draw what you feel. if you feel angry drew something angry or pool your emotions into the drawing.

Whatever you think id what you think. Don't let anyone try to change your artistic vision. If you are driven and motivated, you will be sucessful without other people. People can think what they want, but it can't change what you do with your art.

Question: Doesn't the 100lb bristol suck up a lot of the marker ink, or get blotchy on you? Answer: Bristol soaks up a good amount of marker, but not as much as you may think. As far as blotches it varies on how fast your applying the marker. Quickness makes for a smooth transition also working from light to dark. A fresh new marker also has more fluid which may spread, but doesn't become an issue after a few uses. I also like to outline my drawings which helps to retain the image better.

This book has been VERY beneficial to me. It's from the guy who draws for Mad Magazine and it's the best how to draw caricatures book out there... http://www.deadlinedemon.com/

So i found that certain markers of the premiere markers can give you a fabric effect. For instance any dark dark color, expeically the browns can give you the look of leather. Use the large side and just quickly color over it a few times as you color. Also, the lightest oclors like the yellows can have a fading effect.

Okay so i know a lot of you are youngish like me i am 14. and just a few years ago i thought that i wanted to be an artist. i really didnt try all that hard to get better, i figured oh somday ill just get really good. (i was already a little bit talented and saw things in a different way like an artist should but just could not capture what i was seeing with my eyes). i didnt improve much, until i started taking action! i would try to draw realistic things more and drew and drew and drew a 2 years later i still need practice, but just look at my paintings! even in the matter of a few months i have inproved so much!!! serioudly look at my gallery from oldest to newest. and all that came with was practice (not even lessons) so dont give up!

I've been drawing for the past 25 years, had art lessons, graduated from art school, all that. So I feel like I've paid my dues. If you're drawing a landscape, by all means freehand it, but if you want it to be exact and look exactly like a specific person, use a stencil. I print my image out to the size of the canvas and apply a substantial layer of graphite, tape the image down for placement, and do some basic reference outlines. The reference marks keep me aligned to scale and proportion which is the most difficult part so I can then concentrate on the shading, expression, and texture. There is some leeway with erasing and moving things but this cuts down substantially on mess-ups and frustration.

The pre-treat that comes on most canvases will gradually soak up into your markers and they'll stop up. You can remedy this by having a scrap piece of paper nearby to rub the marker on when you notice it happening. Eventually it won't unstop so I keep a razor handy and gently carve off the least bit possible where it's soaked in and voila - it's like a brand new marker again! If you prefer, for larger areas you can even slice it horizontally and give the marker a flat, round area. And when the tips are totally gone, try pulling out the end and snapping the marker open to get to the inside, slitting up the plastic wrapped edge, and using it like a paint brush. It goes quickly at that point but can really smooth out a background.

A few years ago I began doing custom Chuck Taylor shoes with Prismacolor markers and loved how much control it gave me so I tried it on canvas on a larger scale and lo and behold... it became my preferred medium. I went on to win the "Best of Knoxville" award from our local paper, the Metro Pulse, for the past two years and want to share it with you! More to come...

what is the best type of 'canvas' or paper to use for final colored pencil pieces? Thanks!