I’m 32 days into a 100 day project of little paintings to reclaim moments of creative joy with no strings attached – a daily reminder of what made me want to be an “artist” in the first place. I’m posting daily on my Instagram account @stephdillondesign
I have neglected posting for too long! "Abstract Forest" will be uploaded to all my sites over the next day or so, so keep checking back for clothing, pillows, and more with the new print!!! The original drawing is going to be for sale at a local art show (if my application passes). Find all my art product sites here: https://linktr.ee/okhismakingart
Sensuality, power and fertility - meditative layers and tangles of flowers, weeds, and grasses. A bee emerges, free! Ultimately a positive message of hope!
...initially was going to replace the spiders meal for a banana (referring to the piece #Comedian created by artist #Maurizio_Cattelan)...but just could not do it. Had some good conversation about the concept, so hope it leads to more.
Instead, it has lead me to explore some other ideas.
Wanted to paint something soft - something my kids might like. What is more gentle and peaceful-looking than a sleeping koala? Check out the full timelapse painting here https://youtu.be/IxmUol8dsBs
Inspired by nature. Background layer of the pages are covered by Greenpeace's newsletter papers and used mixed technique with acrylic, ecoline and markers.
I’m often asked about my Bic pen drawings and how I do them. It starts with a good foundational drawing, the ballpoint pen part is just trying to colour within the lines. I try to do my best to explain the process, but the best way to show my progress is by posting my efforts to master pen drawings over the span of 3 or so years. I have been doodling/drawing with ballpoint pens as far back as I can remember - they were cheap, readily available and always lying around the house. It wasn’t until I was bored during a particularly long team meeting-conference call (around 2016-17) that I started to think about the possibilities of ballpoint pens as serious portrait illustration tools. My first experiments with full colour ink portrait drawings were rather crude, but that’s the point of learning new techniques—as long as the curiosity and the love of drawing is there, you can transfer that skill and passion into any medium. Remember, the most exquisite drawings and paintings you see didn’t materialise fully formed, they started out as failed experiments. Failure after failure after failure. It’s important to remember this when you get discouraged (I've failed spectacularly over the years). The only difference between the accomplished artist and the beginner is hundreds of hours of practice. Talent can only get you so far. It’s the hard work that you do behind the scenes that makes your work look effortless. Keep doodling. Keep learning. Stay curious.
