Sara Lee, Beautiful Bizarre Artist Directory member provides some fascinating insights into her practice and experience as figurative digital artist, as she responds to the questions below:
- What do you hope to leave behind in the world through your art?
- What 3 main materials [including brand] do you use and why?
- Please share with us one of your secret artistic practices and/or rituals
- What is the most challenging part about creating art for you?
What do you hope to leave behind in the world through your art?
I hope my art continues to bring joy but also leaves behind a voice of experiences that resonates with others. I create art not only because I enjoy it, but I also use it as a means of emotional release. It has helped me navigate grief and overcome some of the most difficult periods of my life. It’s a voice given to unspoken feelings. To anyone struggling with their own emotional burdens, I hope my art can help with those feelings but also bring understanding in the process. Art can serve as a mechanism that helps us manage challenges we face during difficult times. It reminds us that we’re not alone in our feelings.
What 3 main materials [including brand] do you use and why?
Those 3 main materials would be an iPad, mechanical pencils, and oil paints. For my digital workflow, I always use Procreate on my iPad. I’ve relied on Procreate for almost everything, from finished paintings to quicker sketches to compositional studies that inform larger paintings. I can use Procreate anywhere I go. I find it to be more responsive and intuitive than a lot of other drawing programs. In fact, the digital experience closely mimics the feeling of drawing on real paper. There is just so much flexibility and versatility in this one application. I ultimately started to draw a lot more because of it.
Mechanical pencils are my preferred choice for drawing. I’ve built a collection of so many different mechanical pencils over the years. I generally love the look and feel of them. They have a lot of line control, and I don’t ever need to sharpen my pencils. My favorite brands have recently become the Ohto mechanical pencil and Pentel GraphGear 1000. The Ohto has a real wood pencil feel despite being mechanical. There’s a certain satisfying tactile quality to holding one. I appreciate its slightly chunkier build and thicker lead, which is perfect for broader strokes. The Pentel GraphGear 1000 is also a personal favorite. It has a sleek look with a comfortable grip and sturdy all metal build. With the different lead sizes, I can get a more precise line with this pencil. Overall, drawing with mechanical pencils is always a pleasure.
I’ve recently come to revive my love for oil paints. I’ve started oil painting again after many, many years of taking a hiatus from it. While I tried several different brands, including water-based oil paints, I ultimately decided to switch to traditional oil paints. I love the look, the blendability, and the slower drying nature of oil paints in general. Of all the brands, Gamblin has become a favorite. It was a recommended brand through some of the oil painting classes I recently took. It is also a preferred choice of many artists I follow. I discovered their high pigmentation, buttery and smooth consistency, and wonderful range of colors make them very enjoyable to work with.
Please share with us one of your secret artistic practices and/or rituals
I like to make digital mockups before I go to the real painting. I usually use Procreate to do this. I’ll make a sketch first to compose my layout. I will also decide on my color palette and where each color will go.
This pre-painting phase is more crucial than the actual painting itself. This is when you can make the hard decisions. It’s super helpful to do this in order to plan ahead and to avoid any costly mistakes on the final surface. Once the digital mockup is finalized, I’ll usually print it out and transfer it. For smaller-scale projects, a lightbox or transfer paper works perfectly. For larger paintings, a grid or a projector is very useful. The rest of the process is simplified to filling in the details. I think this is a good practice for those who are indecisive. This makes the rest of the painting process feel surprisingly smooth and effortless.
What is the most challenging part about creating art for you?
I want to always create art that is a reflection of me, regardless of what the theme is. Finding a balance between preserving my own artistic voice while fulfilling project briefs can be very challenging. When asked to respond to a particular theme, I might initially find it intimidating because it might not be something I’m accustomed to painting. However, that has never discouraged me. For instance, I was recently asked to create a piece about famous houses in movies even though I don’t often draw settings and buildings. The first question I always ask myself is, how can I infuse my personal style into this subject matter? I decided to work with my own color palettes and incorporate some of my usual graphic elements into the composition. While it did come with many challenges, I believe the piece came together in the end. Most importantly, I still felt like it was me.
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