Q: Are the images on your site created traditionally or digitally?
A: All traditionally. I work in watercolor primarily, and some oil, acrylic, collage, and mixed media. I sometimes have to make digital revisions to meet a client’s needs, especially if the work is going to print.
Q: How long do you spend on a painting?
A: Anywhere between 8-24 hours. Most paintings take me under 20 hours, sometimes even a couple hours for some of the watercolors. If I’m working large (30” or over) a painting can take days. Sometimes this doesn’t include research, sketching, or rumination time, which can take hours, days, or even weeks.
Q: I want to improve my painting abilities, can you offer any advice?
A: Work on your drawing abilities first. Spend time in the trenches getting down and dirty and work for self-sufficiency in drawing so that you can handle almost any drawing problem. Beneath every good painting is a good drawing and good design. Even abstraction benefits from good drawing skills. However, you don’t have to draw great representationally (realistic) to make good drawings, often just the energy or gesture, or a subtle nuance can make a pleasing drawing. Children’s drawings often embody the energy I’m talking about, it’s free and lively. I’ve found in my own career that my work started (as with most students) clumsy, inhibited, and trying to say and do too much to a piece. But after 20-plus years of drawing I move into a child-like state where I just let my nervous system do the work. In other words, I don’t control it so much anymore, it just comes out.
Also, learn perspective. You will NOT draw well representationally until you have a solid handle on dealing with eye-level and representing form in deep space. A strong grasp on perspective is what separates the professional from the amateur.
Also, if you struggle with color mixing, abandon the 3-primary theory system of Red, Blue, and Yellow, and learn the Bias Color wheel. Splitting your primaries will solve most of your problems and eliminate guessing and wasted paint. I suggest starting out with a visit to the schoolofcolor or contact me for some info. I never have problems with mixing color anymore, my problem is deciding what color goes where, and that’s the way it should be.
Also, to break the rules you have to know the rules. Most of the big names in art history that have made a contribution to the arts started out doing tight academic works, then found themselves, let loose, and were then able to make manifest their inner vision.
Q: What’s the toughest lesson you’ve ever learned?
A: It takes more than good painting or drawing skill to get noticed. We’re talking about marketing here, which can take 50% of an artist’s time, a sobering fact of today’s fragmented/distracted lifestyle which means it’s harder to get attention.
Q: Why do you paint mostly women?
A: Cuz I’m a hot-blooded American-Spaniard that thinks of nothing else. Actually, this is partly true, painting women usually means a more passionate painting subject for me.
Q: When did you start painting?
A: I didn’t learn to paint until art school. Even then the painting instruction was rather minimal, so around 1990.
Q: I want to be an artist, do I need to go to Art School?
A: No, but it will certainly help A LOT. With diligence and lots of paying attention, some people can teach themselves effectively. Although, without a formal education those people will not be exposed to as much information and techniques as they would have had they gone to art school. My instructors strived to get me the skill in 3 years what it took them 10-12 years to learn, it was very concentrated. Teaching yourself is usually not as intense and focused. Many people don’t do formal training, but take workshops here and there with artists they want to learn from. This is still a school of sorts, but it’s more relaxed.
Q: What’s the difference between a fine artist and an illustrator?:
A: Personally, I find illustration stifling since I have to fulfill a client’s needs that don’t always match mine. I think fine art allows more room for a personal vision. Fine art is still a business, though, you still have a discriminating public and an editor (curators, gallery owners, etc.) It doesn’t have to be this way, you can get wild and let no one dictate anything to you and pull all your own strings. This is easier to do today in the sense that the art monopolies are falling and the global marketplace is here via the internet. Still, this is the extreme, not the norm, and finances are what control most of this. The line between illustration and fine art has blurred tremendously these days, but for me the main difference between the two is illustration is being a craftsman, fine art is being a visionary. This is my perception for myself and does not fit everyone. You can still have a vision in any field of endeavor, but when doing work for money there is a tendency to fit your work to the market rather than doing what you see in your heart.
Q: I noticed you also do comics. Why do you keep your comics work separate from your fine art work?
A: Comics is still perceived as lower than fine art, though this is very quickly changing. (If fine artists knew what it takes to do a good storytelling comic book with all kinds of perspective applied they would be humbled). Also, I do a fair amount of work in both genres, so keeping them separate helps me keep organized.
A little more clarification on comics and fine art…I do find much of the comics work out there fairly juvenile, mostly filled with who’s punching who (especially here in America). But the potential in that business to really say something is quite unique and can be profound. This is why I’m in comics, I want to merge fine art sensibilities with comics art. My comics art section: comics & graphic novels
Q: Are your originals for sale?
A: Yes, some of the works on this site have already been sold, but please send an inquiry if you are interested in a particular piece.
Q: Do you accept private commissions?
A: Yes, send me an email with your ideas and requirements.
Q: I have a great idea for a project. The project is sure to make a fortune, and your work is perfect for it. Unfortunately, at this time, you would need to do some work for free… are you interested?
A: Only if you pay me.
Q: Are you looking for an intern?
A: At this time, no. But I am always happy to answer any questions you may have. Just email me.
Q: Can I visit your studio and/or shadow you for a day?
A: Yes, many have done this with me, I’m always willing to help people get what they want out of the arts, especially young students who are starting out and need some answers on how to proceed.
Q: Do you do lessons?
A: Yes, I teach drawing and all forms of painting except encaustic. I teach illustration, comics, and fine art. I even work through email, doing overlays or revisions on your emailed scans and sending them back with corrections.
Contact me for more info:
info@felipeechevarria.com
A: All traditionally. I work in watercolor primarily, and some oil, acrylic, collage, and mixed media. I sometimes have to make digital revisions to meet a client’s needs, especially if the work is going to print.
Q: How long do you spend on a painting?
A: Anywhere between 8-24 hours. Most paintings take me under 20 hours, sometimes even a couple hours for some of the watercolors. If I’m working large (30” or over) a painting can take days. Sometimes this doesn’t include research, sketching, or rumination time, which can take hours, days, or even weeks.
Q: I want to improve my painting abilities, can you offer any advice?
A: Work on your drawing abilities first. Spend time in the trenches getting down and dirty and work for self-sufficiency in drawing so that you can handle almost any drawing problem. Beneath every good painting is a good drawing and good design. Even abstraction benefits from good drawing skills. However, you don’t have to draw great representationally (realistic) to make good drawings, often just the energy or gesture, or a subtle nuance can make a pleasing drawing. Children’s drawings often embody the energy I’m talking about, it’s free and lively. I’ve found in my own career that my work started (as with most students) clumsy, inhibited, and trying to say and do too much to a piece. But after 20-plus years of drawing I move into a child-like state where I just let my nervous system do the work. In other words, I don’t control it so much anymore, it just comes out.
Also, learn perspective. You will NOT draw well representationally until you have a solid handle on dealing with eye-level and representing form in deep space. A strong grasp on perspective is what separates the professional from the amateur.
Also, if you struggle with color mixing, abandon the 3-primary theory system of Red, Blue, and Yellow, and learn the Bias Color wheel. Splitting your primaries will solve most of your problems and eliminate guessing and wasted paint. I suggest starting out with a visit to the schoolofcolor or contact me for some info. I never have problems with mixing color anymore, my problem is deciding what color goes where, and that’s the way it should be.
Also, to break the rules you have to know the rules. Most of the big names in art history that have made a contribution to the arts started out doing tight academic works, then found themselves, let loose, and were then able to make manifest their inner vision.
Q: What’s the toughest lesson you’ve ever learned?
A: It takes more than good painting or drawing skill to get noticed. We’re talking about marketing here, which can take 50% of an artist’s time, a sobering fact of today’s fragmented/distracted lifestyle which means it’s harder to get attention.
Q: Why do you paint mostly women?
A: Cuz I’m a hot-blooded American-Spaniard that thinks of nothing else. Actually, this is partly true, painting women usually means a more passionate painting subject for me.
Q: When did you start painting?
A: I didn’t learn to paint until art school. Even then the painting instruction was rather minimal, so around 1990.
Q: I want to be an artist, do I need to go to Art School?
A: No, but it will certainly help A LOT. With diligence and lots of paying attention, some people can teach themselves effectively. Although, without a formal education those people will not be exposed to as much information and techniques as they would have had they gone to art school. My instructors strived to get me the skill in 3 years what it took them 10-12 years to learn, it was very concentrated. Teaching yourself is usually not as intense and focused. Many people don’t do formal training, but take workshops here and there with artists they want to learn from. This is still a school of sorts, but it’s more relaxed.
Q: What’s the difference between a fine artist and an illustrator?:
A: Personally, I find illustration stifling since I have to fulfill a client’s needs that don’t always match mine. I think fine art allows more room for a personal vision. Fine art is still a business, though, you still have a discriminating public and an editor (curators, gallery owners, etc.) It doesn’t have to be this way, you can get wild and let no one dictate anything to you and pull all your own strings. This is easier to do today in the sense that the art monopolies are falling and the global marketplace is here via the internet. Still, this is the extreme, not the norm, and finances are what control most of this. The line between illustration and fine art has blurred tremendously these days, but for me the main difference between the two is illustration is being a craftsman, fine art is being a visionary. This is my perception for myself and does not fit everyone. You can still have a vision in any field of endeavor, but when doing work for money there is a tendency to fit your work to the market rather than doing what you see in your heart.
Q: I noticed you also do comics. Why do you keep your comics work separate from your fine art work?
A: Comics is still perceived as lower than fine art, though this is very quickly changing. (If fine artists knew what it takes to do a good storytelling comic book with all kinds of perspective applied they would be humbled). Also, I do a fair amount of work in both genres, so keeping them separate helps me keep organized.
A little more clarification on comics and fine art…I do find much of the comics work out there fairly juvenile, mostly filled with who’s punching who (especially here in America). But the potential in that business to really say something is quite unique and can be profound. This is why I’m in comics, I want to merge fine art sensibilities with comics art. My comics art section: comics & graphic novels
Q: Are your originals for sale?
A: Yes, some of the works on this site have already been sold, but please send an inquiry if you are interested in a particular piece.
Q: Do you accept private commissions?
A: Yes, send me an email with your ideas and requirements.
Q: I have a great idea for a project. The project is sure to make a fortune, and your work is perfect for it. Unfortunately, at this time, you would need to do some work for free… are you interested?
A: Only if you pay me.
Q: Are you looking for an intern?
A: At this time, no. But I am always happy to answer any questions you may have. Just email me.
Q: Can I visit your studio and/or shadow you for a day?
A: Yes, many have done this with me, I’m always willing to help people get what they want out of the arts, especially young students who are starting out and need some answers on how to proceed.
Q: Do you do lessons?
A: Yes, I teach drawing and all forms of painting except encaustic. I teach illustration, comics, and fine art. I even work through email, doing overlays or revisions on your emailed scans and sending them back with corrections.
Contact me for more info:
info@felipeechevarria.com