Cura

01/13/2022

Ready for a tired cliche?!
"A picture is worth a 1000 words."... well... not always.

Truth is that you actually need to be able to use the vocabulary and grammar of visual storytelling intentionally in order to get to a powerful visual.

Oh, and yes, having a clear idea of what it is you want to say it's actually necessary, too.

Does that mean you have to know what you want to say before you start the piece... No, not necessarily.

But you do have to know how to bring focus to areas you find interesting and how to respond to the cues the piece is giving you.

All of this becomes possible when you have a firm grasp on the fundamentals.

And in case you're sheepishly thinking "Well, I'm supposed to know this because I've taken x amount of classes already, but I don't really think I do know how to use visual storytelling in my art", no need to feel bad! This stuff often doesn't get spell out very clearly for us artists.

But you do want to stay tuned for what I have coming down the pipes in the next few weeks.

Give me an emoji in the comments if your interest is piqued.

12/02/2021

Phew, it's been a long time coming. Starting in May of 2020 I began workin on a set of drawings called "The Contorted & The Elated". They were created in odd 20-30 minute increments wedged in between walking the dog and making breakfast for my kid. Soon I'll bind them all into a little drawing booklet. I hope you enjoy them :)

On Drawing: 'Hey, I'm Carolin Peters. I'm a painter, art instructor and owner of Cura Studios, an online art studio for lapsed and intermittent artists ready to get down to business and build true skills so they can find their own unique creative voice. In my own artwork I combine my love for nature...

11/18/2021

This used to be impossible for me.

For the longest time I wasn't able to draw the kind of things I wanted to.

I'd be stuck with copying photographs, doing straightforward portraits or figure drawing work, but I didn't have the ability to draw the kind of imaginative, narrative images that truly expressed my own creativity. Especially not from imagination.

I love teaching these skills to my students so they can record themselves authentically.

I'm curious, do you know why you're drawing? Do you know what kind of art you want to create and what kind of techniques to use to do so?

11/17/2021

What's your favorite drawing technique?
This one is a charcoal lift-out method and it's great for creating a moody atmosphere.
Instead of beginning with lines you begin with compressed charcoal blocks and shapes, and then you erase out your lights.
I love that it forces me to give up control.
So spill, do you have any favorites?

11/10/2021

What do you do when you don't have a strong light shadow pattern to work with in your portrait?

That's the question I pursued in this demo drawing of the beautiful Bonita.

As you swipe right you can see how my shading relies heavily on my understanding of the facial planes.

Once you know how value changes with the surface orientation to the light, in combination with local value you can shade your portraits with or without strong shadows.

How about you?
Do you rely on shadows to get your values going?

11/05/2021

Oh what?! How do you shade again?
Having fun prepping all the lessons for the full value module.

10/30/2021

Can you say eye-socket?!?
Been having way too much fun working on the lessons on drawing facial features this week.
What's your favorite feature to draw?
✏️👁️👃👄👂✏️

10/24/2021

Therapeutic bird drawing. What puts you into the weekend spirit?

10/19/2021

You ready for this?!
Better Portraits Academy just opened for registration and I'm wondering if I'll get to draw with you this time around?

Starting next Monday you'll get a weekly lesson module to work your way through, including slideshow lectures, demo videos, supportive pdfs, model twice images & assignment examples. Each following Monday we'll meet live (on zoom) and practice the lessons together and do some feedback sessions.
That is if you sign up, of course!

This course will take the guesswork and overwhelm out of portrait drawing and guide you to establish a solid methodology for building your portrait drawings, regardless of the medium you're using.

Learn about
*the underlying structure of the head, *the key landmarks
* Proportions
*Facial features from all angles
*Applying values
*Creating a satisfying finish
*Different techniques

If you do well with a logical and structured learning approach, experienced in your own pace and space, and you've been meaning to get down to business with your portrait drawing skills, then check out the course and get signed up. (The link is in the bio or at www.artisapractice.com/classes

And if you're still reading this, here's a little reward, anyone on my email list gets an early bird sign up coupon code. It'll expire tomorrow, so you have until then to get on my email list ( that link is on my bio, too) 🎁

10/16/2021

Guess whose drawing this is!
It's my daughter's very first attempt at drawing a person.
She was about two years old.
I had my sister in law tattoo it on my wrist because the impulse to draw humans (and animals) is one of the delights I hold most dear. Seeing it bud in Penny felt incredibly special.
And we all have this impulse.
It's innate. But not all of us continue.
I see my kid get frustrated when her drawings don't look the way she wants them to and almost give up. I get annoyed when my drawings turn out like crap, too. That tension between delight and disappointment is ever present, too.
And yet, I keep going back for more.
You, too?!

10/14/2021

Name this lady!
For inktober/artober/birdtober/octobear I've been focusing on radical women.
Some I draw in pen and ink, others in pencil, some with ballpoint pen.
What else do they have in common, aside from being badasses? I drew them all with a structured process which doesn't depend on the medium.
Want to learn how to do that, too?
Be sure to get on the wait-list for Better Portraits Academy.
You can find the link in my bio or at www.artisapractice.com/classes

10/13/2021

What are your looking forward to tonight?
Unwinding and doing nothing, watching a good show, doing a little sketch?
I have some work left to do and then I'll snag some sketching time.
What will it be for you?