So I've finished the Jimi Hendrix pencil portrait.
About four years ago I emailed Patrick LaMontagne a Canadian digital artist whose work I admired and asked him for advice and asked him to look at my blog.
His bio reads ....Patrick LaMontagne is a nationally syndicated editorial cartoonist, illustrator, and digital painter whose work appears regularly in North American newspapers, magazines, retail outlets and galleries.
He gave me the advice to practice practice practice , he was very honest about my work saying it showed potential but needed improvement. He was my wake up call and I did as he advised then sent him some more work two years later,
He was very impressed and complimentary and in finishing asked me to send anything else I'm happy with.
So I sent him this one of a Jimi a Hendrix and again thanked him for his advice. He sent this email as a reply.......to say I'm over the moon is the proverbial understatement......read on .......
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Wow, Karl. Just WOW. I do remember talking to you and while I don't tell everybody that they're good, your potential was easy to see. What I do tell everybody, however is to practice, practice, practice. It's the only way to truly get better and it's very clear that all of your improvement is hard earned. I don't have the skill to do the type of pencil work you're doing and frankly, I'm in awe of people who are good with pencils, because I most certainly am not. I've never put the time in to become better at it, either.
The fact that you CAN paint, but feel that pencils are your better effort tells me that you enjoy that medium more, too. Everybody has one that speaks to them. For me, it's digital, for somebody else, it might be acrylics or oils. If you're passionate about something, that's what will motivate you to put the time in to practice. That Jimi Hendrix image is stellar, but I also looked at the other work on your blog and you've really got a nice body of work to be proud of. While I appreciate the note and your thanks, this is all you. You did all the work to become better and I'm really happy for you. There's nothing more rewarding than looking back at work you did a few years ago and comparing it work you're doing now and realizing the progress and improvement.
If you don't mind, I'd love to share your email and my response along with a link to your blog post on my Facebook page. I'd like others to see your work and really send home the message that you clearly got, that the only way to become a better artist is to work hard. Let me know if you're OK with that.
Best of luck to whatever you shoot for, Karl. You've got the will, the passion and the skill, so I'm sure you're going to go far with your artwork.
Thanks for sharing your work with me once again.
Cheers,
Patrick
