Honestly, try to close your eyes and really imagine. This is where my best characters have come from.
Martha Stewart’s ‘straightforward’ flower tip will create a statement in any home
We understand – winter homes are hard to energize. And it would seem Martha Stewart sympathizes, too. Consequently, the founder of her homecare empire has shared a refreshingly simple way to add color to your home throughout the bleakest months on the calendar.
While some floral trends can often feel timely, Martha’s tip is simple enough that it won’t fall out of fashion. However, despite its ease, its impact is unrivaled. All you need is a handful of big-petaled blooms (from either your garden or local nursery) and a selection of bud vases (the number is entirely up to you).
Plus, while these tips are timely (in that they are a perfect way to uplift your winter home), they will prolong long into the spring and summer. Here’s what the process involves.
‘In the dead of winter, as your garden sleeps, a fresh floral arrangement can return color and vibrancy to your home. And you don’t need professional-level floral skills to make an eye-catching vignette,’ Martha says. ‘Placing a few big-petaled blooms in bud vases and arranging them in the center of the table or on a console is straightforward but statement-making.’
The businesswoman adds that these ‘winter flowers’ are indisputably perfect for the season – but you can use the technique ‘all year long.’
Martha says that the art of decorating with flowers is accessible to all – and tablescape expert Alice Naylor-Leylan agrees. The stylist, who partnered with Funny How Flowers Do That, reinforces the simplicity of fresh flowers in bud vases – adding more ways to elevate your table further.
According to Alice, layering is one of the easiest ways to elevate your table flowers further. ‘Starting with my linens, I then build my tablescapes using the essential crockery, cutlery, and glassware and finally embellish with flowers, vases, candle ware, and lots of decorations,’ she says.
Plus, while we admit some fruits may feel more summery, Alice recommends incorporating fruit into your tablescape – suggesting they were seamlessly alongside the blooms. ‘I always use limes, lemons, and oranges to fill bowls. Depending on your theme, opt for fruits that help to elevate the tone,’ she adds.
While some of these fruits are synonymous with the sun, you can make a wintery set-up – they remain in demand year-round – and of course, they look good always.
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Problem: Issues with foreshortening and creating form
Drawing Quick Tip: The Coil
Sketching in coils helps you keep form in mind actively. It also helps you think about how different forms fit together and makes shading much easier because this technique forces you to understand the composition of your subject.
Perspective is also important here
Problem: Art Block / Have no idea what to draw
And three generators that randomize and come up with ideas for you!
- 219 ideas of awesome things to draw in 2019
- Reading interviews from other artists can be inspiring
Problem: Distraction and lack of focus when drawing
Here are some tricks I’ve learned that have helped me focus:
- Get your favorite beverage on hand, and eat a snack if you need it before you start. If you start thinking about food in the middle of your task, you’re likely to stray away, at least if you’re like me lol.
- A Put your phone in another room and block distracting sites either with will power or a self control app.
- Try Podoromo timing
This is a great method to ease yourself into work or any other activity that requires focus and no distractions. You do not even need an app, just a timer for 25 minutes (or whatever interval you choose). Once that’s over, take a 5 min break, and start again. If you are lucky, eventually, you won’t need the timer because you settle into a good flow.You can even extend the intervals gradually in a work session. Like, try 25/5 to start because it will be easier for you to stick to the system. Then do 35/5 or 45/5. And then you probably will get into things and be annoyed by timers and just work. 4. Reward yourself for focusing on an intermittent basis. That means take eat a snack, go exercise, pet your dog, etc. Be sure that your breaks turn into hours though lol. 5. Use background noise. Maybe that means heading to a coffee shop or library. Maybe it means some music! At times, I think music is kinda distracting. At that point, I switch over to pink noise/ nature sounds(https://mynoise.net)
Problem: I lack a style and do not know what direction I want to take my art in
I wrote a guide on how to find and develop artistic style. First things first, I don’t think forcing a style is really that productive. The process of drawing more lends itself t identifying the styles and techniques you like.
Sometimes it’s pretty hard to develop your eye for seeing, or drawing more accurately from life/reference. Here’s a few tips and an exercise to help you out!
Here’s a preview of the article:
My general tips as of now are:
- look at negative space, those shapes are surprisingly helpful
- look back and forth from reference and try to spot your errors
- flip reference upside down if it’s a pic you can turn over.
- first establish big shapes, then break it down into more simple forms. Helps avoid huge errors in perspective and form,
- Have an idea of the proportions of the subject you’re drawing to make life easier so you know what you need to double check when you measure something.
- Try to guess first, then measure if needed. This helps you train your intuition and not mindlessly copy.
First of all, draw for yourself before drawing for others.
Art as a business means that numbers matter, but do not let the numbers define you. You are more than likes/followers. Sometimes, you might benefit from taking a social media break, especially if you just do art as a hobby.
Anyways, when you are trying to do art for a living, social media is often a really important component of business.
Problem: Lack of artist networking
https://artres.xyz/artist-index/ promote yourself here and or join the Discord Channel by clicking on this invite link.
This list will grow as I curate more articles and read your responses.
Hope you found something useful here! Please consider sharing this article with your friends!
