (ink, watercolor, carving, sculpting, sewing, etc.) or a professional niche (book layout, proofreader, cartoonist, teacher, etc.), I have decided to find a more . . . existential focus? I suppose you could say more of a topical niche. My personal brand of weird and nature and joy. And now I've been choosing a short-term theme for all my creative endeavors for a period of time, and then dumping all the resulting art in a digital magazine, keeping my passion for book layout in the mix. It has been a wild ride, and I am still working on it. So keep up the good work (these videos were fantastic!!) and I will, too.
Thank you Angela! That sounds wonderful! I really like your way of approaching it. I have been thinking of creating a creativity book to find new viewpoints and trigger new ideas, but instead of having it digital - hand it in for printing.
Was going to say the same about doing a print version, even for yourself, and glad to hear you do that Angela! Fun!
I actually did make a printable supplement for the digital magazine because it includes things like a coloring page, word search, feathers for a divination game, and paper dolls. 😂
Oh i wish i had seen this post before ordering the carving tools. 😓 Never mind, I’m sure they’ll be useful either way. We don’t get that lovely pink lino locally, but I can order some online.
Are you sure you have ordered the wrong ones? Didn’t you say L 12/1? That’s one of my favourites. L 11/4 is currently not available over here and I searched everywhere to find a replacement. L 11/3 was close, so I ordered a few for the courses I hold.
Yes L 12/1 and L 11/3. You’re right. These numbers are so confusing. Also I wanted to mention I illustrate mostly in procreate and lino is new to me but I’m in love. I also find it really relaxing. It’s perfect as a busy mom of 3, to have my own couple of hours a week to work on lino and I was afraid of my work looking like it’s all over the place… but it is what it is. I don’t want to stop and I do want to share the things I love, with others too. I’m basically carving motifs from my illustrations. :)
They are so confusing! Totally agree:-) Have you tried rubber carving blocks? They are even easier to work with than Lino, I would say. Lovely to hear you are working from your illustrations. It so fun to see how they turn out when done with a completely different technique.
I’m using the essdee soft cut carving blocks. Is that what you mean? Could you advise on tubes vs cans? I only use inks once or twice a week at most and although cans are more worth the money, I worry they’ll dry out. I’ll get some of the cranfield ones.
No, soft cut is slightly different from what I am using. I haven’t tried it myself. The blocks I am using is called Speedycarve by a brand called Speedball. If you search for ”Rubber carving blocks” - you will find the kind of blocks I am using. When it comes to ink, I am actually using inkpads for most of my stamps. The brand I am using is called Tsukiniko and they last for years! It’s amazing that they last that long. I also have ink from Speedball in a can that I apply with a roller sometimes for my really large stamps. I haven’t tried never tried the ones in a tube.
Hi Viktoria. I’ve been doing further research into inks. Unfortunately to ship the caligo inks to Cyprus it’s very expensive so I’m looking for an alternative and I remember you mentioned Tsukineko. Am I correct to say the VersaCraft ink pads are a product line by Tsukineko. Is this what you’re using? Thank you again for your help.
Ok, well if your cans don’t dry out then I’m more confident to try cans. :) thanks for all your help.
I wish you all the best with your new creative ideas, Victoria 😌 And I just wanted to say that I’m very familiar with the challenge to focus on just one thing. When I decide to focus on art licensing, the children’s book ideas just start getting into my mind and then I find myself sketching book layout and writing a story. But then when I decide to focus just on children’s books ideas for art licensing, like postcards and wall art starting getting into my mind. And then I find myself making Fonts and painting autumn illustrations set. I just don’t know if there is such a thing as me being able to focus on one thing. I’m trying to discover if it is my curiosity or some kind of FOMO. And I’m also a little bit worried if this kind of approach will slow down my progress. 🙈
Thank you very much Marina! It’s good to hear that I’m not alone, but at the same time I know what a struggle it can be.
I think it’s demand avoidance for me. As soon as I feel a demand of some kind, and I don’t have anyone that holds me accountable, I’m off to do something else.☺️
It definitely slows me down, but I have accepted that this is the way I work. Then I at least feel less stressed about it.🤷🏼♀️
Interesting point of view, that it can be also about demand. I just love to feel freedom in my art practice, and because of that I can relate to this idea. 😯 And yes, accepting yourself for who you are is very important, thank you for reminding! 🫶❤️
Exactly, the freedom is what I love too. I always do best when I can explore and play freely without any expectations. As soon as a demand appears, it gets harder for me. I am trying to figure out how to solve this 😬.
Yeah, this is very interesting challenge to solve. I'm also curious about the answer, so I wish us both luck.🍀😌
Thank you Marina! Wish you the best of luck too! 🍀 If you find a solution, let me know.☺️
labai dėkoju , labai gražu, labai patiko
Really enjoyed the videos of the process!
And I relate to feeling the pull to focus and also the freedom to do other things.
Two things I’m currently finding helpful:
1. Approaching everything as experimentation. It takes the pressure off choosing the “right” thing or having to stay with one thing.
2. Having an “A Project” (my primary creative project and focus) and a “B Project”. The B Project (and this is also an experiment!) is ideally:
* a different medium than Project A
* something visual or tactile so I can do it when I’m low energy or zones
* something I want to explore (I think I may actually try carving thanks to you!)
Resonates so loudly,inspiring and encouraging . Love your work
That's really lovely to hear! Thank you Mary!
Very very beautiful!
Thank you very much Vilija!
I understand how curiosity pulls in many different directions, and how frustrating that can be sometimes! When I started my Substack in April I intended it to be an outlet for whatever had caught my attention at the time, but I wanted to post every week to make sure I was engaging with creativity in some way, not letting myself put it down for too long. Through that practice I've found that I really enjoy drawing a weekly comic and that's what's sparking me right now. But I never would have found it if not for keeping myself accountable and engaging with the awesome community here (including you!)
I'm happy that the weekly carving challenge is lighting you up! I'm not much into carving and printing at the moment, although my wife has been interested in learning for some time. Maybe we'll join you one of these days! 😁
Thank you Joshua! Accountability is really a key to get things done for me as well. It’s lovely that you have found your thing with your comics. It’s really nice to see. You could start carving and stamping recurring elements for your comics:-).