★ i want to be more CREATIVE | trying upcrate! ★

[@faithebert3587]

I honestly love that you talk about the struggle of relying on references all the time because I completely and totally agree. I have always felt like less of an artist because I am limited by and rely heavily on what I find to copy as a reference. Thank you for talking about that, it has really really felt good to find someone on KZbin that also feels that way. Your art and style is amazing

[@kaktux2950]

Every great artist uses references, it is so hard to work without them, so keep going! It’s the right path to go! :)))

[@Nilliebug14]

I absolutely love mystery art boxes! I’d love to see you do videos like this more often, I think they’re really entertaining and inspiring, I’m itching to do some art myself now! 💖

[@bydiathebunny3921]

I relate SO much. Whenever I try talking about this my friends/family look at me crazy bc I’ve always been the “creative kid” in the family but I’m just kinda not LMAO

[@angeliquevanrumst4573]

Love those tigers!!

[@AtelierArts]

I always love mystery boxes! It would be cool if you did videos with them more often because you really used this one well🎨🖌🖼

[@catssupp400]

I would definitely buy prints of this! I love this drawing!

[@themightierpencil]

I've been increasingly taking my own references and it's made me more excited to draw as well because then every part of the process is mine rather than relying on outside sources. Granted I still will look up a Pinterest reference for a pose or just to practice drawing difference ethnicities, and many times I'm able to change enough about the reference to where I can create a full illustration, but I still have more fun doing that with my own references.

[@alexhazydreams]

Congrats! These tigers are beautiful. I really love a good orange & blue color scheme it's so peaceful looking!

[@GreenMartha]

The tigers are phenomenal, so beautiful ! It's so interesting to see supplies selected by one artist being used for another, your style ans Jillo's are so different.

[@pigeonhome]

i relate a lot to relying on a reference! i think i really started relying heavily on reference photos since like… march/April and while the art i have been making has really improved from what i made before, i relate a lot to the sort of stuck feeling, i absolutely hate that without pulling up Pinterest i have no idea what to create. i’m defintely trying to move more into spontaneous, original sketchbook work right now. best of luck on your journey doing the same!!

[@Lilstarnerd]

best of luck to you as well!!!!! we got this!!

[@DevonMeyersArt]

The tigers came out soo good! They would make really cool stickers too 🐯

[@xoonaniart]

I love the Tiger! You used all supplies out of the box in a perfect way. and it seems you had a lot of fun with them. I rly like the upcrate box as well.. because it gets you out of your comfort zone. Xxx Xoonani

[@viennajoanna]

Love the mixture of the orange marker and pencils!

[@MisakoFlodin]

I LOVE the colour combination of these tigers!!🥺I could stare at them forever

[@tinka6468]

I actually really like swatches and watching artists I like create colour palettes and play with textures. And I also think that especially with videos that your content will be much more enjoyable when you do what you like, what you feel like doing. No matter if it’s different from what you did before, no matter if that involves finished pieces or not. I believe it to be very helpful for starting artists to see that everyone struggles from time to time and that their art evolves. It could be interesting to watch you swatching and taking your own reference pictures and experiencing with new subjects and just having fun with your art! we’re all on a journey, so I wish you all the best with yours, no matter the direction 🌱

[@oogalaboo]

Good call using the blue for the stripes. Much cooler effect than black would have been

[@WillowRoseArlen]

Ooooh, I was just thinking about doing s tiger with paint markers! This video totally hit the spot and satisfied that desire like, immediately. Perfect timing, and you did such a good job combining all the supplies. Really impressed with how the colored pencils layered over the paint markers!

[@WillowRoseArlen]

And OH MY GOSH i feel the same way about sketching on camera! I keep trying it but it never turns out as good as if i hadn't been recording, lol. Glad I'm not the only one!

[@WillowRoseArlen]

Also also (sorry, commenting while I watch lol) I can really relate to feeling like your art is in a stuck place and you have to push yourself a little outside your comfort zone to keep improving and get more confident. I'm thoroughly in love with both of these tigers, really happy you are turning them into prints! 🥰

[@pupbeat]

ohhh i used to watch monthly art box videos so much theyre so fun and u made such pretty art with it!!! why is it a lot of artists make such spectacular art specifically drawing tigers

[@zuzu_1]

Hey Al thanks for sharing your thoughts once again with us, it’s crazy how so many strangers can all relate to each other. Im trying to get back into art after years off, and finding what makes me happy has been so rough, and even discouraging at times as I was heavily dependent on references before. Sometimes I wonder am I even a real artist, but it’s all the more reason why experimenting is good and can help you discover what you’re passionate about. So be free and paint, sketch, swatch whatever you want! We’re here for you and just want you to grow in your artistry and find what makes you happy. Also I really loved the tiger it was so cute 🥰. Take care

[@fuzzydragons]

the blue stripes work perfect! 😀

[@karou3205]

I think I feel the same towards my art phase, I've been taking a break from art for the past 3 weeks, and when i come back to it i want something to change. I don't want to be nearly as depending on references as i used to be. So I'm thankful that you're sharing your thoughts about the same kind of issue ! It helps not to feel like I'm the only one, I don't hear those kinds of discussions going on in the rest of Art KZbin. Most artists I know are either "Reference artists", meaning they only ever use references but that's what they want to do, interpret life and photographs, or (mostly) "imagination" artists, who create their own characters and environments etc., and use references as a help for that purpose. I always felt like I HAD to become the second one, because in my head, I think about drawing my characters and creating my own illustrations ALL-THE-TIME. But I noticed from the start, I never did that. I always got too scared to draw without reference and kept drawig portraits and on location stuff. But that's not what I ultimately want to do... I feel no real connection between my art and me. It feels weird and sad and I want it to change ):

[@allisonaletha]

Oh my goodness, Al, I’m IN LOVE with those tigers!! 😍 Copper and teal is my favorite color combo, so I love that you juxtaposed the blue stripes with the orange coat. 😍 I’m so glad this was a fun process for you! Nothing beats those free, joyful art sessions. 💛

[@AmbiCahira]

I actually just bought a cheap sketchbook recently because I too tend to feel preciously about nice sketchbooks with nice paper so I wanted cheap paper so that I can be more fearless. I made up my mind to call it "my learning sketchbook" and the goal is to make it look as used and abused as possible with warped pages from trying wet media or maybe stains from taking it to outdoor places where it might get dirt on it just to draw from life. I want to experiment and explore and learn to draw more from reference. A bad adult made it almost into a trauma when I was a kid to use references so that's what I hope to overcome in the learning book. When I don't know what to draw I make a circle, triangle or box and try to turn it into something, character design style. It's a good warmup if nothing else. ^^

[@divinepf]

I've been in a similar place wanting to step away from just recreating reference photos. Most recently what helped me was finding an themed art show that I want to participate in in my are. I might not make it into the show, but I'm having fun doing art projects with that art show in mind.

[@aubrilynsherwood9658]

the tiger looks so good!! 💕

[@laa70]

AHHH HOW DO YOU DRAW ANIMALS SO WELLLL!!!!! I would absolutely love to see more subscription boxes if thats something you would want to do!

[@TheYoshi3579]

Al, this looks SO GOOD!!! Honestly, you’ve inspired me to try out upcrate, I’ve always wanted to try a subscription box, and I think upcrate is the one for me! I’d love to see you explore unexpected mediums again in the future! Your mixed media pieces are so cool and have such a stylized and pretty look to them.

[@taylormarion5625]

Pls make prints I love these so much!! I think post card size would be great 💖

[@johnnawilliams1968]

You executed this perfectly, the art supplies plus the colors plus the tiger all just looked so good in your style *chefs kiss*

[@keulistal]

duh of course we want prints/stickers of them lovely tigers

[@alik2897]

omg, these tigers are absolutelly beautiful!! 😍 i love how you use the colors, and you should definitely contintue in this new journey how you feel it, you are great artist, trust yourself more 😉👍

[@afrocanartis4591]

I just love listening to you and other artist in the background 🙂

[@hutchinsonlara_art]

Personally I feel that you should make the art that you want to, like you said you like Swatching- so do it. I do the art that I enjoy and I post it. If I wanna doodle a cartoon frog and post it then so be it. You should do what gives you happiness but it should be something that you want to do. And post the art that you enjoy. Cuz if your not enjoying the art it may come out crappy. Obv out of experience a random cartoon doodle frog will not to so good on social media because people always expect like these wow artworks. But that doesn’t matter. Your happiness matter. So make the art what you want to make. It sucks if your account is lacking, trust me I know. But Atleast you got to do the art that you like and enjoy and that is all that matters ❤️

[@BomBomProduktion]

omg both the tigers turned out AMAZING!

[@pupbeat]

also love the bracelets u have

[@ariamae777]

[@augusthawley5504]

1. yes PLEASE tiger prints 2. i've also been really struggling with creativity and relying strictly on references, and i think that's part of the downside of being a gen z artist who's main resources have been photos, and learning to draw in the digital age. but i also really want to take a step back from it because when i finished my most recent sketchbook and looked through it, i realized 90% of it i could directly source to a picture, which is okay, but it's not exciting anymore

[@artistic_daisies6217]

I love the 2000’s bracelets lol

[@atari3371]

I love ur bracelets !!!

[@lynx_the_artist5351]

The colored pencils (bassicaly the whole Koh-i-noor brand) is from my country, Czechia. These pencils a really hard to work with in my opinion.

[@laurar2812]

You werent kidding! Like-you werent kidding! The color is delicious! The tigers are sooo amazing. And, again, Im right there with you on your feels about your art. Im in the same frame of mind but Im not going to be scared, or shy anymore about it…if JK Rowling could begin to build her masterpiece by scribbling on napkins, then I can believe in myself like that too! Just do it. ❤

[@RamoArt]

Oh my god you are wearing some of those rubber bracelets that spring back to certain shapes when not worn!!! 😍 What year is it again?

[@RadishTheFool]

I'm surprised how well your amsterdam markers seem to perform. Mine are so watery. And they're the same neon colours, even. Don't get me wrong, they're very cool colours. But I almost have to layer them on top of a posca or molotow marker to get any covering. Makes me wonder if mine were in the store for too long or something.

[@bravezoom]

what you useing in the video

[@adrianibarra8758]

𝔄𝔫𝔬𝔱𝔥𝔢𝔯 𝔡𝔞𝔶 𝔞𝔫𝔬𝔱𝔥𝔢𝔯 𝔰𝔩𝔞𝔶 💅