the secret to my success (it isn't what you think)

[@LuciaArtWorld]

Planning is great! But I also think it’s important to act on that plan. I have always been the type of person that gets stuck on the planning phase. I over planned things but never took any steps to fulfill those plans. I’m slowly trying to change that. It’s nice seeing that planning worked so well for you and knowing that planning is not a waste of time as long as you act on them later on ❤

[@rheahalona]

This is me too! The action part is the hardest.

[@mimisart]

I hear you and sometimes life just does what it wants. I have kids on the spectrum and some days are super challenging whilst others are amazing with time left to spare...it really depends where you are at in life and what other things need to be prioritized as well. As of late I just decided to paint without filming it, because I needed the therapy from painting and not the stress of creating.

[@ameliaroseillustrations]

As an early subscriber, it’s great to have been able to see your growth and how well you’ve done as a creator! One of the best things about your content is your honesty/openness. Also, I love your landscape painting, it’s beautiful ✨✨

[@KelseyRodriguez]

hearing from early subscribers warms my heart because y'all were really the people that made all of this possible. Your comments and encouragement and viewership changed my life. Thanks for sticking around, it means a lot

[@madeline4711]

I love hearing about your plans for art licensing! It’s something I’ve always been curious about (from a viewer standpoint lol) - can’t wait for updates!

[@iMakeThat]

Hey Kelsey 👋🏼 for painting grass take your cheapest worst brush and take some scissors to the end to create a very irregular brush with lots of single strands poking out. Then add a few different shades/layers of greens and brown and yellow ochre. Oh also your grass in that painting looked great so stop telling yourself you can’t paint grass cuuuuuuuz ya can ❤🎉

[@ItsLizV]

Pls you don't need to apologise about a video! We're just happy we get another video from you :) As for grass... I swear I have the same problem!! I feel like I'm just missing this ONE tip or trick that will make me understand how to deal with it haha. The only thing I've figured out is that you can group "shades" together and then on the edges of the different shades you add grassy details, in the shade that is in front of the other.. I don't know if that makes sense but if it does i hope it helps at least a little bit

[@flanzella]

I agree with this so heavily. I get very overwhelmed as I move to become a full time artist / content creator. I love breaking down the goals into tasks I can achieve now and then ones for later on. It really makes things feel possible. Thanks for sharing! 😁

[@MariJadeWrites]

Thank you for making these videos! I've seen your growth online and it's been so inspiring to see someone succeed like you did. Now you're saying planning of all things is a big part of it - makes me smile as I try to plan as well, journal/write it out and go for my writing and art goals. :) Doing my best even though my growth is much slower than some other artists, I am enjoying the journey again and trying to get back to the game. :) Thanks for inspirng content!

[@sarafeartist]

Hi Kelsey! I loved this video, watching you paint gorgeous landscapes while listening to you talk about this topic is so relaxing and inspiring. I’ve recently re-started taking steps towards my own art career after a long time away from creating, and your channel is a big help. Thank you! ❤

[@sirninjaraiden]

How'd you comment 1 day ago?

[@KelseyRodriguez]

Discord members get early access to videos before they go live :)

[@sirninjaraiden]

@@KelseyRodriguez Ahh ok ok nice

[@stacycreates24]

Thanks!

[@amandadoss9280]

For painting grass, I've used techniques from James Michael Smith-- he's got his own YT channel and art classes. I really enjoy using a fan brush and learning how to dapple paint with it, that's what he suggests for grass as well as a fine and long detail brush for up close strands of grass. Lay down the relative color of the middle value, then go over again with lights and darks in different areas. Use horizontal strokes to push a plane back and vertical to pull it forward. I'm also trying to improve my grass and rocks lol Love your videos as always, Kelsey!

[@crisalidathomassie1811]

Your videos sharing your growth is amazing and truly appreciated. Planning is so important for everything you need to accomplish. Daily life can bring unexpected situations and frustration quicks in. I love to paint different subjects and I dream to sell my art someday. For now I paint to continue learning and for gifting for special occasions for family and friends. I need to catch up with your videos. You are amazing and I wish you all the best for each day. Blessings and take care.❤❤❤

[@AlanaLocke]

I really appreciate how open and honest you are eith how much you make and what helps you succeed

[@MintyMido]

These paintings are so lovely

[@ATravelerOfWorlds]

I love your work, your avice and you as a person Kelsey! You've given me the courage to start planning and working on an art career too. What I wanted to pinpoint the most in this comment though is how much I LOVE the underpainting of the single tree painting. The colors are so bold and powerful, I at first thought you'd tried to paint a volcano/lava abstract painting. I almost got a little sad when you painted over it with more muted colors (though the result of that is gorgeous too). I would love to see you create a deliberate colorful, abstract piece of art though. Because I'd buy that underpainting in a heartbeat 🥰

[@KelseyRodriguez]

I keep meaning to do more abstract work in oils! maybe your comment is the sign I've been looking for

[@ATravelerOfWorlds]

Ohh I hope so!! I would LOVE to see it!! @@KelseyRodriguez

[@greenmacaroni8872]

Hi Kelsey, i love watching you paint as you talk. Dianne Mize is a wonderful teacher. She has a quick tip about grass that helped me. You are great at rocks, but I like all of your paintings. Tfs, Julie 🥰

[@laracraft82]

Beautiful paintings 🎨 yes I agree step by step and im learning slowly how much planning really is important plus I have been studying books also that are relevant to starting a business 😊❤

[@splendidcyan]

Woah, I'm super interested in seeing you paint on a clear medium/paper! Something nice I found at my university, doing super traditional art stuff, was that alcohol markers are really neat on tracing paper. You can't layer them but they do make a nice effect!

[@AlasterGrey]

As far as drawing grass goes: have you tried drawing some really close-up studies of various species of grass? I'm thinking of something along the lines of Albrecht Durer's Turf painting. Perhaps becoming more familiar with one single clump of grass will help you zoom out and paint a whole lot of grass. Another thing that helped me learn to model long, flexible, twisty things like strands of hair or blades of grass was actually learning calligraphy -- specifically that trick where you tape two pencils together to approximate a nib pen. This allows me to track the edges of the long thin "ribbon" and how the edges get closer together depending on what angle you hold the pen / how the ribbon bends. Not sure it will work for you but I hope you vanquish grass-painting soon! 🌾☀️💚

[@Jonnelss]

I really liked your insights on planning, and how it can even be a meditative process to understand yourself better. Further emphasized with your painting process which was equally as meditating. Really relaxing and informative video!

[@LukeRichARTson]

Planning is something I've always struggled with - i have a rough layout of what i want to do with my art and my KZbin channel - such as what videos i want to put out out and art pieces - comic cons and such but i can never keep to deadlines or schedules 😅😅

[@feelswriter]

Different people have different motivations. For some people (like me), deadlines can shut you down. So you need to experiment with options. For me, committing to 'warning up' works -- I only 'have to' do 10 minutes. Totally ok to quit after that. But almost always, at that point I don't want to quit.

[@ninovv]

Wrote some articles earlier this year about avoiding ‘greens’, as in avoiding sketching trees and bushes etc because I found it so hard and how I overcame it. Way too much to put in the comments for the tips you asked for. So let me rather say that you have inspired me to plan more, if not only for looking forward to what the next step is, but also to look backward to see how far I’ve come and everything I managed to get done.

[@dkpeters]

So happy to hear you're taking Stacie's class...I'll be there too! I'm so excited! Best of luck to us all! Michael James Smith on you tube has a pretty detailed tutorial on grass :)

[@mimisart]

For painting grass, try watching Michael Smith...he is a photorealistic (oil)painter, but his approach is simple and you can make it as realistic as you want or maybe adapt it to your style. He is also easy to listen to.

[@Omegawerewolfx]

LVA for sure next year for me. I'll check the site for a mailing list. I'm already doing online courses so I cannot reasonably do it this year. My brain will melt.

[@ScottHebertArt]

im also super interested in the licensing route. looking forward to see where you take it

[@dayoffnow]

New subscriber here. I'm between jobs and doing my best to lay a foundation for an art career. I, too, am a planner - but sometimes I feel uncertain what my next steps should be - and feel a lot of pressure to create income quickly. (I'm seeking a job, to relieve that pressure.) In the meantime, I found a print shop that can make high quality scans of my art, and I just got back my first test prints from Giclee Today! (Which, I think I learned about them from you, if I'm not mistaken.) So I've made progress on basic logistics. Thanks for being so generous with advice and transparent about your journey! And your art is beautiful.

[@ravensmith3662]

Can you make a video on how you break down your main goals into smaller ones? I remember when you only had a few subscribers, you’re crushing it! Keep it up! 👍🏽

[@KelseyRodriguez]

I think I cover that a bit in some of my other videos on planning, but I'll make a note of it and try to cover it more in depth sometime in the future!

[@ItsWarlockJemma]

Good job on mixing topics and pleasing to watch painting. You managed to distract me from doing my work especially the final painting where your just starting off it.

[@awildfaun133]

Oh my gosh I just took the plunge and signed up for Stacie’s course too!!! I hope we both get a lot out of it! Good luck girlie!

[@KelseyRodriguez]

omg!!! i hope to see you in the forums there then!! that’s exciting!

[@awildfaun133]

@@KelseyRodriguez that would be awesome!

[@michellejozina]

Yay! I joined Leverage your Art with Stacie Bloomfield this year too!!🤗 I'm so excited. Like you, I am also trying to make a living as a full time artist but I'm just starting out. I also started a KZbin channel to document my journey. Its fun and hard all at the same time! See you in the course! Great video!🥰

[@Samreadsbooks9]

This is a really good idea and I think actually writing things down instead of keeping them in your head is better because it manifests and you can actually create a tree of action. Do you have a notebook or calendar you use or like a whiteboard so you can see it every day?

[@dr.wonder5000]

Since I was reading that text at the bottom of the intro that was talking about book recommendations: The Last Human by Zack Jordan is one of my favs, When The Stars Are Scattered by Omar Mohamed and Victoria Jamieson is great too, and lastly The Space Between Us by Zack Grey and Courtney Peppernell was an interesting read too! I like variety, so I read a bit of everything. I hope you like them as much as I did! Thanks for the video! :3

[@gossamyr]

Curious if you shoot your work as you do it, because that abstract orange thing 3:01 before the tree got dumped on it was gorgeous to me, I'm sorry for yelling 'what are you doing?!' at the monitor because I thought you were done and showing it, I really liked it.

[@KelseyRodriguez]

I have an abstract painting background and was just kinda fucking around with that one, it was eventually supposed to turn into a Monet study and I just never really loved the composition of it so I repurposed it! I might try share some more abstract paintings in the future though, people really seemed to like it!

[@gossamyr]

@@KelseyRodriguez Yes, please, I love abstracts! 🙂

[@ToriBladeCreations]

You're amazing, thank you so much for all that you do! You have really kept me going in my art journey :D

[@sodakhanart]

Yesss such a great message! Planning has been so helpful for me as well as taking small steps 🔥🔥🔥 But also being able to improvise when needed.

[@riellerthecreeper]

Hi Stacy! I’m a recent college grad with the goal of going into the gaming industry but as of right now, to be honest, I’m overwhelmed by, as you put it, an insurmountable task. This anxiety has been draining and terrifying. I was hoping you had some advice in that regard?

[@jasminemariart]

Thank you so much for this Kelsey you're an inspiration ❤️

[@GhostRider-un9gm]

I wonder which are your sources of inspiration? Or Is Kelsey like a natural source of relaxing landscapes and cuteness ? Like the source of the river? For me it's Tolkien but I'm just a lesser orc 💪🏿🐮👍🏿

[@nawelavenu]

I planned to sell digital products on etsy and illustrate children’s books. But I’m not having enough money (nothing for long months…) How can I illustrate more books? Do you have any tips to reach the persons who can be interested. And for etsy, I don’t understand why I can’t sell also… I feel lost

[@cp-cookies840]

Do a study on Studio Ghibli trees and grass. They always paint them so pretty.

[@Qoumega]

Hey heyy! Where could I purchase that cool wood board you paint on ? 🎨

[@camicostoya]

🎉🎉🎉

[@LuizHenrique-gm1cc]

I am not a artist, but seeing your journey is really nice

[@fuzzydragons]

im as horrible planner lol i've tried coloured pencil on duralar, a lot of people love it, i didnt lol

[@maureenpenton-theartofthedraw]

Well explained. Thank you. ❤

[@hannahthufvesson]

Sarah Burns' gouache videos are great for simplified landscape elements, I'd check her videos out for inspiration on painting grass! ☺️

[@I_am_Lauren]

Unrelated: Your bangs look so cute!

[@arifhossain-cd3ed]

I live your planning, Believe your dream and go for make you awsome..

[@ennazussuzanne]

It seems like my original comment disappeared. I love how you painted the tree in the landscape, but since you said you want to get better at trees: there is a book on it by Rex Vicat Cole called The Artistic Anatomy of Trees (Dover Art Instruction). Its tough to get through but so worth it. I hope you like this resource.

[@d.o.nmuzic3802]

🙏🏾❤️

[@lyliali]

hi kelsey! i'm a new subscriber and i find your content very inspiring, so thank you :) i'm absolutely dead at "if you're reading this lmk what book you've been reading recently" - the best book i finished recently was piranesi by susanna clarke, absolutely page turning fantasy read with gorgeous imagery, i think you'll find it inspiring! but the book i'm reading right now is less by andrew greer - really fun narrative style, whimsical and dry, kinda reminds me of the movie amelie.

[@KelseyRodriguez]

writing these recs down to check out later! these sound great!

[@GhostRider-un9gm]

😊 I wonder who do you admire Kelsey? Or something more abstract you admire or that inspires you?😊

[@mirandamorehouse1322]

I just signed up for Leverage Your Art as well!

[@KelseyRodriguez]

oh cool! I'll see you in there!

[@vagrantgentleman13]

I very much enjoyed watching you paint, but as someone just getting their feet wet in an attempt to break out into an art career, do you have specific videos that highlight the steps you use for planning? I dont expect like, a 100% step by step walkthrough, I just feel that even starting something is beyond my understanding.

[@KelseyRodriguez]

yeah! I don't know if I cover the exact steps but you can definitely reverse engineer my process by checking out the early videos in this playlist: kzbin.info/aero/PLoo0DnvsjPWK4Ob7iiDxSi7vIYl2HxLpm

[@JeneaKaitaz]

How do you think Kelsey - it would be possible for you to grow to this level as you are now, without KZbin?

[@KelseyRodriguez]

I don't think I fully understand the question? Is it possible to grow an art career and a business without KZbin-- for sure. Most full time artists aren't on KZbin and market themselves in other ways, have creative 9 to 5s, etc. Would *I* personally be at this level, at this point in my life, without KZbin? No. This channel has kept me consistent in my creative practice and my efforts to go full time, and the videos I make here are really enjoyable creative projects to work on! But I also don't even know what level this would be without KZbin, it's such a crucial part of how I put myself out there as an artist that I can't imagine my business without it.

[@JeneaKaitaz]

@@KelseyRodriguez thanks for answer! KZbin is really one of the best place to promote as an artist. Important to find your own way to express your artistic identity. For me its a little bit harder because i live in not english speaker language country and my speaking english is not perfect. I really think what i need to grow my english skills and hope that soon i will open my youtube chanel where i can share to people my Art Life.

[@dayoffnow]

@@JeneaKaitaz Don't worry about your English, just go ahead and start! If people love your art, they won't mind your English. In fact, people may find your accent charming and interesting.

[@JeneaKaitaz]

@@dayoffnow Thanks for good words!

[@sessamii]

Would you conaider putting "studio vlog" in the title for studio vlogs? To be fair I don't personally feel like this is a vlog style video though, so that's also... A small critique :')

[@KelseyRodriguez]

I've been playing around with doing something different for studio vlog-like videos to get people to watch them more (usually they're my least-viewed kind of video) and it worked fairly well for this one. this video was pretty experimental though! I agree it's not super vlog-y haha

[@stacycreates24]

I want to help your channel but I’m unemployed right now.

[@KelseyRodriguez]

your support is enough! please take care of yourself and focus on getting to a more financially stable place, I'm doing alright

[@BettimusFrostCafe]

this video is a moral boost to me, thank you 🤎💜💙

[@allisonaletha]

STUNNING paintings!! 😍 You mentioned wanting to learn more about simplifying grasses/greenery, and a video came to mind. @ogygiaart recently made a video on painting Ghibli style foliage, and it was SUPER helpful for me in simplifying greenery! Anyhoo, just thought I’d mention it 😁