FAQs

Leilani Joy's Frequently Asked Questions!

Hey there NuVoguers! Welcome to my frequently asked questions! Thanks for stopping by! I'll continue to update this entry as I answer new FAQs. 

xoxo L

Q: What materials/brands do you use for creating your artwork?

A: I use a variety of materials in creating my artwork and I'm always looking to experiment with new ones. Mostly I use Liquetex, Utrecht, and Windsor Newton acrylic paints and Windsor Newtown watercolors. People often ask about the brands of my materials- however I'm not exclusive to any one brand. I often buy what's on sale. With that said, some brands ARE better than others, however I don't believe brands make better artists. My brand of pencils, sketchbook, and ink have little effect on my style of drawing. I encourage all my fellow artists to experiment and find what works best for themselves. For a full explanation of my materials, check out my Tools of the Trade Video: 

Q: Why do you only paint girls? Why not men? Or animals etc?

A. Artists tend to paint what inspires them and I am inspired by female characters and the female form. My artwork is also a business for me, and early on I found that portraits of males did not sell as well as my females. I often do men/boys in my freelance work and have done some for fashion illustrations as well. I don't generally paint males for the same reason I don't paint landscapes, pet portraits, or still lifes- It just isn't my thing. However, I'm always up for a challenge so if you are interested in commissioning a boy painting, I'd be happy to take on the task! ^___^

Q: I have an idea for your next piece on Art NuVogue! Will you do it for me?

A: Unfortunately I'm unable to take on uncommissioned requests. It would simply be impossible for me to meet them all :-( However if you're interested in commissioning a custom piece I would be happy to give you more information on that. I have my rates on my website, www.LeilaniJoy.com or you can email Sales@LeilaniJoy.com

Q: Is it ok if I paint my own copies of your work?

A: You are welcome to do fan art or pay tribute to my style, I only ask that it be for entertainment only (none of my work may be reproduced with intent to be sold or distributed) and ALSO that you fully credit my ideas, characters, and style by having my name clearly visible wherever you post your inspired works. Anything outside of this would be a violation of my copyrights. It's always flattering when another artist requests to emulate me, but I strongly encourage all new artists to embrace what makes them unique and to always strive for authenticity and originality. If there is already an artist out there doing something, find a way to be different from them while still being inspired. 

Q: Most of your work is stylized or "cartoony" is it because you can't do realism? Will you ever do anything more realistic?

A: I have a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Academy of Art University- I don't think they would have let me skate by doing anime/manga/fashion illustration style paintings. Just because I choose to work in a style that makes me happy does not mean I CAN'T or HAVE NOT worked in various styles and techniques. In fact most of my college work is a variety of photo realistic drawings, paintings and even sculptures. I have been classically trained in the techniques of the "masters" and studied form, composition, chiaroscuro, perspective, figure drawing and sculpting, anatomy, color theory, still life painting, fine art portraiture etc. I have painted a variety of subject matters and with a variety of tools. At this point in my career though I'm more interested in exploring my own unique personal style of illustration than refining my realistic rendering skills. '

Q: I'm an aspiring artist! Will you please critique my work and/or portfolio?

A: I am always incredibly flattered to hear I've inspired other artists and I sincerely wish I could critique and mentor all those who message me, but unfortunately I often receive hundreds of emails requesting art critiques that I simply can't get to them all. Because of this.... I am putting together an online class so that I can interact with students and offer my time to critique and help others. Please stay tuned for news on my online art courses! I hope to be launching them soon and providing all my fans and fellow artists with a place to learn and improve their own work!

Q: I suffer from artist block and worry my art will turn out badly. How do you deal with this? 

 A. My best advice is to JUST DO IT. It’s sounds cliche- but you can’t succeed if you don’t even try, right? It’s true- you may do tons of pieces you hate at first but just keep going because for every piece you do (even if you hate it) YOU WILL learn something from it. You may say- “I don’t like the style of my drawing” or “I don’t like color scheme on this one” ….. So do it differently the next time! There is no reason you can’t do another piece, right? Finding your artistic style and getting into a creative “groove” takes a lot of trial and error, and often some blood, sweat and tears. Even well established artists struggle often and question themselves. I know I do- ALL THE TIME! I always strive to outdo myself on my next piece and I’m always looking to improve along the way. I hope you will too!

 Q: How do you get clear images of your paintings for prints? 

 A: For my paintings that are smaller than 11x17” I scan them myself using a Brother scanner. I scan them at 400 to 600 dpi and color correct them using Photoshop. For larger paintings I work with a professional photographer who photographs the paintings in their studio to get a high quality image for prints. There are probably services in your area that offer this if you do some research.

 Q: Where do you get your prints made and how do I do it? 

 A: This is one of my MOST commonly asked questions, yet it requires some research on your part. All artists prefer different qualities in their prints- paper types and textures, sizes, color quality, finishes (matte, glossy, satin, etc). I work with a local printer in my area because I prefer to see and touch the product before selling it. I'm very particular about my colors being correct and accurate. You may wish to experiment with online printers, but I prefer to work with real people that understand their services and products. It will be up to you to decide what works best with your individual art work. For packaging my prints I use a few great sources- one is http://www.clearbags.com/ and the other is http://www.framedestination.com/ Both companies offer great products and everything you need to professionally pack your prints. I'm not a fan of rolling prints in tubes, as I think it damages the print and makes it difficult to frame- so all my prints are supported on foam core and protected in clear bags.

Artist Spotlight Interview

Hi guys! I thought I'd share my interview with Art Vibes on Tumblr:  http://artvibes.tumblr.com/featured Thank you Rockie Mercado for the interview!

Artist Bio:

• Name: Leilani Joy
• Age: 28
• Site: www.LeilaniJoy.com
• Brief description of your art background: Lifelong doodler. AA in Applied Art and Design from Sierra College and a BA in Fine Art: Illustration from the Academy of Art University, San Francisco.
• Tools of the trade: Acrylic, Watercolor, Ink, Collage and sometimes Photoshop CS5

General Questions:

1. Do you prefer traditional, digital, or both? Depends on the look I want and the result I want- however I’m a traditionalist at heart. I like to able to touch and hold my final piece of artwork. However digital medias have a great way of speeding up some traditional processes which is great for tight deadlines. Even when I do digital work however, I still want the final piece to look like it was done traditionally. I’m not a big fan of super airbrushed “digital” looking work.
2. What’s your favorite tool right now? I would have to say my hands…. Weird as that sounds! I like to actually get some of the paint or ink on my hands and use my fingers to apply the pigment. I love the idea of my actual fingerprints being hidden in my work. It’s like a secret I have with the final piece- like a hidden signature.
3. How would you describe your current style? My style is influenced by many different sources from – anime and manga, to fashion illustration, Art Nouveau, and abstract and surreal art. Currently, I love exploring the use of figurative work combined with organic and graphic shapes.
4. What do you think you draw well? Depends on the day! I have days where the work just flows naturally and I love every minute of it and I’m able create something that looks even better than it did in my head. However other days it’s the exact opposite; I struggle, and hate every drawing I do. I do think I have the core skills- which I’m grateful for, and owe to my formal art education, but there are still days when I just can’t get the result I want.
5. What do you need to work on? Time management is big one for me. I often have MANY irons in the fire and get overwhelmed by balancing my commissions, fine art, emails, and art business. I could definitely improve on scheduling and managing my time efficiently to cut back on stress and wasted time.
6. Who is an artist you admire? Oh there are SO many! Camilla d’Errico is big one for me- not only for her amazingly beautiful work but also her incredible tenacity and ability to brand herself and market her work. I’m also very inspired by Erte, Alphonse Mucha, David Downton, Stella Im Hultberg, Stina Persson and CLAMP.
7. What inspires you? Anything and everything honestly! I never know exactly where it’s going to come from. Sometimes it’s song or film I saw or sometimes I dream I had. Many of my pieces are inspired by existing characters that I want to do in my own style, like Alice in Wonderland or Madame Butterfly. I’m also inspired by (or perhaps obsessed with) Rorschach ink blot tests. I love seeing something in them and working them into my pieces. Someone recently referred to my characters as “Ink Blot Girls” and I totally love that description so I’m thinking of calling my character’s Leilani’s Ink Blot Girls!
8. How often do you draw? I wish I could ever day- but part of the trade off of running my own business is also doing all the not so fun business stuff. I’m working on balancing it a bit more though so I get to do more drawing and creating and less paperwork.
9. What medium do you work in most? I switch back and forth between Acrylics and watercolors. I love them both so much I can’t commit 100% to either one. It depends on the kind of piece I’m doing. If I want a more developed full painting then I go with the acrylics but if I just want to so something quick and more conceptual and expressive I may go with the watercolors.
10. What medium do you want to try? I’m open to try anything! I have tried many mediums from gouache to scratch board and even sculpture… but I’ve always been curious about water soluble oil paints. There are a lot of great perks to oil paint and I love the luminosity and blending ability of them- however I hate using them because they smell toxic and I’m not a fan of using turpentine and other chemicals. It’s also messy and takes forever to dry. I’ve heard that water soluble oil paints have perks of both acrylic and oil so I’ve always been curious to try them.
11. Have you ever sold your work? Yep! I make my living selling my work.
12. How often do you buy art supplies? Depends. I probably replenish a few supplies a month. I’m kind of abusive to my paint brushes- which I know it terrible…. So I do have to replace them somewhat often.
13. How much do you typically spend on art supplies? Again, it depends. It’s different every time depending on what I need.
14. What kind of art classes have you taken (if any)? Way too many to list- but if I had to generalize…. Somewhere around 7 or 8 figure/anatomy/portrait drawing classes, still life painting, figure painting, portrait painting, digital painting, figure sculpting, color theory, design principles, 5 or 6 classes on Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, Corel Painter, and Flash. I’ve taken 4 or more classes in illustration and also comic book art and inking. I’ve also taken some web design, and classes on portfolio development and art marketing, AND of course 3 years of Art history. PHEW! I’m exhausted just trying to remember all these!
15. What’s your most used color? I’m probably a little more partial to blues, greens, and violets, but honestly I love all colors and use all of them regularly.
16. What’s your least used color? Since I work with a lot of vibrant, pure colors I suppose I would say I’m not real big on earth tones, and browns but I think they can be beautiful in the work of other artists. I think Audrey Kawasaki is a master of earth tones and muted palettes.
17. What style(s) of art do you dislike? Hmmm…. Touchy question…. Especially since I wouldn’t want to insult anyone… I suppose if I had to answer though I would say I’m not a big fan of super rendered “shiny” fantasy art- Like overly digital huge breasted plastic looking females and greased up bulging muscled dudes. Not a big fan of that stuff…Ha!
18. Are there any specific things you do as part of your creative process? I definitely have a process- I think it comes across pretty well in my videos. I usually come up with a concept and then do some research and development. Sometimes I draw first- so I don’t get too influenced by my research, but other times I need some inspiration to get started. If I have a pose in mind- many times I shoot my own reference since it’s often too hard to randomly find a photo with the pose you have in mind. From there sometimes I’ll do some super rough thumbnail sketches before doing a more developed sketch. Next I’ll take my sketch and do some color samples in Photoshop before I start the final painting.
19. What’s your favorite thing about being an artist? My favorite part of being an artist is having the ability to create something that has never existed before. I’ve always been very enthralled with that concept- That I can actually make something from my own imagination and share it with others. Growing up, art was always my escape. I could create worlds, characters, and stories in my own head and make them real. It’s incredibly rewarding to make a living doing what I love, and sharing my passion with others that like what I do. There is nothing more rewarding then meeting a customer or fan at a show and having them tell me that’s I’ve inspired them somehow and that they love my work and display in their home. It’s awesome!
20. What’s your least favorite thing about being an artist? I can be my own worst enemy and harshest critic when it comes to my work. I can’t say I suffer with artist’s block too often- on the contrary I usually have more ideas than I could paint in 5 lifetimes, but I do find that 99% of the time my paintings don’t look as I envisioned them in my head. On a rare occasion they turn out better than I planned, but for the most part every painting goes through a “struggle” stage, where I consider scraping it altogether. I have to force myself through this awkward stage, and most the time I’m quite happy that I did. I think I’m coming to an acceptance that all paintings must go through this “ugly” stage and with some patience and perseverance it will turn out in the end, and if not? I can always do another one!
21. How long do you typically spend on each piece? This depends on many factors- size of painting, amount of details and different elements, medium etc. Some smaller pieces I can do in a day or two- other more developed and complicated pieces take several weeks to over a month.
22. How attached are you to your art (do you have a hard time giving it away or selling it?) I was a lot more attached when I first started out- but now that I sell my pieces so often I really don’t get too attached. I’m very happy when a piece finds a new owner. With the ability to make high quality prints and canvas reproductions- I can always make myself another copy if it’s a piece I’m really attached to. I’ve always been eager to make a career selling my art so I’ve always welcomed having my work purchased.
23. Do you want a career in art? If so, what? I have one. ^__^ I’d like to call myself a hybrid between a fine artist, illustrator and business owner. It definitely has it’s pros and cons, but I feel so fortunate to be doing what I’ve always wanted to do!

Do you have any tips/secrets to share? 

My advice is to follow these three simple steps-

1. Get Educated! In my opinion art education is a must. Indeed, there are a select few that are very successful being “self-taught,” however I strongly believe that classical training and learning from those who have mastered the craft will enhance your natural talent and make you more competitive professionally. Many community colleges offer affordable art classes and online classes are becoming more accessible and are also more affordable options that formal art schools. I’m constantly re-educating myself even post college and I think this is a must! Never be satisfied where you are right now- strive to make every piece you do better than the last!

2. Work harder than you thought possible! Be prepared to give up your evenings watching TV, and many of your weekends. Being a professional artist is more than a full time job, it’s a way of life. I’m pretty much a one woman show at the moment. I do all the paintings, do all the shipping, maintain all my websites and social networks, and run my art store business. Before I was able to do art full time, I was working two jobs and painting late at night and on weekends to get my business started. I’m willing to devote myself 100% because I feel so passionately about my artwork.

3. Be yourself and Don’t give up! It may sound cliché- but determination will always give you an edge over other artists, even if they are considered to be more “talented.” One of my instructors once said that being a successful artist is “10% talent and 90% tenacity.” I strongly believe in these words. You should always strive to improve your craft, but never try to be someone you’re not. You won’t get far trying to ride the coat tails of another artist and simply copying what they do. Being a successful artist is more about finding and embracing your own unique style than out doing someone else. So stay true to you, throw in lots and lots of hard work and you will find success!

My pieces:

"Alice" and "The Mad Hattress" Acrylic and 3D Mixed Media on Panel. 2011. These two pieces are my interpretation of the beloved characters from Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland. I've always been in love with story and Disney film. The concept of dream world where anything is possible has always been an intriguing concept to me. I think some form of "Alice" comes through in many of my pieces.

"Flora" and "Fauna" Acrylic and Mixed Media collage on canvas. 2012. These two pieces are personal favorites of mine. I purchased these two elongated canvases at a “buy one get one free” sale at the art store and decided I wanted to do a diptych that complemented each other. It was a beautiful spring day and I set up to paint outside- suddenly I was inspired by the idea of doing my depiction of the roman goddesses of flowers and animals. I did some very quick sketches before I started did limited research for references. I did a more direct painting technique than I usually do and I was very pleased with the results. From start to completion these two pieces probably took 2 to 3 weeks to finish.

“Tempest” Acrylic and mixed media on masonite. 2012. Tempest was one of those very quick paintings that I didn’t do any preliminary sketches of before I started. I usually do several sketches and drawings before starting to paint- but on this particular day I just wanted to paint directly and see what happened. I painted “Tempest” in about two 3 hour sittings and I was delighted with the result. Though it’s a simple profile portrait- I was very pleased with the expressiveness of the piece and the inspiration of mermaids and fairies. Tempest continues to be one of my best selling prints.

"Spectra," Watercolor, Ink and Digital. 2010. This piece is also one of my favorite pieces. She came to me in a dream. I dreamed that I saw a girl with huge rainbow hair riding a horse and the hair was blowing wildly. I woke up and I just had to create her. I love the piece because it has a quiet thoughtfulness while also being extremely loud. Something about her just always makes me smile.

“Soleil” Watercolor and Ink. 2013. This piece was inspired by a character that I created for an art contest that I held for my fans. I wrote three different character descriptions and challenged my fans to create their own versions of my characters. After seeing all the inspiring entries I decided it was only right to rise to my own challenge and create my versions of the characters. My version of Soleil was inspired by monarch butterflies and I’m quite pleased with the simplicity of this piece and her coy expression. 

33 Ways to Stay Creative

I really love this list! I practice many of these quite often. How about you? Feel free to comment below with your favorite ways to stay creative!

Art and Copyright

Hi Guys!

I get a ton of questions about how copyrights work in regards to art and whether or not you need to purchase a legal copyright for each piece that you do. To answer some of these FAQs I've found a great Q&A by Anastasia Winslow. Winslow is an intellectual property attorney in Princeton, NJ, where she practices patent and copyright law. She also is an adjunct professor of copyright and patent law at Seton Hall University School of Law in Newark, NJ. Q.

What do I have to do to get copyrights in my artwork?

 A. Basically nothing. Under the copyright law, an artist is protected as soon as his or her original work is "fixated in a tangible medium," that means, as soon as the brush hits the canvas. The basic requirement for obtaining copyrights is originality. An artist can only get copyrights in his or her original expression, i.e., that which originates from the artist and is not copied from someone or something else

 Q. Do I need to get approval from the Copyright Office to protect my work? 

 A. No, not unless you are filing a lawsuit. You need to get a copyright registration certificate if you want to sue someone for copyright infringement. It is not necessary before that, although it is advisable. Certain legal rights can be lost if a registration certificate is not obtained within three months of the first publication of your work. For example, you could lose the right to recover attorneys’ fees in an infringement case, or to recover statutory damages that occurred before a registration certificate was obtained.

 Q. Is it a complicated process to get a copyright registration certificate? 

 A. No. It’s actually rather simple. It basically involves filling out a two-page form and sending the form to the Copyright Office with $20.00 and three copies of your work. If you call the Copyright Office, they will send you forms to fill out along with a step-by-step "how to" instruction booklet.

 Q. Is my work protected if I put it in a magazine or on the Internet? 

 A. Theoretically, yes. Increasing the circulation of your work legally does not erode your copyrights. It does not mean someone is more entitled to copy your work. In fact, one could say it increases your rights. To sue someone for copyright infringement, you could prove an accused person copied your work by showing (1) a substantial similarity between your work and theirs and (2) access to your work. An increased circulation of your work, through the Internet or otherwise, could make it easier for you to prove access. On the other hand, from a practical point of view, publicizing your work makes it more available to others to copy it without your knowledge. This means your copyrights may be violated, and if you do not know about it, there’s really not anything you can do — until you find out. So as a bottom line, whether you want to place your work on the Internet or in other publications depends on your own views about how much control you personally want to maintain over who sees your work. 

Q. When I sell my work, does the buyer have the right to copy it or take and sell photos or prints of it? 

A. No. Selling a painting, sculpture, or other artwork is a sale of the object only. The sale does not convey copyrights, unless you specifically agree to do that. This means the person who buys your work has no right to make copies of your work or even to adapt it into another form. For example, the buyer of a painting cannot photograph your work or make posters of it and sell the photos or the posters. The buyer of a sculpture cannot copy it to make molded versions of the sculpture, whether they be simulations or plastic, miniaturized versions of the sculpture. Only you as owner and author of the copyrights can do that. You do not need a contract with the buyers to retain these rights. And if you find that one of your buyers has reproduced or adapted your work without your permission, you are entitled to sue him or her for copyright infringement.

(Q&A above from http://www.slowart.com/articles/copy.htm)

Q. I've heard that I can protect my work by mailing myself a copy of my artwork and saving the sealed/postmarked envelope in case of a lawsuit- at which time I could prove when I created the original artwork. Is this true?

A. (According to Jonathan Bailey of www.plagiarismtoday.com)
Unfortunatly, no. This is the called the Myth Of Poor Man's Copyright (PMC).What is Poor Man's Copyright? The idea is simple. You create a work, be it a written piece, a photograph, a drawing or a CD, and decide that you can't afford or don't want to pay the U.S. Copyright Office fees to register your work formally. So, rather than send your work to Uncle Sam, you put it in a nice, shiny envelope and mail it to yourself. Upon its return it has both your name and a nice date stamp, proof positive that the work belonged to you on that date and was created before that. You spend less than a dollar and get proof positive of both the date the work was created and who the owner is. All you have to do is keep the envelope in a safe place and never open it up. The theory from there goes as follows. In the event of a later copyright dispute, you take this sealed envelope with you to court and open it up in front of the jurors, judge and gallery proving that the work is yours. One hopes that there is no way they can lose a copyright case with such solid evidence on their side. The problems start early for PMC. Simply placing a work into an envelope and mailing it to yourself does not prove ownership. You sign no forms, make no statements and offer no proof of creation. People mail things that they do not hold the copyright to all of the time and the courts know that. Second, envelopes can be steamed open and postmarks can be smudged, altered or unreadable. While you can mitigate those by sending the document special delivery, which offers better sealing envelopes and clearer postmarks, it is more expensive and likely can't be done from home. Then, in the courtroom, things don't get any better. First off, the court room will not be a federal one, but a state one. Since you didn't register your work, you can not sue in federal court and, thus, will only be eligible to receive either the amount the infringement made or the amount you lost, whichever is greater. Sadly, in many, if not most, copyright matters that amount is equal to exactly zero. If you want to protect your works, there is simply no substitute for the U.S. Copyright Office.

To read the full article on The Poor Man's Copyright myth, you can find it here: http://www.plagiarismtoday.com/2006/08/25/the-myth-of-poor-mans-copyright/


A few other things to consider... 

1. When posting work online- never upload a high resolution file. In other words don't post images that are large enough (or high quality enough) for someone to download, print, and sell. If the image gets pixelated (blurry) when they try to print it it will deter reproduction.

2. Use watermarks on your artwork when posted online. A watermark is a faint design or signature that is visible on the artwork and typically identifies the maker.  Here are some good examples of watermarked images:

A watermarked stock image from Deposit Photos

My "Alice" piece with a watermark

Jasmine Becket-Griffith always watermarks her works

For more information about copyrights and how to copyright your work here are some useful links:   US Copyright Office : http://www.copyright.gov/
Artist's Rights Society: http://www.arsny.com/basics.html
Plagiarism Today: http://www.plagiarismtoday.com/

In conclusion- with the internet today and things like photoshop it's pretty difficult to protect yourself 100%, however that is the risk we must take to share our art with the world. With that said- there are some tricks to keeping your art safer. Hope this helps! xoxo L

Artist Interview with Nancy V.

Hey guys! I recently did a student interview with a young aspiring artist and I thought I'd share the Q&A with you! Thanks to Nancy who contacted me for her school assignment- hope this helped! xoxo L.

1) Was your style of art always like this? And how was it developed through time? 

I'm not sure I even had a style until somewhat recently... at least not one I was aware of. Before art school I mostly copied the anime and manga I liked, such as "Sailor Moon." I drew hundreds of those! Haha. In art school they basically train you NOT to have a style unless it's that of the masters- or Norman Rockwell. It wasn't until my last semester at the Academy that I had any real direction at all. I went and saw a live presentation by David Downton, a prominent and accomplished fashion illustrator, and for the first time realized that there might be some work out there for someone who enjoyed drawing pretty stylized women. When I graduated I was pretty lost and confused as to where to go and what to do. I had a portfolio of mismatched pieces- from oil paintings of realistic portraits to some more illustrative digital work. Shortly there I after I began my video art blog, "Art NuVogue," in hopes of sharing my "style experiments" and discovering myself artistically- some 70 episodes later I think I've finally started to hit my stride.

 2) Do you think that art should be/can be 'graded' and 'marked' on a scale of good or bad? 

Art should never be graded on a scale of "good or bad," but I do think art education is important and the classical techniques for composition, color theory and design are vital. Critique is very important if you want to grow and improve as an artist- that requires an instructor to tell you what needs to be improved upon. Sometimes it's difficult to tell "what went wrong" in your own work, so getting advice and guidance from a good teacher is very important if you want to become a better artist. With that said, I don't think art is as much of a talent as it is a skill. Most successful or "good" artists are that way because they practice ALOT and enjoy doing so.

 3) Were you ever repressed and told that what you're doing is 'wrong'? And how did you deal with that? 

 I can't say that I was. I've been drawing since as long as I can remember and my parents were extremely supportive of my passion and always believed I could do anything I wanted to do if I put in the hard work. I have had my fair share of "critics" along the way- many people don't believe it's possible for an artist to earn a living- which is very naive, but they still like to judge.

 4) If you are a magician, with unlimited power and anything is possible, what would you make/do? 

Wow- big question. Not totally sure- World Peace I guess? So many people suffer constantly in the world and I would like to somehow put a stop to that. Everyone deserves some happiness.

 5) Is there an exciting project that you are currently working on?

How was the idea started and what is its purpose? I constantly have about a million projects in my head I want to do- but currently I have a few that should actually come to be! I'm in the brainstorming phase of preparing for a new exhibition- I was contacted by a gallery that would like to host some of my work so I'm sketching new ideas for paintings and hope to get them started soon! I'm also very excited about launching some online art courses so I can start working one on one with fans and students who want to learn more about art and illustration!

 6) What does the future look like for the art industry? Do you see much change? Or do you hope for something to change/happen (such as jobs or how people are involved in the arts)?

 I can't say what the future looks like - but right now it's actually a great time for artists. With the incredible invention of the internet and social networking there are more ways than ever before for artists to get exposure and work without ever stepping into a gallery with a cumbersome art portfolio full of original paintings. It's a wonderful time for the DIY artists who can launch their own online stores with places like Etsy, self publish their own books and comics, and even stream live video of their painting process. The corporate art world is also very exciting and lucrative right now. With the huge surge in mobile and online games there is a ton full time and freelance work for artists and designers.

 7) And lastly, if art is a journey, and you have just finished it, what do you hope to have achieved?

 Well, I like to think an artists work is never "finished." I hope to be holding a paint brush till my last breath and I keel over! Ha! But honestly all I hope to achieve in my journey is to enjoy my work along the way, create a few pieces that I'm proud of, and help educate others along the way.

Collaboration Contest: 1st Place Winner!

1st Place Winner: Candace McKay's "Sashi and Yue." 

 I chose Candace's piece as my 1st place winner because not only is the image instantly stunning but her creativity and attention to detail kept me starring at it. Her character and mine seem to blend together seamlessly yet she stayed true to her own unique painting style. The amount of time and effort put into this work is inspiring and definitely worthy of the first place slot! Fantastic job Candace!

Collaboration Contest: 2nd Place Winner!

And the 2nd place winner is... 

Alex (Alejandro)

I chose Alex's "Sashi" piece as my 2nd place winner because of his amazingly unique idea and beautiful execution. He was inspired by sirens, masks, mythology. He really thought outside the box and I feel like she could be some exotic creature from Guillermo del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth. At only 16, Alex's incredible natural talent is undeniable! Gran Trabajo Alex!