Category: My Art Journey

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My Art Journey Running an Art Business

Artistic Impressions Feature

Late last month I received an email from one of the sales executives at Condé Nast’s World of Interiors inviting me to advertise my work in their Artistic Impressions feature for the May 2022 issue. The World of Interiors magazine is collected by over 155,000 reader worldwide, and it was a huge shock to be noticed by such a prestigious publication.

I submitted my piece ‘Brain Fog‘ (2022), as this is a huge opportunity for me to showcase my art raising awareness of my health conditions.

I’m proud of every brush stroke in that piece, and it’s so exciting to me to think of so many people being able to see it.

The front cover of the May 2022 issue of ‘The World of Interiors’ in which my art is featured.
The page in ‘The World of Interiors’ in which my art (‘Brain Fog’ 2022) is featured.

The May 2022 issue is being released today, March 31st 2022! If you pick it up and happen to see my art in there, feel free to show me on social media by tagging me @nicolalucyart (Instagram, Twitter, TikTok & Facebook)!

Having an art piece sell in a gallery for the first time, and then featuring in a magazine, is such a wonderful way to start the year!

Find out more:

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My Art Journey

Digital Art and ME

Whether you agree with the sentiment or not, a lot of digital artists or fans of the medium will have heard things like “digital art isn’t real art” or “digital art doesn’t belong in a gallery”.

As a primarily digital artist, over time I’ve developed an arsenal of arguments against that way of thinking. However, one in particular that I don’t think gets mentioned enough is that for some disabled people, it can be the most accessible way of creating art.

I suffer from both myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) and fibromyalgia (FMS) whilst working a physically demanding full-time job. Both of my conditions cause a lot of fatigue and pain, amongst other symptoms, and so whenever I’m not in work I’m often resting in bed.

Why traditional art isn’t ideal for me

I love the feeling of creating traditional art. I love the challenges of trying to master such unpredictable mediums. I love the appreciation and acceptance of imperfections in the artwork, which is often the result of having no undo button. I have a huge amount of respect for those who have mastered their traditional medium.

But when you’re exhausted, in pain, and really should be in bed – creating full-colour traditional artworks becomes more a challenge. If I want to create traditionally, I am presented with two options.

Option 1: I bring the supplies onto the bed with me. When working with just a pencil and sketchbook, this is a fairly reasonable option. However, the challenge comes in when colour is added into the mix. Adding colour results in needing many more supplies, which can create mess and get lost in the sheets. If the fatigue starts to become too much and I need to lie down properly, clearing the bed in that state can be a struggle for somebody like me.

Option 2: I work at a desk. This would allow me to keep my bed clean and clear, so it’s ready for whenever I need it. However, sitting at a desk can be more painful and tiring for me. I often find that my traditional pieces are rushed, because 5-10 minutes in I’m already aching and wanting to finish.

The benefits of drawing on a tablet

Nowadays I primarily draw on my iPad and it has worked wonders in terms of allowing me to draw more frequently, and to be able to do so for longer periods of time. When I’m sat in bed using it to draw, I can use as many colours as I want just from my Apple Pencil. My bed isn’t littered with art supplies. Even better, the fact that it attaches magnetically to the side prevents me from ever losing it in the sheets. And when I’m too tired to continue? I can simply switch it off and put it on my bedside table.

The bottom line

I appreciate that digital art is not for everyone. However, the key to a thriving art scene is allowing creating art to be accessible to as many people as possible. For some, traditional art is the best option to fit their preferences and life situation. For myself, digital art opens the door for me to create much more regularly than I ever could if that option was taken away from me.

Disclaimer: Every person is different in terms of their needs and their situation. As a result, a medium that is more accessible for one person may be less accessible for another.

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My Art Journey

I Don’t Have an Art Style (Yet)

When looking through my art to upload it onto this website recently, something became overly apparent. I don’t have an art style. I don’t even have an inkling of an art style. So I reflected for a moment and tried to work out why.

Why I don’t have a set art style

I’m still learning my mediums

A huge part of why I don’t have a consistent art style is that I’m still learning about the mediums that I use. Each time I make a piece, I experiment with what I think will make it look good.

The variations in effort put in

Some of my pieces simply had more effort put into them than others. For example, my Willow (2019) piece took over 150 hours to draw. Every single tiny detail was carefully drawn in, from the individual strands of fur to the texture on the sweater. As a result, I achieved a very photorealistic look. By comparison, my Heart (2021) piece was something I wanted to create as a quick project so I felt more comfortable letting the brush strokes show rather than trying to make it look like a photo.

Huge variations in inspiration

I’m lucky in that there are a lot of artists that inspire me and get me excited to create art. The bad news is, they all have completely different art styles. There’s a huge variation between my inspirations in terms of whether they do realism or more stylisation, the medium they use, the technique for that medium, the colours, etc. There are so many art styles that I see that make me think “I wish I could do that”.

I also have a huge variety in subject matters that inspire me. This means that the subjects of my art are not consistent.

My approach to art

I approach an art piece like a problem-solving activity. I usually am trying to find the most efficient way to produce the most visually appealing image possible. I don’t usually even consider consistency in style, I merely focus on the specific piece I’m working on.

When will I have an art style?

I feel as if my art style will get even more varied before it begins to get more consistent. I still have a lot of experimenting and learning to do before I find a technique that I want to stick with.

Perhaps an aim for the future is to at least create a collection of pieces with the same style and related subject matter.

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Ambitions My Art Journey

2021 Art Goals

In 2020, I was busy with work and career-progressing online courses to achieve what I wanted to with my art. This year, I have set some goals that I want to achieve to progress within art.

Goal 1: Produce at least one complete art piece per month

Not including small sketches, I want to produce at least one complete art piece every single month. As some of my more realistic pieces can take several hours, this seems like the most manageable target.

Goal 2: Become competent in one new medium

I make most of my art pieces on Procreate at the moment, which for me is the most accessible way to produce a variety of effects without worrying about buying different art supplies and making mess. It’s a way for me to be able to cleanly make art in whilst curled up in bed. As nice as this is, I do want to learn some new traditional art mediums. My current aim is to learn how to use alcohol based markers effectively this year.

Goal 3: Produce at least five non-digital pieces

Again, I find myself going to my iPad to produce art far too often due to the ease of access. However, I find that producing traditional art helps me break out of my perfectionist ways and accept the artwork for however it turns out. Therefore, I want to produce at least 5 traditional pieces this year.

Goal 4: Watch at least two online lessons for art

As I knew I wanted to pursue more a more academic career, I dropped all formal training in art after Year 8 (age 13). I’d love to learn some new techniques from a professional, and online lessons are the perfect way to do that.

Goal 5: Collaborate with at least one other artist

I would really love to make more of an effort to be involved with the art community, and so I’d love to work with another artist in any way this year. This could be collaborating on the same piece together, each producing a piece of the same theme, or in any way combining our skills together. I think it’d be an interesting learning experience.