1. 'An artist is only as big as his mind'. This stroke of genius came from the lips of Jack Shadbolt. Interestingly, though many perceive art as a non-cognitive process the quality of what I draw is permeated by my own understanding. The more I 'know' an object the better I can draw it, and ironically the more it becomes mine. Let's face it, I can't shut off my knowing any more than I can walk around with my eyes closed, and I've got some bruised shins to prove that I'm not very good at that. Short of lapsing into a prolonged slumber and never waking up again, the solution I have come to is draw draw draw! I wanted to share the following items that I read on the teeteringbulb blog. I am recording these for me to re-read again and again, but I thought you might find them useful too:
    • You learn to draw by drawing.
    • People that are better than you are just better than you because they’ve had more practice.
    • Draw VERBS, not nouns. – Walt Stanchfield
    • Turn everything you paint to greyscale (digitally). If it looks like a grey soup, you messed up.
    • If you’re not sure what good values look like, look at screen stills from B/W movies, like Citizen Kane.
    • You learn to draw by drawing.
    • 50 bad illustrations might yield one good one. You learn to draw by drawing.
    • Sometimes you gotta draw it 6 or 7 times.
    • Use sharp edges for only important things, practice hierarchy and contrast. Have a focal point.
    • If you’re going to give someone a jewel, don’t surround it with shiny things. – Paul Hudson
    • Saturate your eyes and brain with work that is better than what you can do. Then put it all away and start working.
    • Progress, not Perfection.
    • Schedule time to utterly fail. – Iain McCaig
    • Take reference, it’s easier that way. Don’t make stuff up if you don’t have to. If it doesn’t exist, figure out how to take a picture of it anyway. Use cardboard, clay, macaroni… doesn’t matter.
    • Doubt can only be removed by ACTION. – Goethe
    • Use the best materials you can possibly afford. You’re already fighting a battle. Don’t fight the materials. Find pencils/brushes/paper that feel good.
    • Does it work in greyscale? Does it work at postage-stamp size? Does it work reversed? Upside down?
    • Do what you love, other people will love it too.
    4

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About Me
About Me
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Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
I am a Canadian author/illustrator of fiction and non-fiction for both trade and educational publishers in Canada, the US, and abroad. I have written 4 trade books for Orca books, illustrated and written over 2 dozen picture books and am coauthor/illustrator of an environmental middle-grade fiction series for Harper Collins Children's Books in India. Email: steve@stephenaitken.com
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  • "Just Grace" Illustrator Sharon Lane Holm and Author Kathleen Bookbinder display the cover of their book "Just Grace". A collaboration that was created in support of t...

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PUBLISHED BOOKS
PUBLISHED BOOKS
PUBLISHED BOOKS
Sonu & the Metal Elephant
What a Tree Has Seen
What a Tree Has Seen
What a Tree Has Seen
Santillana USA
The Ice Berries
The Ice Berries
The Ice Berries
Puffin Book of Bedtime Stories
The Mountain that Loved a Bird
The Mountain that Loved a Bird
The Mountain that Loved a Bird
Tulika Books
The Mountain that Loved a Bird (Chinese Edition)
The Mountain that Loved a Bird (Chinese Edition)
The Mountain that Loved a Bird (Chinese Edition)
Hunan Juvenile and Children's Publishers
Rat Race
Rat Race
Rat Race
Zaner Bloser
The Pond
The Pond
The Pond
SRA McGraw Hill
The Everything Tarot Book
The Everything Tarot Book
The Everything Tarot Book
Adam's Media
Norse Wisdom Cards
Norse Wisdom Cards
Let's Learn Hindi
Let's Learn Hindi
Let's Learn Hindi
Sterling Publishers
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