More Than Pretty Projects

You take a lot of classes. You color a lot of Copic Marker projects. You begin adding details and artistry with colored pencils.

But are you really learning anything useful?

Coloring classes teach you how to color a specific project.

Art classes teach you how to apply new skills to OTHER projects.

Our goal at Vanilla Arts Company is to develop skills rather than a pile of pretty projects.

And students are succeeding! Every month, we highlight great work from one Vanilla Arts student.

This time, Lori’s swirling glass of whiskey really captured our attention. Today, let’s hear more from Lori.

Lori, On The Rocks

Lori used a free Instagram line drawing* to create On the Rocks.

We are seriously impressed. This wasn’t a whiskey class, Lori had no demonstration video to walk her through the steps…

It was just Lori and her markers, thinking back to what she’s learned in other classes.

We asked Lori a few questions:

What prompted you to start taking Vanilla classes and which one did you start with?

I stumbled upon Vanilla Arts while scrolling through Instagram in March 2017. What caught my eye, and became my first project, was Sakura Blossoms.

Do you prefer Copics or colored pencils? Why?

Prior to doing Sakura Blossoms, I used only Copic markers. I also didn’t use stamps with any small details.

All my finished images looked flat, but I didn’t have an eye for even picking up on that fact!

Now I use markers AND pencils, and I’m learning to ease up on the pencils so I don’t have to keep erasing to get it to look subtle.

What kind of projects interest you the most?

Until recently, the projects that interested me most were florals, specifically those that could be done relatively quickly. I was drawn to any subject that didn’t have people in it.

I love learning new techniques, especially texture. But my preferences changed when I began to purchase retreat images from Vanilla Arts. They don’t include a video.   

What's your best skill? What trips you up, every time you try it?

I am learning that my “best skill” might be trying to recreate Amy’s projects without the video. It forces me to think, and to recall techniques she has already taught in her videos. I still have a lot to learn about coming up with my own color recipe, though.

What inspired On the Rocks? What gave you the confidence to try it?

“On the Rocks” began as I scrolled through Instagram. In 2018, an artist posted the project along with a bare sketch. Later they posted the line drawing download as a free challenge.*

I was intimidated by the sparse details in the sketch. But, after I did Amy’s Iced Coffee project (which also doesn’t have a video), I gained confidence to tackle the whiskey project.

Both projects show liquid  movement. The only “new” skill I employed was coming up with my own color recipe.

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* We’re sorry, we’d love to give credit to the artist and link to the original Instagram post but Lori was unable to find the account. We will update this article if/when she finds it because it was a very generous thing to do and an excellent line drawing too!

If any readers know the source, please email us at info@vanillaarts.com so that we can provide proper credit and a great big thanks!!!

The Path to Success

Lori has a long history with Vanilla Arts and her hard work has clearly paid off!

Lori started with the Sakura Blossoms class, part of the Marker Painting Basics series. She’s been a monthly member of the Vanilla Livestream classes ever since. She has also taken many of the a’la carte Workshops including Cheers which introduced her to clear glass. Iced Coffee is the digital stamp kit that Lori used to work up to her On the Rocks project.