My Most Valuable Content from 2022
Art Brandon Schaefer Art Brandon Schaefer

My Most Valuable Content from 2022

Hey there, how's it going?
Finally a new year, so I wanted to catch up with you again.

I wanted to share with you a lesson I learned from last year - and also share a short list of some of the most valuable content I created last year.

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7 Ways to Overcome the Fear of Ruining Your Art
Art Brandon Schaefer Art Brandon Schaefer

7 Ways to Overcome the Fear of Ruining Your Art

What do you see when you look at a blank piece of paper? If you're anything like me, you see the most scary and intimidating, valuable canvas, which will easily be wasted as soon as I start to draw anything on it.

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1 Simple Rule to Remove Frustration from Creating Art
Art Brandon Schaefer Art Brandon Schaefer

1 Simple Rule to Remove Frustration from Creating Art

I have had many times where I become frustrated while creating art, whether it be a pen & ink drawing or a watercolor painting. I would guess around one-third or even more of my art is just garbage - or not quite the quality I was looking for. This is just how it is sometimes.

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3 Rookie Art Mistakes I Still Make
Art Brandon Schaefer Art Brandon Schaefer

3 Rookie Art Mistakes I Still Make

Even though I’ve been consistently creating art and following this passion for over 10 years now, I still have times where I struggle and run into problems.

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9 Ways I Make Money as an Artist
Art Brandon Schaefer Art Brandon Schaefer

9 Ways I Make Money as an Artist

Have you ever wondered how to make money as an artist? If so, you're not alone. Even the most prestigious Fine Art colleges in the world tend to forget to teach their art students this little important bit of information. Why is it that there doesn't seem to be a clear path or way for artists to make a living nowadays?

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How I Package and Ship Small Paintings
Art Brandon Schaefer Art Brandon Schaefer

How I Package and Ship Small Paintings

For the past few years now I've been selling small paintings on Etsy and shipping them out myself and I've had to figure out the best way to pack them safely so they don't arrive damaged in any way. I use the USPS free flat rate boxes - usually the Medium size - as these allow for extra room around the painting for padding, in case the box gets stepped on or dropped the painting won't be touched.

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Understanding Light & Shadow - A Painter’s Perspective
Art Brandon Schaefer Art Brandon Schaefer

Understanding Light & Shadow - A Painter’s Perspective

The main point of this post is to discuss shadows and their temperature, color & other aspects in order to achieve a realistic image. A general guideline that has been talked about for years is "Warm light, cool shadows or Cool light, warms shadows".

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Less is More - Focus on What Matters, Not This..
Art Brandon Schaefer Art Brandon Schaefer

Less is More - Focus on What Matters, Not This..

I recently posted a video on my YouTube channel [here] addressing a subscriber's question dealing with creating a painting with less detail. It's questions like these that keep me on my toes and make me contemplate the madness behind my painting.

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Escaping the Grip of Artist’s Block
Art Brandon Schaefer Art Brandon Schaefer

Escaping the Grip of Artist’s Block

Choose a subject you are interested in, otherwise it won't seem fun to paint - it will be uninspired and feel like a chore. If you are unsure of what interests you, then you have some self-exploration to do.

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Taking a Break is Vital for Creating Art
Art Brandon Schaefer Art Brandon Schaefer

Taking a Break is Vital for Creating Art

We are programmed by society to think that taking a break is not productive to creating anything and that we should work non-stop, but upon further inspection you will see how valuable it may be to take a break from your work.

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