12.14.2011

Cheating Your Creativity

I think about what it is to be an Artist lately. What does it take to truly call yourself an Artist. Who makes the conclusions that you really are, in fact, an Artist.

Theoretically, we are all an Artist. By some form or another, if we are involved in a any form of creating, we exceed well at, and continue to progress at, you can be considered an Artist. But that is not what I am wanting t talk about. I have been thinking lately, about the Industry and the Culture I choose to be a part of. Tattoo Artistry and Fine Arts. A community of Creators, and Inspiring minds. Making 3d illusions of space, depth, and dimension on a 2d plane. People that compose masterpieces, that sometimes only the collector themselves can consider it being.
The way I look at it, to consider yourself a true Artist, one should be able to truly create something from nothing. Whatever medium it is, I believe a true artist should be seasoned in the basics of design and composition.

I did not attend college, nor did I learn an extensive amount of artistry in high school. But I did learn about the basics. Almost every art class I had, from kindergarten all the way up through high school, every Art class taught the basics. Shape, Form, Structure and Dimension. How to draw the shapes. How to create points of perspective. How to shop distance and depth through overlapping, and size differences. How to create shadows and tones with only one color. The Color Wheel, and how to use it to create every color, tint, tone and shadow there is. All of these things are basics, taught on a fundamentals level. For anyone interested in wanting to learn. It is with all this information taht you can begin to experiment and create.

One basic teaching that is learned as well, is the ability to draw in Real Time. Or being able to draw what is in front of you. Still Life. Figure Drawing. Looking at a subject matter, and portraying it on a 2d surface. It is here, that I believe is one of the main factors that can define a true Artist. The ability to be able to put yourself in front of a subject matter, and create what you see, accurately, and as true as possible. I do not mean it has to be an exact replication with every dent, ding, wrinkle and shadow there is. But I do believe that anyone that looks at whatever it is you created, and compares it to the subject you were looking at, they will see what you were doing and be able to understand it.

When it comes down to the Tattoo Industry now a days, it is sad to see that so much of it has been high jacked. By people who are considering themselves to be Artists, when in fact, the work they create is more times than not, a poor replication of a tracing of a picture . . .

Now before you jump down my throats abut this I must say, I fully understand the advantages of Tracing Inspirational line works and line studies. This part of becoming a tattooer is essential to the apprenticeship. It teaches movements, and line weights and use of line work in both positive and negative ways. But being able to trace Does Not make you an Artist.

Another way I see the term Artist get high jacked in the Tattoo Industry, is the rise of Realism and Portraiture Tattoos. How can you tell the difference on who the Artist is from who the Replicator is? It will be hard. There are some really good replicators out there. The difference would come down to time when they will be challenged to draw a custom, or commissioned drawing. Not necessarily a portrait, but something with different layers to it. Even then, sometimes the only way to tell is by seeing the process.

It is at this point that I have unfortunately lost a little emotion for some artists that I used to draw a lot of inspiration from. I would follow their websites, and/or social network pages, and I would catch a Progress shot from a project they are currently working on. Where most people would see a canvas or board with some reference markings, I would see something different. As a tattooer, I made it a point to learn as much as I could, therefore making my portfolio open to as many styles as I could. When I learned to do Portrait tattoos, I had to learn the proper techniques to creating a readable, accurate stencil. Making that tattoo that much more successful. After learning these techniques, and having them stored in my brain, I would be able to recognize portrait tattoo style stenciling. Step back to when I follow some of those websites, I would see a progress shot, with portrait tattoo style stenciling on it.

To make this happen in short form, one would trace the stencil straight off the photo of the reference. Thus making all the shapes, dimensions, lines, shadows, highlights and tonal changes EXACT to the photo. How does this then make it to canvas? Could be a few ways. Back lighting a stretched canvas with a blown up stencil taped to it, makes a makeshift light box transfer. Wood or other materials could have a carbon stencil transferred to them by hand, or by tattoo application. Then there is also tracing a projection of the image.

Once this process is completed, the only real thing the person is doing, is turning a tracing of a photograph into a coloring book on canvas. They are cheating themselves by not challenging themselves to become a more progressive and advanced artist. During the color process, or filler process of the art, the creator can give the illusion of artistry by applying different techniques in fades and shadows and use of color. But my opinion on the matter, this is not to be considered Artist. As Chris Rock told Jason Lee, "You not an Artist, you a tracer. You trace someone else's work and color it. You a Tracer." (Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back)

The techniques I described above I do not want to deem useless for an artist. There is just a time and a place for them to be used. And I believe it should be the complete creation of the artist using them, and not a tracing of someone or something else.

So be it Tattooing, or Fine Art creating. I believe a true Artist possesses the ability to create from scratch. Use references, we all do. Get motivated by someone else's art, we all do. Practice, and trace the lines and movements and fades of other artists, we all do. But understand how all of these things work, then use the understanding, and apply it.

But Please, Challenge yourself! Challenge yourself to create. Draw from life. Draw something that is in front of you. Put something in front of you and draw it. Paint it. Mold it. Shape it. Build it. Whatever you do to create. Just do not limit yourself to tracing and replicating other peoples things. It waters down the Body of Art, and it slows down the Creative movement this culture continues to create.

Telling your story, and speaking with your passion, and portraying your voice in your art will be much more inspirational for both you, your collectors, and your fans. It will take practice, over and over and over again. But it will pay off . . .


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