A personal goal I set out to achieve for 2021 was an application to participate in Franklinton Art District's Scrawl 15 Festival. To my surprise, I was honored to have been selected along 54 visual artists from all over the region to paint a mural over the course of 2 days.
The mural I completed captures the final moments between a child and his beloved dog. It's a reflection on our relationship with living beings on this planet, and at a certain point in our lives, the realization of letting go of the ones we love becomes inevitable. The child understands that by letting go, dog heaven will gain a beautiful soul and he can begin grieving and cementing the bond they built together into his heart. Our time together is simply never enough, so live fully in the moment and share in the small joys with every given opportunity. Thanks to Franklinton Art District and all the volunteers for the opportunity to help bring life to the city of Columbus! Hi, friends!
I recently submitted a headshot for an upcoming project so I thought I’d take the opportunity to post my #ArtvsArtist2020 I spent 2020 burying my head inside my sketchbook whenever time allowed. It was the place I escaped to for exploration, peace & solace. Knowing that there was no direction, limitation, or deadline felt novel, especially when the bulk of my time was swallowed by commissions & commercial work. Grateful nonetheless! I haven’t shared these eclectic mix of drawings/paintings from my sketchbook (aside from a couple in my Stories), but I’d like to do so before we wrap up 2020. They’re quite different than most of my one line drawings, but it’s a small glimpse into what I look forward to most in 2021. Hope that you guys will stick around on this journey with me. Peace ✌️ Today, I'm excited to launch my first tutorial on how to draw in one line. A lot of you have been asking on how to get started, so I wanted to create a basic how-to on one of my favorite subjects: an American Pitbull Terrier dog. I chose to do a demonstration using traditional medium instead of – what most of you guys are familiar with me using – an iPad Pro. The technique of one line drawing has been widely used for centuries and was made famous by Spanish Painter, Pablo Picasso. There's a fascinating video of him circulating the Internet where he effortlessly paints simple strokes of animals on a glass surface. This just demonstrates that you don't need fancy devices, such as an iPad Pro, to help you get started. However, there are some advantages to using one, like the ability to create a variety of thick & thin line weight by applying pressure sensitivity. Also, because this technique requires a lot of practice, you aren't being wasteful in materials such as paper and ink. But of course, with every pro there is a con, which I can dive into on a later post. I hope you watch and learn a few things in the video that may help you along your journey into the continuous line! You can also stay up to date by subscribing to my YouTube channel.
Hi, friends! I hope you're taking care of yourself during the stay-at-home mandate we're under.
Just wanted to take a minute to share this really cool compilation video BuzzFeed put together that highlights some of the one-line drawings I've created through the years. Hope it soothes your soul! - Dane The beautiful thing about a line is that it can evoke so much emotion in the way you draw it through the movement of your hand and body. Think of a music conductor with a baton or different types of dancers. How they move is their way of conveying to the world how they feel. I get a lot of questions from people on how they can learn to draw in one line. First off, I'm no expert. I believe this style of drawing or painting has a lot more to do with feeling – as mentioned in my earlier statement about a conductor or dancer. I plan on creating an in-depth tutorial video for those who are interested, but for now, I'm happy to offer a few tips that can get you started. Try holding your pencil, brush, or marker with a loose grip, turn on some calming music and allow your body, arm and wrist to fluidly move around the paper. The results may look very messy or abstract on paper, which is not a bad thing. But overtime, you’ll develop muscle memory and confidence where every line you draw will feel intentional. Have fun! - Dane I couldn’t have dreamt of a bigger project to be a part of for the launch of The Mayhew, 'Stay Inseparable' campaign!
Here’s the animated short created in partnership with McCann Worldgroup, Coffee & TV Studio, Louis Theroux and Emily Raymond. It’s a powerful message about the relationship we share with our pets and the importance of keeping the bond from breaking. "We know that our relationship with animals is powerful, intimate and reciprocal, and can be the difference between life and death for people in a vulnerable situation. This is why we run community programmes like Pet Refuge, working with homelessness and education. But not everyone appreciates how vital the human-animal bond can be." - The Mayhew Happy new years, friends! Just taking a step back to share some behind-the-scenes photos of a really cool project that I had the opportunity to work on for RealSelf, who is the leading online resource to learn about cosmetic treatments and connect with medical aesthetic doctors.
The concept was to create unique, one-line figure drawings of women and men represented with self-confidence and love. The drawings were then printed on vinyl and installed for their House of Modern Beauty event in Seattle, WA. The past couple of years, I focused on redefining ways to simplify my life and the work I created. Reflecting back on 2019, most of my work refocused on connecting subjects of animals, plants, and people in a single line. This seemed to resonate with a lot of you out there. And I'm so grateful that you guys took the time to tune in, like, comment and share personal messages with me. My hope is that all of this has helped you guys out in some way, whether personally, professionally, or even technically.
And if I can give you one last piece of advice for 2019 – Remember to slow down, breathe, listen to your body, and show compassion towards your family and friends. I'll be forever grateful for the unexpected opportunities that came my way this year! Unfortunately, by not saying "no" and trying to balance more than I could chew off caused me more damage mentally than I cared to admit at the time. We all have a breaking point and I'm slowly recovering from mine. You only have one chance at this so take care of yourself and the people you love. Opportunities are always going to be there. In the meantime, create the type of work that you're passionate about. That's what these Top 9 Instagram posts above represents. Peace out 2019! See you in the new year! #forevergrateful #thankyou #bekind #loveyoumom #loveyoudad #loveyouall Hey friends!
I've been meaning to share some of the drawings that you see in my videos on Instagram and YouTube. Well, today, I'm releasing my first of soon-to-be-many wallpapers of my most recent drawing. Please note that all of my illustrations are copyrighted and only intended for personal use. Don't be a POS like some of the people and brands out there that have been monetizing off of my work. But that's a discussion for another day. As always, thanks for all your love and support! Downloads: iPhone X iPhone 8/7/6 Plus iPhone 8/7/6 Earlier this year, Mynte Green Co. and I collaborated to create a unique vinyl graphic mural for Northstar Café (Short North location), a local gem in the heart of Columbus, OH. It truly has become a part of the culture and identity of this city for the last 15 years. So it was an extremely humbling experience for me working alongside the brilliant minds behind Mynte Green Co. and Northstar Café to help them visually tell their story. For those of you who are local to the area, I hope that you'll go check it out at the Short North location!
-- Dane |