Introducing Estelle Asmodelle - Artist of the Day

If you're looking for your daily dose of art inspiration, you don't have to look further. Here we have Estelle Asmodelle today, an amazing abstract artist also known as an Australian model, belly dancer, musician, activist, inventor, and academic. If anyone has ever told you being beautiful, smart and talented at the same time is impossible, well, let me prove they're wrong.

Hostile World by Estelle Asmodelle

Asmodelle's art gallery is a real collection of masterpieces, painted with the finest quality professional Liquitex acrylic paints, using the style of abstract expressionism. It's not hard to fall in love with her style, the powerful colours she uses, the wild and passionate compositions which enchanted me at first sight.

Estelle Asmodelle, born in Australia in 1964, started painting as a child, had her first exhibition at the age of 10 at the Berrima District Art Show. After school she started painting abstract pieces which were displayed at public arts events and finally she had her first solo exhibition ‘The 26 Cent Exhibition' at Wollongong City Gallery and, because it happened to be successful, her works were also shown at the Sydney University Art Department. 

The Journey by Estelle Asmodelle

Without any exaggeration we can say she was already successful as an artist, gaining more and more attention with her talent, during this period Asmodelle studied towards a physics and maths degree at Wollongong University.

With many years of work and notable exhibitions behind her - such as solo exhibitions in Sydney (Global Gallery, Gigi Gallery and several others) Australia, Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum Japan, and over 100 group shows including Los Angeles - her digital designs are also worth to mention as gold and silver medal awarded works within the web designer awards networks.
Estelle has published her first art book in 2010 entitled as 'Transience', containing a collection of her canvas works created over a period of 20 years, also this year she's planning a second book with the title 'Aesthetic in Abstraction', focusing on her digital works.

Angels waiting in the Wings by Estelle Asmodelle

To see more of her works, you can check her Facebook gallery and also her works are available to purchase at her store which contains more than 100 original paintings by her!

#ARTOFTHEDAY 05.20.17

Beautiful photoshoot by @achrafbaznani (Achraf Baznani) Moroccan Artist Photographer as today's #artoftheday!

#ARTOFTHEDAY 05.18.17

This 16 years old girl, Ellie ROCKS! Here's today's #artoftheday by @bleakdrawing! Hope we can see more of her works soon!

5 Ways to Get Inspired - Tips for Artists

Many times I feel I have so much things to say and then when I sit down to share my thoughts I see the white sheet in front of me and I can't fill it. Same thing happens when I try to draw. If you ever had a similar experience I have some useful tips for you!

#1 Use Pinterest!

If you haven't used it yet it's time to create an account and jump in!

I can spend hours browsing amazing illustrations, ideas, or even tutorials. 
My method is to create a (secret) board for every project I feel I need to be more inspired about. 

I browse Pinterest in an actual topic and I don't only save pictures but videos, short films, music and even expressions, quotes, poems. 

I know it sounds simple but it really helps me while brainstorming and gives me new ideas every time.

#2 Watch Short Films!

I don't know how much time you've got so I won't tell you to watch a full movie at the topic you're looking for inspiration, but watching a short film takes only a few minutes and can be very inspiring!

I remember the day I've watched The Black Hole. 
I guess that's when I began to draw with ink. 

Short films are very impulsive because they don't have much time to impress; this is why they work very well and can indicate radical thoughts, feelings and expressions.

#3 Dream!

There are hundreds of exercises on the Internet teaching you how to induce dreaming and how to control your dreams. 

Lucid dreaming is a good option to look into your mind and meet your thoughts in an unusual way. 

When I used to learn how to control my dreams I remember a few times I could tell I'm dreaming but I just sat in my dream and let the thing and words and pictures flow out and come to life in front of me. 

I imagined a huge white wall as my "paper sheet" and the pictures drew themselves to the wall. 

When I woke up I had concrete pictures and forms and ideas in my head. If you're an open-minded experimental type give it a try!

#4 Move!

Moving rests your mind and helps reduce stress. 

It will freshen your body and also your thoughts. 

Many of my friend use to go for a long run when they face a problem which they can't find a solution for. 

They go for a run and just let go of their thoughts and things are just flashing in while they are moving. 

I have personal experiences as well, so if you run out of good ideas and creativity, boost them with a good run!

#5 Go Social!

I often make that mistake that I isolate myself because when I create I like do it alone and sometimes this means a few days or even weeks of silence.

There's nothing wrong with it when you work- but what if you just vegetate waiting for inspiration? 

Talk to others, go out forget the whole thing for a while - creativity is not something you can force. 
When you feel burned out you need new impulses to turn your mind on. 
We can often forget it how important it is to get 'fresh' experiences. 

It's also useful to sometimes talk to other artists. You can share your works with each other which can easily lead you to a new project. 

Use social media sites like Instagram, Tumblr, Facebook and Twitter to collect some artists around you!

The Art of Someone with Borderline Personality Disorder

This post is an exception because this was drawn by me. I started another blog about BPD (Borderline Personality Disorder) where I share my everyday experiences. Feel free to read this "memoire".

dailybpd.blogspot.com

Find Mentors, Agencies and Contact Them Easily - FStop.fm

fstop.fm is a Los Angeles based website for visual artists, studios, agencies and models, created by volunteers to begin a conversation between artists. It's still a beta version so some of the functions are still under construction but fstop.fm is already great!

Get Discovered, Get Connected

Finding an agency, a mentor is never an easy game. It's hard to get featured on art blogs, InstaGalleries with more than 20k followers or other, already famous and successful artists' blogs. There are so many great artists competing with each other to get discovered and maybe you feel like it's totally impossible to be the lucky one. Now everyone have got a chance to decide who they want to work with and the best thing is, that it's not necessary to write long motivation letters to get some attention. Just complete your profile and let the miracle happen!

Here's our Profile! Connect us to get featured!

https://www.fstop.fm/#p/ftrstudios

How It Works?

FStop is free to use. As a photographer, model, stylist, or other creative, you can use it to find other visual creatives to work with. It's also a totally new and innovative platform to sell your services to consumers and businesses if you're a business or consumer. Feel free to hire photographers, models, and more.
FStop allows you to filter users based on your needs, submit casting calls through the browse feature, and post to the FStop Feed (in the web app) to share your work. You don't have to be a professional to use the site, but there's an option to mark if you're one.

Like Tinder but for Business Purposes

Photo from fstop.fm

FStop works like a simple mobile application just to make everything easier! It's like tinder, but for business purposes. Swipe left, swipe right depending on who you'd be happy to work with. If there's a match, you're on your way! You can filter and browse profiles to meet exactly the people you need. First, you create your profile and start swiping. At the moment, you can upload nine pictures of you or your works but it's also possible to connect your Instagram profile with your FStop account. After identifying profiles that interest you - send some messages and make some art! You can also begin and submit casting calls with the same filters that you use to browse users.
Once you're done, you can write reviews on one another and share your creations on the FStop Feed. 

They also have a mobile app for both iOS and Android.

See our FStop profile and contact us any time! You can also post reviews about us. Feel free to share your experiences with others!

#ARTOFTHEDAY 05.11.17

Love this stuff so much! #artoftheday for today by @ed_wainaina! Enjoy it and let us know what you think!

#ARTOFTHEDAY 05.07.17

Today's #artoftheday by Hungarian portrait artist @vsm_one (Marcell Varga)! Follow him to see his amazing works!

Leave a comment below to let us know what you think about it!

#ARTOFTHEDAY 05.06.17

Such an exciting painting by @nuwarhol also today's #artoftheday !

Leave a comment below, let us know what you think!

#ARTOFTHEDAY 05.05.17

Here we are with today's favourite artwork painted by Haitian American artist @jafleu! Check his Instagram gallery if you'd like to see more of his colourful faces!

Leave a comment below to tell what you think about this masterpiece!

#ARTOFTHEDAY

Today's best work by @serhatalparslan ! Check his profile for more! It's so amazing what people can do with some ink on a white paper sheet. Serhat Alparslan studies at Kocaeli University, creates mostly sketches in black and white. His style and works worth a closer look, he's amazingly talented. His works can be seen at his Instagram gallery and you can also contact him via email.

Feel free to tell us what you think about it!

#DAILYART

Here's #artoftheday by @numpara_ana ! Check her Instagram for more!

Do you like it? Leave a comment below!

#DAILYART

Even shelves can be inspiring! Today's #artoftheday by @likidddsign. Make sure you check out his Instagram gallery for more!

#DAILYART

Today's #artoftheday is this cool digital painting made by Serbian artist @the_art_of_rez! From now we gonna share a work every day we find with hashtag #artoftheday! 

However, it's not easy to pick only one!

Dark Creatures of Ink and Paper - The Art of Justell Vonk

Hard to describe with worlds what it feels like to look at the chilling drawings of Justell Vonk, 30 years old Russian artist living in Moscow currently. Her drawings could easily fit into Grimm's fairy tales, however, he uses her dreams and her expressions as inspiration.

Old Playmate by Justell Vonk

It’s always such a pleasure to have a conversation with someone this talented! I'm still wondering how artists can use colors to express themselves but working without colors can be just as exciting and Justell Vonk is the best example to demonstrate it.

- Justell Vonk is my artistic name. Currently I reside in Moscow, Russia but moving soon to Europe, closer to Baltic Sea. I'm Russian by original and I realized that making people to try to pronounce my real name is too cruel. My major inspirations are my dreams. And my dreams in their turn are heavily influenced by conversations I have with people, books I read and movies I watch.  I saw the major outlines of the drawings being already half asleep or sometimes half awake. I usually also have a title of a work popping up in my mind along with those outlines. When I begin putting first lines on paper the paper shows me the rest of the drawing and all the details that I need to add.

- Have you got a favourite artist?

- I can't name a favourite artist as there are lots of influences on my art that came from movies, fine arts, music. There would be a way too long list. Among my long term inspirations are Gustave Dore, Salvador Dali, David Cronenberg, HR Giger, HP Lovecraft.

- Currently I'm working with black ink in paper only but recently I also began to learn

"Futur" by Justell Vonk

tattooing. And I've got to draw or to paint something on metal surface for one of the upcoming shows, so probably I'll begin to paint again.

- Have you ever made an exhibition of your works?

- I have never had a personal show yet but I exhibited my works several times already. Early June my works will be on show during Wave-Gotik-Treffen in Leipzig and then I've got couple more shows planned this year, in the USA and Germany.

- I also sell my artworks, both originals and art prints. They are available through my Etsy store and I'm open for commissions as well!

If you are intereseted in her works, don't forget to check Instagram gallery, too, where you can find more of her artworks.

Now let's take a closer look at the amazing drawings of Justell Vonk:

Childhood Dreams Turned into Pantings - Maria Neri

Last time we've talked about nightmares and the opportunities of using them correctly in art. Now we have to show you the opposite way, when dreams are fitting into children's storybooks.

Reconstruction by Maria Neri - This girl slowly rebuilds herself from her pieces.

Maria Neri lives in Guadalajara - largest city of the Mexican state of Jalisco - works as a freelancer illustrator. Her works are actually inspired by children's books but mixing the elements of pop culture with surrealism. These paintings are calming and expressive at the same time telling a whole story on a single canvas.

- I mostly work with aquarell, gouache and acril. I had some exhibitions at the local art gallery. I've painted for many years but only the last 6 years professionally. - My goal is to vivify my characters, show their story, their feelings, expressions and build a whole universe around them. Every painting comes to life in its own reality. They're like the dreams we've had in our childhood.I want them to look like they're coming from fairy tales.

La Creacion - Maria Neri

La Creation - This character is just staring at you. Staring at you with her own message in her eyes - that creating comes from your heart. 

- I can say I have some favourite artists, like Shaun Tan and Jimmy Liao. I find Rebecca Dautremmer very inspiring as well.

Maria Neri's art is more than just some girls looking through us. They are looking into us, into our soul and into our everyday lives. They're telling us to stop for a moment and recognize those small things we all knew as a child. Those small things that can make a change in our personality, even in our lives. We have to take a deep breath and find our pieces; then patch together ourselves while noticing the beauty of existing. 

- I have a blog where I share my works, - better to say my painted stories - but people can also find me on Instagram as @maria_neri76. They can direct message me there if they are interested in my works.

Conspiracy by Maria Neri - Little creatures are collaborating to help us while we are dreaming.

Beautiful Nightmares - Introducing Clinton Meister

If you have seen David Lynch's terrifying movie "Eraserhead", you're a die-hard fan of Tim Burton which I myself am, or ever read an Edgar Allen Poe novel you know what I'm talking about when I say "a good kind of darkness". Nightmares can be beautiful as well.

"Nightmare Journal: I'm seven years old, playing with my best friend in the soy bean field across from our trailer park. I ask him to get some more stalks for the fort ware building.
He is no longer visible."

The connection between darkness and beauty is always a hard thing to consider. Some people identify it simply with skulls and demonic creatures, satanic tattoos and goth girls wearing black lipstick. This time we show you another kind of dark-themed art by Clinton Meister, 42 lives in a small suburb of Philadelphia Pennsylvania, can be found as @cmeisterartz on Instagram. You don't have to be an expert to tell what he's doing is high quality art. However, he never took art lessons he's works could easily be the illustration of your book or just a picture on the wall you can't get bored with.

In Heaven Everything is Fine by Clinton M.

- What's inspiring you?

- My inspiration comes from numerous places, I suppose. - says Clinton. - A lot of it comes from favorite writers and musicians and movies I love. With the icon series I took a lot from pop culture. This is an icon of Eraser Head. The icons were heavily influenced by Greek Orthodox art in Astoria, Queens NY. 

This piece is titled "In Heaven everything is Fine." It is pen and ink and gold acrylic paint on Mixed Media Paper.

- Some of my work is heavily influenced by nightmares I had from a child up to now. I sometimes suffer from severe night terrors, so I try to capture some of these reoccurring images on paper. 

"The wind begins to howl and the dried bears shake like rattles in their pods. The sky turns to night. From the darkness appears the man, covered in blood. I knew it was the blood of my friend. My dog attempts to attack, but is suspended in mid-air.
I know it's over for me."

Elephaskelter by Clinton Meister

- And sometimes - he continues - I like to just do ridiculous cartoons of insane people like Charles Manson.
My favorite artist is R. Crumb. His style and execution is remarkable. I also enjoy Barry McGee and Thomas Campbell as far as music goes. When I draw, I tend to listen to a lot of blues like Robert Johnson and Skip James. Otherwise, I'm prone to putting on a podcast like Last Podcast on the Left or Lore, or My Favorite Murder. I seldom watch television unless it's a movie.

- You never took an art class. So how did you end up as an artist?

- I was a theater nerd and communications major. I started drawing seriously after some rough patches in 2002 and haven't looked back. Since then I have participated in numerous group shows in Philadelphia and NYC. Had a couple solo exhibitions and am currently planning on getting back into showing after a three year hiatus!

- Is it possible to buy your drawings? If yes, where?

I have a Facebook page, I prefer to sell through there. I have both prints and originals available. I don't use a nickname, when I was a kid I was called as Pumpkin head. As an adult, my name pretty much works!

Make sure you check Clinton's page to see his freaking amazing drawings!

The man in the bean field by Clinton Meister

The World of Doodles - Logan Smith

Using the „art” hashtag on Instagram is a good activity against boredom. You can find literally every style of visual arts but there are some real masterpieces out there deserve to be more famous than they actually are. 

Logan Smith's work for Dungeon Drawing Dudes 

We can find so much fine artists on platforms like Instagram, DeviantArt or even Facebook that we don’t have the time to pay attention to the most of them.

 Logan Smith, 29, has twin boys and a little girl with a full time job is a good example of the artists that are worth to be popular. Finding his Instagram account „doodle_smitts” was a big and pleasant surprise. His art is so unique, so creative and fun it just sucked me in. 

  - Did you ever have an exhibition of your artworks? - We interviewed him via email to get to know him better, Logan kindly answered our questions. 

  - No, I've never really displayed my stuff anywhere or had a booth or anything like that. When I do get time to create stuff it's in the side room that we've turned into an art/music studio. Right now people can just message me through Instagram if they are interested in my artworks but I'm gonna have an Etsy link on there soon as well.

  His drawings, evoke the  atmosphere of Courage the Coward Dog, Adventure Time, SpongeBob Squarepants and all the cartoons with those „a bit scary but in a good way”-graphics made me feel nostalgic . Logan himself likes cartoons and comics as well, he picked Bill Watterson, creator of Calvin and Hobbes as his favourite artist.

Logan Smith -  Kenku Druid

  - Most of my inspiration comes from very random thoughts that just pop in my head I start sketching it as soon as I get grab a pad. I use a black brush pen and watercolors but I don't really follow the „manual” as far as my technique goes . - He continues - I never took art lessons, didn't even take art in high school. I started drawing pretty young but I've had large chunks where I didn't draw anything at all in my life, years,  couple of times.

Logan Smith - Spider Biker

 - What kind of circumstances are ideal for you to work?

  - I love deadlines actually, if I'm doing a drawing challenge or the rare commission the time crunch makes me do my best stuff. I also listen to music while drawing. - Reacting to the question which his favourite band is, he said: that's a tough one, like picking your favorite kid or something!

 - What is your purpose?

  - Sounds cliche but my family for sure, as far as goals I'd really like  to have a printing business and incorporate my own  designs and quit my day job one day.

One thing for sure: if Logan Smith would open an art gallery, it  would be worth to visit. 'Til then we  suggest all of you to take a look  at his Instagram gallery, where you can also order some of  his original works via direct message!

The Rabbit Hole of Imagination - Manuel Mesones' Imaginarium

Manuel Mesones' Imaginarium is a dark place. And a magic place, an epic place and we could continue this list endlessly. "Manuel Mensones - Chasing dragons since 1973" - it says a lot about our next artist we take a closer look at.

"Regarding illustration, once I read: “The devil might be in the details, but so is the heart of a story”, I couldn’t agree more. My favourite subjects are sci-fi and dark, gritty, fantasy. My weapon of choice is the humble ballpoint pen for drawing and shading. I normally paint my illustrations digitally using a good old Wacom. Though I prefer sketching with pencil first to then scan my artwork into the computer." - introduces himself Manuel Mesones at his blog, and it describes his style perfectly, there are still no worlds to fully describe his artworks created in many styles.

This is not only us thinking he is multifarious. Looking at the comment section of his Facebook page said exactly what I was thinking. People used the words like weird, fantastic, cool, and dark multiple times, so many men, so many minds.

Let's stop here for a moment. In my opinion, his graphics are strongly evoking the style of comic books - but they are so much more. I really can't say that his Facebook profile is a simple gallery - it's an imaginarium! Dark cotton clouds with legendary dragons flying trough them, Zelda like characters fighting with thousand years old gold plated swords, travelling through maps from Lord of the Rings, meeting with the Avengers in the X-Men dimension. Does it sound weird? Sometimes less is more, but not here, not now.

Well, let's take a look at his works, but you need to know that you still haven't seen anything:

It's your task to decide you like it or not. We just fell in love with Manuel Mesones fantasy world!

For more of his works, see his website here!