by Lee | Feb 4, 2017 | Blog, Featured, News
Part 2 – Your Environment In the previous post (How To Break Creative Block Pt 1) we covered exercises, best practices, and materials to help you fight off creative block. Today I want to cover the place where you create. Whether it’s a studio, a house, an apartment, or refrigerator box in the alley, the place you create should be a haven for creative growth. Ever walk into an art gallery or a beautiful place and suddenly want to draw? That’s called inspiration my friends, and it can be a great weapon against Creative Block. As a visually creative person, we tend to be a bit voyeuristic. We see something that makes our spirit click and then have this weird thing that happens; suddenly our heart is racing, blood is pumping, our hands may shake, body temperature may rise as well. Ancient Greeks compared it to ecstasy because it feels a lot like the rush you get from intense physical attraction or being in love. Your brain becomes hyper alert from the rush and forgets its skill level and sends the message to the rest of you, “I can do that. Let’s do that!”. Suddenly you’re in a creative fervor. This happens out in the world a lot but you need to do it at home or in the studio too. You need to grow inspiration, cultivate it, farm it. So how do you farm inspiration? It seems so random to most. Well, first thing you need to do is fix your environment. The place where you create should make you want to create. Think of it as Feng Shui...
by Lee | Jan 28, 2017 | Blog, Featured, News
Several nights a week, I stream art live from my studio on Twitch (www.twitch.tv/kohseart). There’s a chat room where viewers can interact with moderators and other viewers, talk smack, tell jokes, stories, or ask questions. A lot of artists tune in and ask questions about art, inspiration, how to stay motivated, how to improve, or post their own work on my Discord Channel to get critiques. I love teaching and I love passing on what I’ve learned over the years to other artists. I especially love seeing what those artists do with that knowledge. With that in mind, I thought it would be a good idea to start writing down some of the more frequently asked questions and their answers here so anyone can find it. Today’s topic: How to Break Creative Block. The idea of creative block is foreign to me. Not because I have some gland overfilled with creative hormones oozing out of every pore (although that would give me something to blame if I suddenly discover I’m in need of a shower. “Oh, don’t mind the smell. Inspiration just hit!”). Creative block is a foreign concept because I never stop creating. If I’m not drawing, I’m painting. If I’m not painting, I’m writing. If I can’t do any of that, I’m thinking about doing those things. If you want to be a creator, you need to create, and you need to keep creating. If you’ve ever hit a creative wall, you probably just made a snorting noise. So let’s start at the beginning. You suck. You’re looking at a blank sheet of paper...
by Lee | Jan 19, 2017 | Blog, Featured, News, Star Wars Art, Traditional
Officially announced yesterday, I will be one of the official Star Wars artists participating in the Star Wars Celebration Orlando Art Show! I’m not allowed to show the art I have been working on until it’s been officially revealed on www.StarWars.com but if you are interested in the creative process, I wrote a blog about my work for Star Wars Celebration Anaheim in 2015 that you can read here. You can also watch me work on Star Wars and other projects live on my Twitch Channel: www.twitch.tv/kohseart 3-5 nights a week. Until such time as I can reveal my latest official Star Wars Art, here are a couple of pieces I have in the studio I did for Lucasfilm. See you guys at Celebration Orlando in...
by Lee | Nov 11, 2012 | Featured, News
Its time again for my annual commission marathon. Starting Saturday, December 1st, I will cram in as many commissions as I can and complete them all live via webcam that weekend. Information to get on the list is posted below. All commissions will be mailed out the following Monday using Priority Mail so you can get them in time for Christmas. – $10 Head Sketches. 4.5×6.5 colored cardstock sketch. You MUST order a minimum of THREE $10 sketches. 3 Slots (so I will do 9 $10 sketches total) add $5 S&H (2 SLOTS LEFT) – $50 Watercolor Mini Portrait. 5×7 Holbein Watercolors on Arches Watercolor paper. Limited special buy THREE, you get ONE FREE. Add S&H $7 4 slots open for 3+1 deal (2 SLOTS LEFT) 4 slots open for single piece. (3 Slots Left) Sample image shown right. – 11″ x 14″ Ink and Copic Bust. $50. No minimum order. First 2 people to Buy THREE, will get ONE FREE! Add S&H $8 2 slots open for 3+1 deal (1 Slot Left) 2 single slots open -11″ x 17″ Single Character Sketches $150 each, BUY TWO, Get ONE FREE! Add S&H $12 2 slot open for 2+1 deal 2 single slots open Optional: Add $50 for an additional character. -12″ x 18″ Full Color Watercolor, Single Character Torso Painting $200 each, Add S&H $15 2 slots open, Optional: Add $100 for full figure painting. ORDERS MUST BE IN BY WEDNESDAY Nov 28th. A schedule of the Commission order will be posted on this page at the bottom. I will be broadcasting live...
by Lee | Oct 23, 2010 | Featured
Every ComicCon, someone always manages to say “I wish I could do that”. Well, thanks to Photoshop Cafe’s digital art tutorial DVDs, now you can! Watch as I go through the key steps and techniques I use to create digital art, incorporate tradition painting disciplines in a digital environment, and make fun of Dick Clark’s hair. The lessons on my DVD focus on theory and techniques as well as the software capabilities. This means that whether you use the latest and greatest software, or something a few years old, can still complete the exercises. However, for those that do use the latest versions, there are segments on improvements to the software and how they can be incorporated into your art. I currently have two DVD’s available: Digital Painting Techniques In Photoshop shows you how to incorporate a traditional painting background to your digital work. In this 3.5 hour DVD, I discuss work flow, lighting, texture, brush choice, techniques in traditional art, and how they relate or can be incorporated into a digital environment. Then I show you how to out it all together by painting two different pieces. Click here to read more or to order your own copy. Custom Brushes & Painting In Photoshop is the follow up to my first DVD. This time we go more into the dynamics of the PS Brush Engine, creating custom brushes, and I even give you over 100 brushes I use in my daily work. And to top off the ultra coolness of this DVD, I paint an alternate reality Voltron! Steampunk Voltron for the Art of Voltron book. I also explain...
by Lee | Oct 23, 2010 | Featured
http://www.kindergoth.com “Peanuts for Generation Z” – William Stout. The continuing adventures of a group sarcastic social miscreants that break curfew and occasionally save the world (albeit reluctantly). Based on the hit underground comic book written by myself and drawn by my friend Jeff Zugale, it was followed by several short stories featuring the talents of Len Wein, Joel Adams, and David Wong. Now, whenever I have time, their adventures continue online as Kindergoth: The Webcomic. Until I can find the time to finish a new Kindergoth mini-series, my therapist recommends I update the webcomic every chance I get (it’s better than hiding bodies). Swing on by www.kindergoth.com and check it...
