Artist Interview - Dan Smith

Who are you and what do you do?

My title is Dan Smith (aka Smithy) and I am a pencil artist. I focus in reasonable drawing which started off off using graphite and charcoal pencils but I have now identified my own fashion with coloured pencils.

Why do you do what you do?

I want to inspire people and clearly show them that via consistency and day to day follow of your craft you can reach whatsoever you want to do. Drawing and developing artwork is the only point that wholly calms and relaxes me. I really like the method of generating a drawing from a blank piece of paper to demonstrating folks the progress, to the concluded drawing. I sense like it is my contacting in lifestyle and it really drives me to produce myself and my expertise. Also, I have observed the happiness that my operate can carry to individuals when I have drawn a family member or put two or 3 photographs collectively from household who have handed and it makes me pretty grateful to be equipped to do what I do.

What inspires your artwork?

There is no one particular specific matter that conjures up me. My correct inspiration arrives from wanting to challenge myself. I make a portrait or drawing and on my next drawing, I always want to attract a little something that will be more difficult to generate or a different procedure so that I am regularly building my techniques. Seeing other artists create these kinds of lovely and realistic do the job is also a large driver for me as perfectly as realising how practical and amazing the artwork community is.

How and when did you get into artwork?

I started out drawing in December 2019. I began drawing when my spouse asked me to draw her grandparents and was purely just to give myself a new passion. I virtually began practicing for an hour or two when I was in bed watching the Tv set in advance of I went to rest. I posted it on social media and individuals started out loving my drawings so it drove me to retain going and maintain strengthening.

How has your practice modified around time?

I started off with graphite pencils and then went on to get started like charcoal in my drawings. I started adhering to some fantastic colored pencil artists and liked how fascinating the approach was with the various levels to build the completed solution. Considering the fact that then I have focussed on coloured pencil drawings and seeking to strengthen my techniques.

What is your favourite piece of artwork that you’ve created? Why?

My favourite piece of art I have made is the drawing of my daughter’s eye. I’d never ever done an eye drawing before but I just cherished the problem and the depth that went into building the work. I feel like even when an eye drawing is partly finished it nevertheless looks astounding.

What’s the best piece of art advice you’ve been presented?

Be affected individual with your self and keep practicing each and every solitary working day. Regularity is a large thing in increasing your expertise. There is absolutely nothing that compares to apply and there is no shortcut or training course that will make you into a wonderful artist overnight. Just retain patient and constant and you will get to wherever you want to be. Which is the situation in most matters, not just art.

What’s 1 art suggestion/strategy you can share with us that you obtain definitely beneficial?

Constantly begin with the darkest values of the drawing very first. As soon as you have finished the darkest values you will then be ready to obtain your mid-tones a large amount much easier, making realism a lot easier to reach.

Do you have any solution suggestions or tactics you use to salvage a piece when you make a error?

Retain your pencil levels really light-weight as it is simpler to rectify. Normally understand from your issues and to be sincere I just go with my errors and use them as portion of the operate. If you continue to keep your pencil levels light-weight you should not be ready to see your miscalculation.

What is your most loved Strathmore paper? Why?

I adore the Strathmore Bristol Easy Area paper as the pencils go down onto the paper so by natural means and smoothly. An incredible high-quality paper like Strathmore really helps make a variance to your drawing. I have utilized other brand names but uncovered that the colours go down quite chalky onto the paper and I could not get the wished-for smooth blending influence that I desired.

What kinds of colours are you drawn to for your art and why?

I really like sensible skin tones but then, on the other hand, I have performed a couple of rainbow style portraits which were just as fulfilling so I’m a bit all about the area with my colour choices.

Do you choose doing work in color or black & white?

Color, as I sense it is a large amount far more free-flowing and you can be a good deal a lot more experimental.

Who are your favourite subjects to attract?

I enjoy drawing sensible human portraits but I have just started drawing animals which have been a great new obstacle. It was completely various from drawing people and required a good deal additional tolerance and time but was really pleasing.

Who are your major influences (or who were being when you begun carrying out artwork)?

My greatest affect is CJ Hendry (@cj_hendry). Her get the job done is just unbelievable and her creativeness is on a absolutely new stage. Artists who have seriously impressed me along my journey so significantly and who are amazing artists to check out are Chris Fitzpatrick (@chrisfitzart), Samantha Messias (@samantha_messias_artwork), and Rachel Dickison (@rd.artistry). They are all so approachable and practical and have supplied me a great deal of fantastic guidance along the way.

What’s the most typical art-linked concern you get from your followers?

The key ones are, “How do I mix so smooth?” and also, “How do I get my proportions?” To blend, I throw down all of the colors that I can see in the segment I am drawing and I burnish with a gentle colour in the opposite direction to the pencil strokes which blends all the things together efficiently. For my proportions, I use the grid approach or freehand. A fantastic idea with the grid technique is to use a light pencil (5h or 6h) and do the grid so mild you can hardly see it. The moment you have sketched your outlines, use a mono eraser to go alongside the strains to erase them. You will not be able to see the grid at all immediately after this.

Website/social media hyperlinks:

Instagram: @smithy.theartist

Facebook: @smithyyyart

TikTok: @smithy.theartist