Why I love Pinterest, Switching Mediums & Art Style
January. The first month of the new year marks new beginnings and the starting point of a new chapter. The point in which one and many braces themselves at the starting line. Once the clock strikes January 1st they all commence on a marathon towards goals, hopes and dreams. The Universe had other plans for me though, for once the first day of 2024 came, Miss Corona tied my shoelaces together and I face-planted onto my bed.
Visual representation of how I was feeling but actually 50x worse…
My voice was completely gone and as I lay awake, tolerating feverish sweats and a painfully scratchy throat, I distracted myself by thinking about Kiridoko and where I’d like to bring it this year. On reflection, I noticed how I hadn’t acknowledged the positive changes and improvements in my art last year.
Before I found an art style I resonated with and enjoyed, I spent hours scrolling Instagram. I would try to emulate this artist or the other, but I found myself playing the comparison game instead. Distracted by follower and like counts, I thought a specific art style or art theme was preferable or even invaluable compared to others. I bought into the popularity game and sought to “copy” those art styles that are deemed as “good or amazing art” wholly based on likes and followers.
IMO Instagram has now become so saturated that it is difficult to get much, if any, visibility. The oversaturation and need to utilize strategies such as posting reels lend to the increase in “fast art”, much like fast food, to satiate the algorithm. I just don’t enjoy Instagram much nowadays and decided to seek amazing artists elsewhere without the “trendy” art and repetitive reel composition and audio tracks.
Pinterest — a place of Inspiration
I looked towards Pinterest, a “visual discovery engine” for finding and sharing ideas such as recipes, quotes, interior design, artwork etc. Without the distraction of viewers or like counts, my self-deprecation as an artist also disappeared. Instead, I was able to discover new artists and wonderful works of art that are not trendy, but everlasting in their own uniqueness.
You can check out my Pinterest page here!
Don’t think, just Do.
Other than being exposed to different art styles and techniques, Pinterest enabled me to grow as an artist. With my sketchbook and a marker, once my homepage loaded, I challenged myself to draw something I saw from the first few images (otherwise I’d just keep scrolling and scrolling). This limits choice fatigue and saves time too. I’ve also posted some of my artwork on Pinterest too. I’m still not savvy with Pinterest and the SEO side of it, but I don’t feel pressured as I do with Instagram when posting. That’s why I love Pinterest!
Switching from Traditional Medium to Digital Art
In early 2023, I was so psyched (I still am) to be using acrylic gouache to paint and create. But… I wasn’t getting to the style I wanted… Also, I don’t enjoy scanning artwork and editing them to the standard I’m looking for! *cries in frustration. One day I saw some RISO print artwork and I thought “This is it!” I googled RISO brushes procreate and bam! I purchased some RISO-like brushes and got to creating! It was so much fun and still is because I’m constantly learning how to work certain colours together and how to create texture. I’m super grateful and happy to reach where I am now in terms of skill and style, although I have a long way to go, I am hopeful of what the future brings ;)
Here’s some artwork from last year showcasing my growth and journey as an artist that I am super proud of!
First “good” piece of art when I first started using acrylic gouache
The start of my love for borders…
First piece of art using RISO brushes on Procreate
The latest piece with RISO brushes! I love this piece because of the message of course, and the cheeky little bear character <3
If you read the entire post, I hope you got something useful out of it! I’m completely recovered now and will be getting on to creating more art for you and me to enjoy! For now, have a lovely day wherever you are.
