Today I’m writing about how my friend’s doodles went viral online and how to get your cool art out there as well!
A few days ago I posted a picture on my facebook page of an elephant drawn by a friend and I got several responses from people asking where they could get the print. I thought it was just a simple doodle but apparently it became quite popular online! I began to look up some of his other work and found that he is quite an accomplished artist, so I asked him if he’d be willing to do a short interview with me about his artwork. Luckily he agreed and here is what he had to say:
Q: So how did you get started drawing?
A: Well, I’ve been drawing for as long as I can remember. My parents always told stories about how I would sit in church and draw pictures in the hymn books. But it wasn’t until high school that I really decided to pursue art as a career.
Q: How did you decide you wanted to draw animals?
A: It’s funny because at one point in time, my parents thought that all I would ever draw were horses. And then later, my sister commented that it seemed all I drew were elephants. Lately though, I have been experimenting more with different themes and characters so we’ll see where this takes me!
Q: What are some of your
The Internet has provided a new outlet for creative expression and I have been surprised by the popularity of these doodles. As they have gained in popularity and notoriety, they have become more time consuming to create and there is often a craving for more. I would like to take it further with the support of a company or individual who shares my passion for bringing creativity to art lovers around the world!
T-Shirts, canvas prints, stationery, notepads, mugs, and mouse pads are just some of the products that could be produced and sold with an original design by me. My hope is that this could become big enough to work full time making these doodles as well as other artwork.
How to make money off of your artwork?
You have a few ideas percolating in your head, but you just can’t seem to get them out of the ‘idea’ stage. You’ve even tried sketching out some ideas on paper, but you may have hit a roadblock. How do you move your drawings or paintings into reality?
What are the best ways to go about making money off of your art and getting it noticed by art collectors and/or other artists?
Let’s start with an example of how an artist made money off of his work. If you’re searching for “how to get your art noticed”, the story behind one particular drawing might be of interest. A very talented artist posted his drawing on Reddit, and within days it became an Internet sensation. This is how he did it!
In May of 2011, Redditor Sir-Lancelot posted this image, titled “Everything I Do (Forever Alone)”. The drawing shows a sad-looking stick figure sitting at a computer desk eating chips and watching TV alone on a Friday night. The post immediately went viral and was up-voted to the front page of Reddit with over 1,000 comments. It got even more attention when someone turned it into a
The idea that there are hidden treasures in the world of doodles is more than just a catchy expression. It’s actually true. If you’re willing to go through some trial and error and learn how to interpret what your brain is saying, you’ll be able to create art that could rival, even surpass, the best of the professionals!
It may seem odd to think that doodling can lead to artwork you’re proud of. But it’s totally true!
If you’ve ever tried to study art, either as a child or as an adult, you probably felt like something was holding you back. You might have given up because your art never looked quite right. While this might be hard on your self-esteem, it’s a blessing in disguise!
Where most people see a mess of lines and splotches, I see something much different. When you look at any piece of art––whether it’s a painting by Picasso or a drawing by your toddler––you can often recognize what the artist was trying to convey. Doodling is no different. The difference is that with doodles and drawings, we don’t try to make sense of them. We just casually observe and move on with our day. But sometimes when I’m bored
On November 6, 2014, my friend and colleague, Dana Mulder, was doodling on her whiteboard. I don’t know what she was thinking about exactly, but it must have been something interesting because she drew five portraits of herself in one sitting.
Much of the advice out there is to “do what you love.” That’s great advice for finding a satisfying career, but it’s lousy for finding a breakout success. What’s the difference? I’ll explain it with another story.
Imagine you’re in line at a movie theater and you ask the person in front of you what movies are playing. You get this reply: “I don’t know. I’m unemployed, so I don’t have much free time to go see movies. But if I did, I’d probably go see that new romantic comedy because I’m pretty sure I’d enjoy it. Or if they have it at this theater I might also go see that action movie because those usually have really high production values and are worth seeing just on that basis alone.”
If you’re like me, that answer wouldn’t make you very excited to hear more. It would sound like he has no real passion and he’s just kind of going through the motions. But here’s how he might answer if he had a different approach:
“At first, I was really excited about the romantic comedy because… (he explains his excitement). But then my friend told me about this other one called ‘A’ which is supposed to be amazing and… (he explains
