 Hi there, Sandy all knock here and i'm excited today to bring you the first and what I hope is going to be a small series of conversations with students of mine, who have made great strides in their artwork. Lynn Lewitski from Michigan is going to be sharing her story with us and you can watch our wide ranging conversation coming right up glad. What's the weather like there now we've got snow here. um it's very gloomy maybe mid 30s we have no snow it's supposed to snow later but yeah it's more rainy misty now. So let's get started i'd like you to give us a little introduction about your history like where you got started in making art or started thinking about it at all and kind of in general how you got here before we start talking about some of your more specific pieces. Okay, so I was born and raised in Michigan in the metro Detroit area did really nothing creative as a child other than the usual child, you know coloring books, whatever they did in school. Our school didn't offer a whole lot art classes, so it was like he tried the piano not any good at it orientation when I was younger going through high school was doing the science math because I wanted to go to that school. Which did happen graduated from veterinary school from Michigan State in 1982. So really until I graduated I didn't do really anything crafty because I was just I was too focused on getting through school. When I got out for somehow or another I ended up going to a miniature store with a friend and I built a miniature house. So I think that was probably the start you know building some of the furniture putting it together long story short I moved to Florida for about nine years when I was in Florida. there's a group there that did cards a variety of things, some of them, some of the coloring some of them did the die cutting that kind of things and it was something I could do with my mother when she was down there, so we kind of went the cards. went to a local store with anybody's in Lakeland shout out to violets because it's a very nice store so we did I did some classes with them, they did a weekly card class learned a lot of things and die cutting some coloring. took a my very first in person copic class and that got me hooked on the copics. So that's primarily when I did do cards it that's primarily what I do is is is copics i've tried some other things. don't like them as much I really like like the effect as they have to get, but you know when I started it was very, very basic you know. Until then, I started you know. I was trying to find someplace to do with these cards, so I found operation right home, so I started sending cards. You know, to you to send out to the service people. And I think I got a little better doing that, but if there was something about the doing the numerous numbers at one time, you so I don't know that I really progress doing that and restart progress until you stopped doing that and started doing classes. I should have stopped earlier for you. I guess so I don't know but it was it was a learning experience it was like I enjoyed it was very relaxing you know was you know unfortunately my job is a little stressful so. It was something I could do and just kind of leave all that behind and I was looking at I don't have pictures of my very first cards that I did, but. I found an old one that I got out and I'm not even sure how long ago I did it, and when I look at that I say wow I mean it was good, but there was none of the shadowing and that kind of thing to make it look. Like the dog that I had put in there in front of the Christmas tree really belonged there because it was just kind of stuck on it was very flat very two dimensional so. Definitely practice, you know what certainly got better ones i've done recently are are better and I still do mostly coloring still do some stamping but probably. More of the stamp the image and then I make the scene around it that would be your influence. But it's something, but it is it's something it's like it just I think it makes it more personal for me it's like you know Okay, this is for this person so they're going to re going to like this particular thing move back to up here to Michigan because my dad got ill. And we wanted to be back closer to my brother who lives in the central Michigan area, so then when he passed away, I found his briefcase that had his drawing supplies in it. Because he did some more technical drawing he did heating air conditioning, so he did he did do some technical drawing I found his briefcase any and there was his supplies, in fact, I still have his original set of Prisma colors. That I really don't want to use they're just they're just kind of sitting there, I think the set of 12 but you know they were his. So I thought well okay let me let me maybe try this drawing thing because it was kind of a connection to him. I had never drawn anything in my entire life, you think offered the drawing one on one class or it was already there I don't really remember. Did the drawing one on one class and I just kind of started from there and found that I enjoyed it and found that I did have some skill. Again, I think it's because it's very you know the architectural is very structured, you know, doing that perspectives kind of thing my brain likes that kind of stuff so it it understands it. So that's kind of where that started and then when I did that, then I moved on to the safari class and that's what got stopped got me started with probably the pastels because we use those the Conti sticks which you know that's like yep and then I got some pastels and it just kind of went from there. Long story short that's where I got where I'm at right now. And then. Well it's nice to have a safari animals or a gateway drug to pastels. Yes, they are. I never really thought of them that way. Well it really is because yeah you do the graphite first. You know learn how to draw using you know either like the grid method I think is what I use primarily when I was doing those. And I still do that somewhat although I do now what some people probably think cheat and do actually trace some of the pictures, especially if it's a portrait for someone. They want it to look like their pet. You know, a lot of times I'll just get the outline and get the eye placement so I know that it's where it is and where the defining marks are because yeah I don't want to mess that up because they don't look like their pet. Right. Right. So, now in that I'll still freehand but not too often anymore I should do it more often just to keep in practice. What I'm doing lately because I've, I've done the tracing to sometimes when I'm trying for something very specific, but I've ended up trying to do the sketch myself on tracing paper so that I, you know, just mess with it and then I use that to trace onto my finished paper. Then I'm not tracing necessarily I'm getting the drawing practice because I if I cheat, if I start to cheat, I will continue to cheat. Yeah, yeah. And it's like, we don't trace the whole thing likes it's more for just the placement, you know, so that I make sure I get those eyes especially right where they belong. Yeah, the right scale, the scale is important with animals to you want to share like maybe something on the big toward the beginning. Yeah, something more recent, just so we can see that transformation probably in the one that's the cat. You see the cat. You see it. Okay, so this is the very first cat I ever did. Okay, I found column Bradley online and took some of his courses. This is one of his tutorials. So, you know, it's not bad for a first, you know, for a first one and then I think you guys have probably seen this, this one, this is the most recent one this is, this is George. Yes, that's the one I saw in the Facebook group and I was just so excited to see your progress. Yeah, I mean, wonderful. Yeah. Yeah, so it's just, and it is I mean there's a few in between. This was I think in between one, which isn't too bad. And then this one was the one just before George. Were those from Collins class or were they once you did on your own. This is actually someone's pet. This one I think is a photo was a free one from like Pixabay or something along those lines. Some of the other people that I follow now on Patreon, I do Jason Morgan. So I think the one with the cat with the kind of half cat is based kind of on one of his lessons. So, I mean, that's probably the other big thing is, is I found that helped me is I don't stick with one person. So I have a couple people, and I go to them for different things. Jason is primarily a wildlife artist. What else have I done. This is probably the first dogs that I did. Okay. Cisco, that's my dog. I did him just recently. And even that one I know I'm going to do it again, because I don't like the grass. But, you know, so, you know, this is my mother's dog and she loves this picture. This was only a recent two so you know it's just in some of it is obviously practice. I mean there's quite a few in between. I'll put a number of them on my blog post. So anything that we don't talk about, they can go see your work over there. So what has it felt like going from different stages of your journey when you went from card making to making something that was more frameable like what did that feel like inside for you as an artist. It was very rewarding to know that, oh, wow, this is something that I can do. You know, it's like, you know, I would look at like some of the things that you would do and other not not to single you out but let's be real you're the one that I found primarily at that point. So to be like man I would really like to be able to do that. And I tried some other things I tried watercolor. I'm not patient enough. I can't make myself wait for it to dry. So it's like, no, that didn't work very well. Color pencils. I like them. They take too long. Okay. You would think with what I do I would be somewhat patient but for this. No, I don't want to something to take me five days to do that I can get done now in to, you know, depending, you know, so it's like, I just, you know, I guess maybe it's a little ADD I get distracted. Yeah, so I needed to progress and to kind of complete show that it's progressing fairly quickly. Okay, so I guess it was more just a kind of like a therapy thing, you know, when I moved from the man enjoyed doing the cards, but I find doing this I find I relax much more. Kind of hard to explain but it's just like you just kind of sewn out or just with this little Zen kind of feeling. It's nice knowing that some of the things that do for other people that they then get enjoyment from it you know something that is tangible to them that they can you know some up from memory for them if it's you know especially if it's a pet that's no longer with them or you know that kind of thing so it's nice making people happy. That is good. It's nice. You know, maybe that's the big thing with the cards they make people happy, but most of the time you don't know about it, because you sent it off. You know, and so you really don't know what kind of reaction you're going to get. You know, whereas this kind of thing. It's a little more personal gratification you know what I mean it's like it's it's much more personal. I find to and and maybe this is one of the things that makes it more enjoyable for some people to make fine art as opposed to cards is that I have fewer fewer decisions to make when I've already decided this is what I'm going to create I'm going to paint or draw this thing and I have to make decisions within that. But when I'm making a card I'm deciding on the stamp and the design and where the sentiment is going to go and all those things. And it's a lot different kind of thinking process than just okay now I'm going to do a horse and this is you know I get a vision for that. And there's not all these other things to add to it. Yes, that might have a relaxation comes from because I do use reference pictures I you know I don't none of these come out of my head. Where some with cards like you said it's it's you with card you have to come up with the idea it's like okay so I've got this little stamp of this rabbit what am I going to do with this rabbit. This, I have a picture. And how detailed I want to make it how realistic I want to make it that's up to me, but I don't have to work much about what else am I going to put in here. Yeah once I pick a picture and decide okay this is what I'm going to do, then it's just, you know, there's the process you know I get the picture, I get my line art. I do my color picking, you know so it's like okay what colors should I be getting out so that I, you know because I can't route through 500 pencils. So you also get a group out and say these are the most likely going to use and then just kind of go from there. Now you use mostly pastel pencils or do you use regular stick pastels to. I use I use pan pastels, you know so the cake ones to use a lot a lot of that for background and for the blocking in my do you some sticks, and then pencils for for the fine detail. Those those final layers, my mom gave me her pastels she was a pastel artist way back in the day. And I'm just tickled pink that that I have her supplies just boxes and boxes she sent me, and I put them into drawers. No mom because they were, it was just everywhere, and they were all gray, because the dust from all the pastels. And for Christmas, I drew her some penguins and I use Collins class for that. And I wanted to be able to create something with her pastels. And when I called him her pastels she said no they're your pastels now and like no mom they're your pastels. Right, it's like those pencils and my dad's they're his pencils they're not mine. Yeah, you know, they're his pencils it's like yeah, like that homemade bridge you made. So, yeah, for anybody. She's got one that you can buy in the store, this is what she's talking about here. And it's got two ends like this that were stapled together by a company that mailed me a piece of furniture, and it's got two ends. It sits up on the surface of the paper, so I can lean my hand on this and not make a mess. So, how I did my penguin so that I wouldn't get my arm all over it. Yeah, because otherwise it smudges and then you, yeah. Yeah, and then you can fix everything. Let's see what else is on my list of questions. What, what was it that turned the lights on for you, like, you know when your brain lit up and said, Oh my goodness, I could do this. What was it that might have made you think differently. I think my name I did stuff because I never would have thought about it. And then realizing as I went through the drawing classes, it was like, Yeah, I can, I can do this. You know, I, because I never would have thought, Well, I can't, I can't draw a house and make it look like it's supposed to. I guess that that I don't know it was just a matter of being successful, getting it. You know, it's, it's really hard to explain it's just kind of like, it just it was like I would just look at something and say, Wow, I did that. Okay, I can do that that means I can start doing more the giraffe, I think the giraffe was probably the big, a big turning point for me because it's you know it involves some color. And one of the reasons that I put out classes in so many different mediums is because you never know what's going to hit. You know, found out that watercolor wasn't for you. And sometimes just taking a watercolor class is just enough to say no I don't want to do that. But sometimes it's a matter of trying those things before you know what's not for you, and then you can settle in on what is what does work. So the roses class was good because it made me explore other mediums, you know I had already done some of the graphite already I think in the Copic obviously but then I did the color pencil one and and I enjoyed that and I probably will look at some color pencil again down the road again and give that a try again. So watercolor I didn't even attempt because I knew it would just frustrate me. So it was like, No, let's not go there let's just kind of, you know, Okay, well here's a question that was not on my pre approved list that I sent you let's see if we can throw your curveball. Have you thought about using the knowledge that you've gained about doing animals and stuff so say you've got that rabbit stamp Have you thought about trying to make that rabbit look really real because now you know how to do it in pastels, or are you still coloring it the way you did before you started doing more realistic work. I have not tried to do them more realistic. Yeah, I thought about trying it. I just, I just haven't done it yet. Yeah, it's like, I would think as a meat I mean the roses that I did look pretty realistic. I mean, you know, my aunt said when she saw them and she said, she felt like she should be able to go up to smell them. So why couldn't should have to do that with an animal too. Well now you know how you can create it with pastels. Think about translation to cope it. Yeah, or try them in pencil first, because that's a little closer it's a little more in between a little more in between yeah. And see what steps start to evolve for you. But I mean if you did a card and you did a small bunny, you know, what would that be just stamp it. Yeah, many times try it in three for me to see what happens. I have to try it and see. Now you have homework. Yes. I am never the teacher giving you a homework. It's like, yeah, no, I'll have to. Yeah, you're right. I have to give it a try and see with something that's, you know, alive, you know, that needs to look like it's like a real life bunny sitting there. Yeah, yeah, have to dig through my stamps and see what I have. I have some that actually look like they're supposed to be like real live rabbits, you know, they're not, they're not the whimsical kind they're actually, yeah, that looks like a rabbit. Let me ask you to give some advice to somebody who maybe is where you were they make cards and they've been nervous about trying something else they've told themselves they can't draw or there's some reason why they can't do something different. What would you tell them to start thinking about differently to help them get over that home. I would tell them, there is no right or wrong in art. I mean, it's not like if you try something and maybe it doesn't come out the way you would like it to, then learn something from each piece. You know, it's like, okay, that didn't work. Try something else. Because it's a matter of just keeping at it. You know, I mean, practicing, and it's hard not to be negative, trust around yourself, but with people who appreciate what you're going through. I found some of the Facebook groups are really quite good because most of those people have been where you've been, you know, where when you're first starting. But I think a lot of it is just to try and learn something from every piece that you do, you know, and maybe you will find out that watercolor is not for you. Okay, try something else. And honestly, if you get some pleasure from it, then hey, take that and run with it. It's like, you know, to enjoy doing it. It doesn't look like, you know, whatever a Van Gogh or whatever. I don't want my stuff to look like Van Gogh I want it to look like mine. You know, I don't want it to look like yours or Collins or, you know, Jason Morgans or whoever's I mean I want it to look like me, you know, to reflect what what I am. So it's just paper. It's just material. There's no wrong way to do it is follow a different person. I mean, I think the other thing too is I mean I do follow a couple different people because I learned something different from each one of them. Take what you know you see use what you can use, get rid of what doesn't work for you and try not to stress about it. I mean when I look back at them and I was really happy with them when I did them and when I look back at them now, I'm still happy with them because of where I was at the time. I mean that's for someone who had never done it before. Pretty darn good. Could they be could I do them better now. Well yeah. But so what, when I first started doing whatever surgery whatever. I'm sure I would hope I do it better now that than I did when I was the first year student you know what I mean it's like you just have to kind of keep practicing and. Yeah, do it works. It's the best materials that you can I think that's the other thing too is. I think a lot of people they try they don't want to waste good paper. Well, I find when I did that you know I would get well let me just try it just on this mixed media paper. Well then when it doesn't work and you get discouraged it's like you need to to use the best that you can afford but even I've still done that you know I'll get a big sheet of pastel Matt and be like ooh I don't want to cut that up. What happens when I waste that 11 by 14 piece of pastel Matt. It's a piece of paper, you know. And if you learn something from it so that the next piece of 11 by 14 is not going to be a way. That's not going to be a way it never really never is a waste if you learn something from it. You know, and I probably should have in retrospect I would tell people to do that save what don't throw them away. Because right on that what you did wrong, or what you didn't like that said wrong is the wrong word, what you didn't like about it, what didn't work. So you don't repeat that mistake down the road. So I would probably, I would recommend people do that, you know, hang on to those ones that you say hey, I don't like that, but right down document this is what I use. This didn't work so try and then try something else, you know, because it's a journey, you know. And it should be fun. Mm hmm. You took something that I started with just a silly drawing one on one class. I taught you how to do building, and you got excited by buildings, going on to a giraffe, where you found out now you've got color and you've got animals and you just went crazy. You've been taking columns classes and doing things far longer than me. I don't offer anything in that medium and you just ran with it. And that is what, what makes me so happy to see you growing that way. Yeah, I think, you know, that's, it's, and that, honestly, and you know, I would not have gotten there if I hadn't done those foundation classes and build skills to do the, you have to do the work to get, you know, to learn those basics and train your mind. You know, like they shouldn't rely on you telling them what colors to use, you need to learn to pick your own colors, you know. Because otherwise, how, how are you going to move on? Because you're not going to be sitting here in my studio area saying, all right, well, no, you need to use this color here, not, not that that's not, you need to learn to pick your own, you know, pick your own colors to and getting the other fundamentals for, for drawing and perspectives that you, you need to learn that and just doing it is the only way to do that. Now that we've talked, it's not going to have to go and sketch something. So thank you, Lynn, for joining me today. And keep, keep looking for more of your work over on the Facebook group as well and seeing how you thanks so much for joining us for this conversation. Thanks in the doobly-doo and your questions for Lynn as well. Over on my blog, I've got lots of pictures of Lynn's artwork, links to her favorite supplies and to her social media so you can catch up with her as well. Thank you so much. Have a wonderful day. Peace out.