1-Who are you?

Hi, my name is Lidia and I am from Poland. I studied art at the Academy of Fine Art in Poznań, where I earned two Master Degrees (yay to me!) in design (which I chose because I thought it will give me good start in future) and sculpture (which I chose, because I liked it). Despite all that, I’m not making my living neither from design, nor sculpture.

Other than drawing and painting I also like writing fantasy novels (only one finished so far…), knitting, doing embroidery or other crafts - I like to keep my hands busy with something, even while I’m watching movies.

2-What do you do for a living? How does making art fit in your life?

I work as DTP graphic in a large-format printing house. It’s not a very creative job, but (in contrary to many other artists) I prefer financial stability over freelance freedom.

From time to time I do some small commissions, even for my employer. It’s not much, but it gives me fun and a nice break from the monotonous work. If I could choose, I would like to do a little bit of this and that, to keep a nice balance between creative and non-creative work.

3-How would you describe your art style? What do you think helped you develop it?

I don’t think I have one style. I can make realistic portraits but also cartoons. You may say I can easily adjust my style depending of the task's needs, client's wish, my personal artistic vision or just my current mood. I think such an elasticity is one of my advantages.

My firsts drawings were animals. I especially loved horses. After a visit to a circus (I was no more than 5 years old) horses dominated my drawings. I depicted them (mostly) standing on the hind legs and with a plume on the top of their heads, just like the ones I saw in the circus. For years I’ve been drawing animals I've seen in books, or - much later - at the zoo.

So that was where my artistic path started. Animals are still my favourite subject of art, whenever it’s realistic painting or children book illustrations.

But my inspiration does not end there. I admire artists like Alfons Mucha, Jacek Malczewski, Pre-Raphaelites. I’ve also been much influenced by fantasy books by Tolkien, Sapkowski or Eddings.

Of course manga, anime and Japanese art left a mark on me too - from Sailor Moon to Ghibli, from Hokusai to Yoshitaka Amano.

4-What helps you find inspiration personally?

The most important is to get in the right mood. Suitable music, an interesting book or movie, a lovely walk in the woods can pull the right string. It’s also good to check out what other artists that I follow on social media are creating right now. Or searching on Pinterest - just be careful not to sit there too long.

Most of all, before I start a new drawing or painting, I like to give myself time to think through the piece I’m going to make. What is the subject and how can I make it interesting? What kind of style and medium should I use? It takes me a day or a week… or even longer…

5-Is there an interesting Youtube art channel, art book or any other type of art resource you would like to recommend for other artists to check out?

Although I paint in Procreate lately, I actually prefer to watch the work of traditional artists over digital ones. Seeing them painting or drawing gives me a peace of mind and motivates me to do more art. For example Alpay Efe's elaborate, ascetic paintings made me want to try oil paints myself, but in Procreate.

I also admire the surreal worlds by Greg Simkins (GregSimkinsArt on YouTube), although his degree of realism is beyond my reach.

Other than that I think Marco Bucci is worth mentioning, because he is a source of great artistic knowledge. I especially recommend his 10 Minutes to Better Painting series - it reminded me many things I learned on art studies (and forgot a bit since then).

And of course I must mention Ittai Manero's YouTube channel, where one can learn how to effectively use all his brush sets.

6-When did you discover digital art? How was your first ever experience with Procreate? What role plays Procreate in your everyday life?

I discovered digital art a few years after I finished my studies. It started when I bought a Wacom Bamboo graphic tablet. I must have seen some YouTube videos where people were drawing awesome pictures in Photoshop and PaintTool Sai. I wanted to draw like that too! At the beginning it wasn’t easy to learn to draw with the tablet while my eyes were set on the computer screen, but eventually I mastered the technique. Still wasn’t very happy with my work. It was hard to “feel” the digital tool. But I made a few nice pictures, and many vector designs for a variety of clients.

I really never wanted an iPad. I thought it was just an expensive toy that I didn't need and that would not make me draw more. But then my friend got herself an iPad Pro so I had an opportunity to try it out and I loved it right away.

Needless to say, I bought myself an iPad. Since I don’t take many commissions right now, I’m using it (and Procreate) mostly for fun and to improve my art. I want to stay active on this field, because I know how easy is to get your hand and skills rusty.

7-What’s a pro art tip you discovered recently? How are you using it in your art?

The best art tip? Learn how to use your tools.

I’ve been using Procreate since last December, so there are still some features or techniques I don’t know about. Lately I found a very helpful video on YouTube: “26 Hidden Procreate Features” by Brad Colbow. It did not teach me how to be a better digital artist, but it made my life easier. To improve my art and learn how efficiently use brushes in Procreate, I watch Ittai Manero's channel.

8-What is your favorite Procreate Manero brush set and why?

I don’t think I have one yet, but I only own two sets: The Watercolor Experience and The Sketchbook Experience. Watercolors are awesome but - just like the real ones - are hard to master, however the end result is really amazing.

Recently I made a picture using an oil brush (called "Super wet flat brush") from the Thick Paint free mini set and I loved it too. It may have to be my next purchase… this and the Epic Pastels set (I saw videos and I was very impressed).

Also I love the brushes from the Manero Brushes monthly challenges. My favourites are - so far - those from last February, April, June and September.

9-Where can people check out your art?

I can be found on Instagram as @keliose001.

👉 Go to Lidia's Instagram

My older works (including sculptures) are on el-te.deviantart.com

👉 Go to Lidia's DeviantArt

Artist Spotlight is a place where I'm interviewing artists that I personally admire, who's art I find very inspiring, and that also happen to use Procreate and my brushes as part of their artistic routine. Watch this space for more interviews in the future, and make sure to check each artist's links to show your support!

Find the full info about The Watercolor Experience and The Sketchbook Experience brush sets for Procreate by clicking the button below. You can also save 25% when getting the bundle pictured above these lines!

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Cheers!

Ittai

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