Wednesday, April 22, 2009

FEATURED ETSY SHOP - ART BY SARAH PITTMAN

Pegasus, Original Fantasy Art in Coloured Pencil
by
SARAH PITTMAN


WELCOME, Sarah Pittman and her Etsy shop which she calls ART BY SARA PITTMAN. Being a fantasy artist myself, I'm always fascinated how other fantasy artists make use of their creativity, and what mediums they use to express it. Sarah has some truly fantastic, colorful work, so be sure to pay her shop a visit. First, let's learn a bit more about Sarah.


I’m a fairy, fantasy and animal artist based in the UK, I work for the most part in coloured pencils, Faber Castell Polychromos pencils being my pencils of choice, although you’ll sometimes see other mediums pop up, and occasionally other subject matter too, because although most of my pieces are fantasy or animal related I do go wherever my muse drags me. I’ve been drawing seriously for around six years and started selling my work in 2007 and I always find it a little hard to part with originals (but I think most artists are the same) but on the same note I’m obviously pleased when somebody likes a piece enough to buy it, so I know its going to a good home and will be looked after. Im currently selling my work through Etsy and Artfire.

What led you to start creating your art/craft?

I think I got the art bug from my parents who were both creative, and I grew up watching films like Labyrinth, Dark Crystal, Legend etc., which are still some of my favourite films to this day, and we always had pets around, so really its not much of a surprise that two of the main subjects in my art are animals and fairies. I can't remember a time that I haven’t loved both.

How did you decide what medium you wanted to work with?

About six years ago, after having done nothing creative whatsoever for a year or two (and before that only sketching and doodling really), I started drawing again. It was around this time that I came across ATC’s and joined a few trading groups, which I think really helped me get back into the swing of things. ATC’s were perfect because it meant I could experiment with lots of different mediums on a smaller scale, plus I had other artists to talk to for advice if I needed help with anything in particular. I think I first picked up the coloured pencils because I had some cheap ones laying about the house, and I liked the way you had a lot of control with laying the colour down. Shortly after that, I started looking for tips and advice about how to use them, but found I had a huge problem with layering and certain techniques because of the quality of the pencils - so as soon as I could, I invested in a set of artist quality pencils, and I haven’t touched others since. I could tell the difference as soon as I started playing around with them. The colours went down so much smoother and the colours themselves were much richer. I think I just got hooked, because even though I do use other mediums occasionally, coloured pencils are still my favourite.

What aspect of creating your art/craft do you find the most enjoyable?

I’m not sure. I find the whole process equally enjoyable, but I think I probably find it most satisfying when I finish a piece I’m really pleased with and I can look at it and say I wouldn’t change a thing. And of course its always exciting when somebody comes across a piece of your art that they love just as much as you do.

If you had to choose one other medium in which to display your “creativity”, what would that be, and why?

I think I’d choose oils. They’re something I would like to practise with and start using sometimes anyway, but I love how oil paintings can be so full of texture sometimes, you just want to run your fingers over the picture.

What message, if any, do you want to convey with your art/craft?

I draw things that make me smile, things I like or enjoy, so I haven’t really got a message behind my art, I just hope people find it fun and enjoy it as much as I do.

What advice do you have for other artists/crafters?

I think its important to make sure that you don’t fall into the trap of trying to create art that you think other people will want rather than what you actually want to do. Also, I think its always good to stretch yourself sometimes, or mix things up a little, it helps keep things fun and fresh, so set by some time to create things that nobody else is going to see and just have fun experimenting with different techniques and styles.
Gorilla, Original ACEO in coloured pencil
by Sarah Pittman
(I had to put this "big guy" out here as I love gorillas)

Sarah, thanks for not only sharing your wonderful art with us, but also your thoughts and ideas. If you want to learn and see more of Sarah's work, be sure to visit the links below.

BLOG

WORDPRESS

LIVE JOURNAL

FLICKR

ARTFIRE

TWITTER

2 comments:

Baroness Bijoutery said...

Great feature..thank you. I just when through her shop and I think my favorite is "Its My String"..Im a cat lover and that ACEO is just great...

sarah said...

Thank you so much for featuring me, and thank you Baroness Bijoutery for your lovely comments