Thoughts Archives - Take a class

Posted on October 25, 2016February 15, 2017 by leesjordan

How to Find Your Artistic Style

Your world view and how you express it is your style. We edit out so many things subconsciously and make choices on what to and what not to create. What do you choose to create when you can choose? What moves you? All artists secretly long for an artistic style so different and unique from others they will be unmistakable. When I was in college, having an artistic style was a big source of anxiety. What if my work just looked like everyone else? How would I be different when we were all learning to do the same things? When you push yourself to experiment and grow every day, you will build your artistic style organically over time. Parents know this anticipation as babies grow. What will their personalities be like? They are revealed slowly, day by day.…

Posted on October 20, 2016February 15, 2017 by leesjordan

Draw Better Faster with Pencil Warmups

get better at drawing faster with warmups

Are you frustrated by your skill level? Feel like you’ve hit a wall? Do you feel dissatisfied with what you draw? Do you want to learn how to do better gradients or other techniques? Warming up with pencil drills can help you! Warm ups with pencils can help you: Become more skilled at drawing (people things whatever) Learn your tools inside and out Build muscle and hand/eye coordination Relax Focus your mind Check out this video on pencil warm ups (5 min 36 seconds) Practice doesn’t have to take a long time or be boring. Just a couple of minutes before you start drawing “for real” can help you mentally and physically prepare and grow your abilities. I like to start with circular marks to warm up my hand and fingers and reconnect my hand/eye coordination. Make the connection with…

Posted on May 24, 2015February 23, 2016 by leesjordan — 1 Comment

Planning a Successful Infographic

Infographics that look great are the norm. To really stand out, it takes more than cool graphics and an interesting layout. It all starts with the story. Here are five questions to ask yourself when planning an infographic. Who is the audience? What is the key thing you want people to know? The narrower the focus the better. When does the story take place? Is it about a future problem or something happening right now? Will putting a time/date on it create a sense of urgency? Does that contribute to the key message? How does existing data support your message? Where is the story set? (more…)