Somethng Old..Something New.. Something Borrowed.. and LOTS of Blue

It's amazing to me how something old, can inspire something new. I love when I'm able to go back and look through some old work that I've done, and find something new in it. Which in turn, ultimately leads to something brand new for me to create. I find that in this process, I am forever evolving and building my own signature style. For instance, look at how this old drawing lead to this new painting in the making...


SOMETHING OLD:

So this was a random sketch I started at work that slowly developed into this full blown drawing of a mermaid face. I did this last year, added color and then completely forgot about it being in my sketchbook. I loved the face, her hand placement, the opacity of her eyes. It was very eerie but beautiful at the same time. I've become known for my "Afro Girls" and I just loved the idea and an underwater afro. I like how even with her being surrounded by water, her hair still holds its shape.

If we're speaking physics, I understand 100% that this is not a possible or believable concept. The water would manipulate her hair n some sort of way. But in my universe, her hair holds its shape so...... yeah lol. Moving on, let's see how she inspired something new.

SOMETHING NEW:

As you can see, I had a few underwater mermaid ideas stem from this original sketch. I love the soft poses. It feels very feminine, very girly and peaceful. My artwork has been coined "fantasy feminism" a few times, so I really wanted to stay true to that. I've researched a few poses a few model references to get these ideas flowing and I just really wanted to stay as close to the original idea and image as I possibly could. So I find it very challenging and rewarding when I can do that and I can see it come out the way I want it to successfully. Now looking back... you can probably see where the "something borrowed" played its part. Let's look at the original image again:

SOMETHING BORROWED:

Okay, so f we look at some of the details, you can see some of the things I kept in the new images going forward. The bubbles n the fore nd background I feel add a very nice touch to the drawing itself. I really struggle with drawing things like water, metals, woods... basically any element lol. Fire I can kind-of pull off but not really. I'm still a work n progress. So the best way I could convey an underwater feel, is to draw bubbles. Another detail I've decided to keep, were the shells and starfish. In the original image, I have them adorned in her hair as accessories. I've done the same going forward. But  also decided to incorporate them as tattoos as well. As  stated earlier, I like the way her eyes look. It's a ghostly film over her eyes but I love it. In the new sketch, you can't really see that because I have her looking down. But I may end up changing some things around in order to keep that detail. And now.... the LOTS OF BLUE!!!!!!

LOTS OF BLUE:

         

Without knowing it, I've somehow used the exact same color palette every time I draw a mermaid. Lots of blues, purples, soft greens and pinks. Very pastel in a way. There is a blue undertone in all the colors I use. So the image gives a cool feeling. from what I've studied in school and in my own personal training, blues, purples and greens are cool colors. Reds, oranges, and yellows are warm. So I tried my best to completely eliminate those colors so as not to confuse the viewer. This painting is still a work in progress. I have a ways to go. But I want you all to take this journey with me. I would eventually like to have a blog with a back story to every image I create from here on out. If you like and support this,  will continue to do so.

Please feel free to comment like and share as much as you like. Visit my other social medias and do the same. I'm everywhere lol. Until next time my lovelies

Love, Peace and Tacos for all

<3

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The Importance of Having A Reason!

Hello my lovelies, and welcome back to another kjartz blog post. Today, in the midst of everything that's going on around me, I would really like to focus and speak on something that is very important to me. I absolutely love being an artist. It's who I am. I live and breathe art. It's such a huge part of my life. A lot of people don't understand me at times. I tend to frustrate people often because of the way I think or see the world.

I see art in everything. I try to find the beauty in everything around me. So I feel like I have a purpose. Like, I was put on this Earth for a specific reason and it circles around art a great deal. So my art has purpose, my art has meaning and I have a reason for creating. I'm not looking for fame. Not looking for fortune either. The most gratifying thing I get out of what I do, is when someone tells me how my art touched them on a personal level. Or if my artwork moved someone to tears. Or even spark a conversation.

Case in point, a while ago, I uploaded a blog about one of my drawings, "Don't Shoot"...

Long story short,  uploaded the drawing to my art page on Facebook. Shared it here as well. Pretty much anywhere I thought I could get it seen. The reaction was so overwhelming. It landed me the cover of my local art magazine (Shout out to Triple Cities Carousel in Binghamton,NY). It also was a hot topic and discussion piece at Mural Fest here in our area. The most BEAUTIFUL thing about Mural Fest, was the togetherness that this piece invoked. A collective group of college students, joined together, and painted MY DRAWING of "Don't Shoot".

Black, White, Asian, Christian, Muslim, Male, Female.... All came together under the unity of a message. Under the unity of my painting. You can't put any price... no amount of fame, or money could touch THAT MOMENT for me. It got press coverage and has since been used in many marches. That is my reason. That is my driving force. The change... the conversation...the actions that took place behind it. People's reaction to such a powerful image. It's the reason why I love what I do and will never stop.

I was given this talent for a reason. It's taking me some time to truly tap into it but I PROMISE YOU I AM WORKNG ON IT. Please continue to support. Please continue to share my work. Please continue to talk about the art. Please continue to SUPPORT THE ARTS. My purpose is to change this world. One piece at a time.

Until next time,
 Love Peace and Tacos

Become a Patron!

Hello my lovelies!!!
  Long time no speak. And we have SOOOO much to speak about. So, since the last time I've been active on my blog, I've been working a corporate job, got engaged (literally 2 weeks away from my wedding day) as we speak. And now I'm an active artist on Patreon. For the longest time, I have been getting asked if I had a patreon account and if not, why don't I have one and when will I be getting one. So, to answer those questions... I currently have a patreon page and am in the works of uploading my first couple of videos.

I know I have been having struggles with my consistency here. But I promise you it was all for a good reason. I needed to work to be able to provide for my family. But being the artist that I am, at the end of the day I was tormented on a regular basis by not being able to create the way I used to. Which lead to depression and lack of enthusiasm and blah blah blah. Nothing you want to hear about I'm sure.

Always a silver lining to every dark cloud, I am now back and 100% focused on my art. I want to host more art shows, get active in the art community again, maybe even do some pop ups here and there. I would love to be able to travel and do art shows as well. With that being said, let me give some more information about my patreon account.

What I started the account for was to be able to gain some sort of income, while doing what I love. Spreading my work around the world, and engaging with followers, fans, art enthusiasts and fellow artists alike. The money that I earn will go towards supplies, recording equipment, better material to give you all quality artwork. I'm still on my journey of self discovery through my art. Patreon will be another avenue by which I can find some sort of career doing what I love.

A lot of things have happened in the time that I've been away. So please expect to see that reflected in my work. As always, I'm open to constructive criticism, opinions etc. I'm really hoping to get your support and feedback on my account. I will be uploading videos shortly. If you would like to become a patron, please use the link below. I look forward to getting reacquainted with you all once again. Until next time, love peace and chicken grease lol..


kj





Become a patron here:


Become a Patron!

Bigger World Out There

Have you ever limited yourself to just one avenue and forget there's a bigger world outside?! I haven't been as active on my Google+ as I was a few years ago, so I've kinda lost touch with some things. It's a slow night at work today. So I decided to back track and look at some of my old work. Just to see how much I've progressed. Happened to visit a few old art groups I used to frequent, and saw some familiar work. Couple of familiar names stood out to me. Names like, A. Stubblefield, Pierre Jean Louis, and JD Baez just to name a few.

I see their work everyday in my facebook art group, League of Extraordinary Artists. I believe I've been so wrapped up in one avenue of exposure, that I've completely ignored everything else outside of it. Like there are other ways of gaining exposure besides facebook. I used to know that. At one point in time I had the common sense and right frame of mind in knowing that there was more exposure outside of one website. I feel like I lost myself in a lot of ways creatively speaking. But to browse through these open groups that I hadn't visited in years, and to see these artists most recent work on display and getting the love that they were getting... I gotta tell you, it really woke me up.

Not sure how many people have been following me and my growth since I first started really coming out and showcasing my talent with the world, but I remember when I was posting new speed videos every week. Multiple videos. I remember when I was painting every single day and on days that I didn't paint, I felt like something was missing or my day was slightly off. It was so routine, not doing it made me feel off balance. I miss that feeling. I want to get it back. I want to be active and social not only in my own group, but in other groups as well. There's so much to see and learn and experience in stepping outside of the familiar.

League of Extraordinary Artists has been so amazing for me. And my team of admin feels more like an extended family. Joyi, Brian, Liz-Anne, Gabi, Darryl, we've grown so much in the short time of this group starting. You guys inspire me every day and I love seeing your work on my feed. I want to be the inspiration to someone else, that you all are to me. So I'm asking my team to stay on me. When I say team, understand that I mean anyone who supports me and my talent. There are a few of you out there who have believed in me since day one and continue to push for me every single day. I see you and I appreciate you.

Blogging will occur more often, videos will be uploaded more often. Live streams will happen more often. And live events HAVE to happen more often for me. I need to get out in the public eye again. More festivals, more community events, more art shows, more pop up galleries. I'm awake now. Took me some time... But I'm up.

This is a Dud!

Ok so have you ever started working on a project, and stopped and thought to yourself, "Where have I seen this before?" Any of those situations end in the place you seen it before was your OWN damn portfolio?! The level of frustration I'm feeling right now.... so unreal. Like I want to scream into a pillow or something.

So last night, I was at work. Sundays are usually our slow days so I have enough time to work on some sketches. I got the sketch done, started working on the coloring and realized I've done this drawing already. And it looked a lot better the first time. I work so much I honestly feel like I'm creatively tapped out at the moment.

I try to keep my focus on my first love at all times. Even when I'm sitting behind a desk and working for 9 hours. I don't ever want to feel like my art or even my LOVE for it has to be placed on the back burner. I guess what my question is, is how do you balance it all out. How do you balance working to support your family, squeezing in quality time with your family when you can, getting yourself taken care of and keeping your true passion prevalent in your life?! How do you balance all this out at the same time?

If you have any tips or ideas, please feel free to leave a comment below. Let's link up. Let's connect. Let's help one another build. I apologize for the short blogs lately. I truly have been trying to get back on track with things. Hopefully more time will start to allot itself and I can post more quality blogs for you. Again, post your comments below and let's get a conversation started. Until next time. Take care luvs.


<3 Karii J.

In The Arms of Morpheus: Enter the Dream State

Have you ever wondered what a dream is? Like...TRULY wondered exactly WHAT it is?! I've been asking myself that question lately. What are dreams? From what I've studied, dreaming usually takes place during the REM (rapid eye movement) stage of sleep. But what exactly IS a dream? Scientists will say it's a protoconsious state. Spiritualists will say it's a doorway to another realm. Realists may say it's your brain feeding you images of what you really want out of life.

All are good, valid answers. But why do I feel like there's another answer?! What do they mean? Questions that remain unanswered, unfortunately. Anyways, this blog DOES have a purpose. The title of this blog post is "In The Arms of Morpheus: Enter the Dream State." It's also the name of my future solo art show. This blog is prelude to what is to come.

For those of you who don't know or remember, Morpheus is a deity referenced to in Greek Mythology. One of my favorite topics. I love Greek Mythology. Anyways, Morpheus is the God of Dreams. One of 1000 siblings, he is the most powerful of them all. Honing the ability to take on the form of any man. Mimicking everything from someone's looks, to their gait, their way of dressing and the sound of their voices. His brother, Phobethor, is the God of Nightmares. Phantasus, another brother, is the God of fake dreams, illusions, fantasies. Ikelos, yet, another brother, s the God of vivid dreams.

I find their stories to be so fascinating and interesting. I want to take this challenge on and depict them n my own unique style. Lately, I've been getting asked, "Can't you do anything besides the afro girls?" My response is "check my history." Yes I can, and I usually do. But this is my THING. I love my afro girls. I think they are strong and beautiful and powerful. Ever evolving and growing with me.

So in this new collection, I will be doing my own version of the Greek Gods, as Afro Goddesses who rule over the same mystical realms. A Goddess of Dreams, one of Nightmares, one of Fantasy, and one of Lucid dreams. Not only that, I will also be portraying the grandmother/matriarch, NYX, The Goddess of night.

I'm hoping that this will be the catalyst that gets me back into the art game as heavy as I used to be. I miss being able to do the live paintings and drawings in front of a crowd. I miss the art shows and events I always attended. My goal is to fall back into old habits. Link up with old friends and get back in the swing of things. I know that I can accomplish all of these things with time, patience, effort and motivation.

Thank you for all of the love and constant support. Thank you for remaining loyal and keeping my motivation going. You are all loved and appreciated. Sincerely.



Thank you

A Brand New Start

I honestly don't know the  last time I sat down to write out a blog. I do know that it's long overdue. So on that note... WHAT'S UP WORLD?!

So much has changed in my life since my last post. I feel like those changes have helped to develop me as an artist. I've taken a step back from art. Haven't really been producing mass pieces like I was before. I actually haven't produced much at all. I feel like it's time for a new start.

Remember how I said a lot of changes have been made in my life since my last post? Well, one of those changes has been my career. I now am able to fund myself and my art more, which means I can do more with my career goal to be a self sufficient selling artist. New/better equipment means a higher quality of art. Better videos, clearer streaming and I would like to start doing prize giveaways.

I would like to take the time to share my deepest and most sincerest gratitude towards the many new followers and fans that I've made over time. Especially the ones who have been riding it out with me since day one. You are all so amazing. Thank you so much.

This is just a small blog, but it's the beginning of more to come. My goal is to post a blog every Tuesday and to do at least one live stream via my Facebook fan page (www.facebook.com/kareemah.johnson.art)  every Monday. I haven't really uploaded any new speed art on my youtube channel but trust me I will be very soon. As soon as my new camera comes in with my lighting equipment.

going to be posting a lot in the future. Especially for the League of Extraordinary Artists. So if you have any questions or topics of discussion you'd like for us to touch base on, please post comments below or reach out to myself and other admin via the group or fan page. links will be posted below. until next time,


keep creating,

-kareemah



https://www.facebook.com/LeagueOfExtraordinaryArtists/