The first step is probably the most difficult one for me. It is...da da da da! Sketching!
Drawing out the contour lines is the most important step because it allows you to see where the color will be placed later. It takes the most time, especially if you choose to start learning the way I did.

If you are trying to get better at realistic drawing, t would suggest the grid system method. This method has been utilized by artists for centuries. While artists had to create grids with instruments back in time (like Van Gogh's grid system), the benefit of modern technology is that this can be done virtually over an image.

I use Photoshop to create a grid layer over the original image, and then create the same grid over a smaller paper or larger paper. Doing this method helps me to focus on the contour lines themselves, instead of the overall image. By breaking down the piece, it will help any beginning artist to have less detail to focus on by breaking up the details within the grid.

One of the biggest and most time consuming parts of my process is finding the right image. Many artists create imaging through their own creativity. While I wish my brain could show me the direct proportions of the body, I am not so skilled, and therefore need my own references to create my imaging.

My biggest goal as an artist is to connect and network with photographers, models, and other artists to create a larger vision of  feminine power. In doing this, I have a clear process as to how I find my imaging. Instagram is my favorite social media platform because it allows for me to find content that is both popular and obscure. I can also reconnect once I'm done with my imaging to the inspirational photographers and models themselves by tagging them on Instagram with my finished piece.

Here are some of my favorite inspirational photos right now. There are definitely too many pictures I wish I could draw, but I am not that fast, and for whatever reason few pictures end up connecting with the flow of my artistic vision.

I hope all of you have a lovely Christmas!