Becoming a famous artist can be a very difficult task. There are many great artists that were not recognized until long after they had died. Their work will live on forever as masterpieces but they were never honored as being known as great artists while they were alive. Now there are so many different forms of artistic expression that it can be very difficult to be noticed unless you’re work is extreme.

I love doing art for myself. I feel that when I paint the art comes from within me and just flows onto the canvas (sometimes it flows more places then just the canvas and I have to hear my wife moan about cleaning supplies). With every stroke I can release all of the stress, aggression, sadness, or happiness I am feeling. When I look at the finished work I may see my creation completely differently than someone else. They may or may not appreciate it for the artistic masterpiece that I intended it to be. That does not discourage me because I know that my work is for me. It is not for anyone else. If someone else enjoys it then that is amazing. But, if only I enjoy it then I am happy that I created it. It is hard to find something that you love to do that allows you to truly express how you feel and helps you to release your emotions.

Far too often people allow their emotions to remain bottled up inside them with no release. They let it build and build until they can not take it anymore. I never have to worry about that happening because I feel as though I never have my emotions tangled inside me. They are always expressed all over the canvas with colors of paints and strokes of brushes. Everyone can express themselves but sometimes the best avenue is through a form of art but they never try for fear that someone will not like what they have created. Art should be enjoyed by the creator first and foremost.

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Ken Danby was a child when he thought I want to be an artist, so that’s what I’m going to be (That’s my idea of what he might have said, by the way; look at Ken’s awesome paintings and you’ll see where my enthusiasm comes from.) Born in 1940, the pride of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, his parents – Edison and Gertrude – wanted him to succeed just as much as he did, and supported him all the way.

Without his brother, Ken admits that he might never have started painting. It was Marvin’s art work (Ken’s brother was a talented artist in his own right) which gave the young Danby the push that would spur his career on to greater things; and the interesting thing about Ken Danby is that he wanted to be an artist from a young age and he never set aside that dream for anything else. When he was a young boy, just ten years old, he told his folks he wanted to be an artist. This was, of course, met with some cynicism – after all, how were they to know that their son was set to become one of the most championed photo-realism painters of Canadian history?

Danby’s journey to discover photo-realism – which renowned artist Andrew Wyeth played fair part in – as his chosen style wasn’t a smooth one. After leaving the Ontario College Of Art after just two short years of a dream education he went his own way, experimenting and working out where he needed to go, before settling on photo-realism. But from that point on there was no stopping him. Soon, he was recognized as one of Canada’s most important artists, and Danby sustained this level of success throughout a more than satisfactory career.

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I have been to quite a few different exhibitions over the years and I have seen the work of many different artists. There have been a number of memorable pictures for me; for a number of different reasons.

When I saw ‘Madonna on the Rocks’ by Leonardo da Vinci I was pretty much blown away. I can remember being bitterly disappointed as I stood in front of my first Dali picture (‘God, it’s so small in real life!’). And I felt a genuine pang of sadness as I stared at my first Van Gogh landscape. Looking at the notebooks of William Blake made me smile and ‘sculptures’ by Richard Long made me laugh…

However, one of the most amazing things I have ever seen is the Pre-Raphaelite work kept in London, I went when I accompanied my friend last week for moral support as she applied for a varity of inner-city locum doctors jobs. Anyway, when I walked into that hallowed room of the National Gallery and saw pictures by Rossetti, Burn-Jones and Hunt, I thought I’d died and gone to heaven.

It is easy to forget how these artists had mastered Photo Realism all those years ago, but not only did they achieve it; they surpassed it. The way they created a picture seemed to make everything within it become ‘hyper real’. The amount of detail in their pictures is incredible. If they could have painted the bacteria on the surfaces in their work then they would have done.

I’m not sure how long I spent drooling over the paintings in that room, but they had a lasting effect on me. Seeing work by an artist in a book is one thing, but to see it in the flesh is quite another. However, it was Rossetti’s work which had the greatest impression upon me. Not only was he an absolute master at his craft and able to create pictures of aching beauty; his style was so strong and instantly recognisable.

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At college, my art teacher told me “don’t be an artist, it’s really hard”. I didn’t listen to her of course. Away I went in to the big wide world to become an artist. And it was big, and it was very, very wide…

What did I discover? That she was irritatingly right, of course. How right? Well, if anything she had been kind to me. Being an artist, as I quickly found out, was nothing to do with art. It was (and is) all about business.

In my opinion, and using the experience I have garnered over the last few years, most artist’s don’t get this. They believe that it’s to do with luck, being in the right place at the right time, or self-belief. While all of these things are critical to the success of an artist, they are not everything. Good business sense is, unfortunately, the over-riding thing: have this and you’re made. Don’t have it and, well, you’re in a whole lot of trouble.

I can demonstrate this easily: take two artists. One is good at art and the other is mediocre at art, but a darn good business woman. Now, as they begin their careers the artist who can paint amazingly struggles. Nobody wants his work. You can guess the rest. The business woman gets lots of people interested in her work, and she does well.

So here’s a stark warning if you are thinking of becoming an artist: know marketing, know who you are selling to, and do it as good or better than everyone around you. Don’t forget to paint, of course, just make sure that the entire world knows you are doing it, or you may find yourself needing to pay for a storage space that you fill with art no one knows about.

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The problem with holding the pencil wrong is not that you can’t draw; it’s more the fact that the pressure on the nib is all wrong and the hand will then, in utter frustration, drive the pencil further into the realms of artistic despair. This means that shading becomes far too heavy-handed (or conversely too light) and the drawer has barely any control over where the pencil goes. Add to this the problem that many beginners stare down at their drawings for many minutes—instead of looking at what they are drawing and taking it in—and you have a problem which needs to be sorted, if only for the sanity of the art teacher.

The correct way to hold a pencil is really however it feels comfortable to you, but the important thing, however you do this, is to hold it at more nearer the nib than away. By doing that you have direct control over what your brain sees and the movements your hand makes. You’d be surprised how being aware of something like this can transform a piece of art-work in a matter of seconds.

Anny’s surprise engagement party: I think I know what we should put together. We should arrange some time at val thorens ski as a surprise, I know that it is on the other side of the Atlantic, but she is worth it right?

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I love Muse. Ever since hearing the album, Origin of Symmetry in early 2002 I was hooked. Musically their abilities are up their with the best of them and Matt Bellamy (lead vocals and guitar) has an amazing gift for writing music. Whilst his singing is hardly brilliant, it is unique and compliments the music well.

As they have progressed as a band, so has their music. Every album sounds different and they always push themselves to try new things it seems. From the angsty Showbiz to the classically influenced Absolution, there isn’t a genre of music that Muse haven’t tried to add to their sound.

I have been to see them several times, in Newcastle, my home city, in Leeds at the festival and at Wembley Stadium and each time I go the show feels different. From the ad libbing and improvisation that Bellamy brings to the atmosphere the different crowds create, going to a Muse show is a unique experience making them a band you want to go and enjoy over and over.

My latest outing to see them will be on the 29th of March in Edmonton. I have yet to see them in a foreign country but I am thoroughly looking forward to it. The last time I did go and see them was in 2007 and that was far too long ago. It will be interesting to see how well received the band is across the Atlantic and how the crowds and atmosphere differs to the other shows I have been to.

Also, I have not seen them since the release of the new album, The Resistance, so the visual aspects there will be in the show will also be entirely new for me. Muse have always delivered a fantastic concert and I am sure that in Edmonton on the 29th of March, it will be no different.

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Time after time the fusing of elements such as futurism, sci-fi and film turn out to be less a blessing and more of a curse—with so many good science fiction films produced by the early 90s it was hard to imagine anything new breaking any ground. Then along came Cube (1997, directed by Canadian Vincenzo Natali); a psychological masterpiece, it went on to spawn a number of not half bad sequels and was the start of a sci-fi revolution that steered clear of aliens and spaceships, in favour of tense human interaction laced with claustrophobic horror.

Cube gets under the skin and crawls about, that’s where it’s most effective, and where the story really takes effect. On the surface it is all blood and guts, but beneath it is a disturbing silence–watching Cube in the dark you can easily imagine the feeling of being trapped, walls closing in on you, sinking further and further in to the depths of despair.

Using an extremely limited concept—the characters in the film are usually together at all times and trapped within the same malevolent four walls—the film somehow achieves more than most high-budget action thrillers, constantly racking up the tension as the Cube reveals its terrible secrets.

The sparse set design is what makes the movie. Theatrical in places, it is less about what is happening inside the Cube itself—of which nobody within it knows very much about, seeing as they can’t remember how they came to be there—and more about what is going on inside of the panicked individuals trying to escape it. Frightening and brilliantly conceived, there is just enough gore in Cube to keep the horror fans happy, but not so much as to belittle the intelligent nature of the plot.

I have just been told what my sister would like for her her graduation gift So now I need to sort out where to purchase a black beach dress , any guidance is really very welcome!

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Charcoal has always been one of my favourite mediums, but for some reason it doesn’t get as much attention as the other ways to create a fine piece; you can blend it, create super dynamic shapes with the swipe of one hand, and cover vast amounts of paper extremely quickly. But it can also be a scary thing to use, simply because once it’s on paper, that’s it.

Here are a few pointers if you’re new to using charcoal:

1) Hold the stick like you would a pencil, but don’t be afraid to experiment—using the flat edge will create an interesting effect on different kinds of paper.

2) Start small: because you can cover such a large space so easily, it’s not difficult to get carried away. Working small, you won’t be so dissapointed if it goes wrong.

3) Charcoal sticks can seem like an almost prehistoric drawing implement, but there are many ways to use the edge to produce different kinds of line; also, varying the pressure you put on the stick is an important skill to learn.

4) Don’t throw away the small pieces! Unlike a pencil, when charcoal breaks it doesn’t mean the end. Keep all the small bits; these are useful for shading in areas if nothing else.

5) Remember, you can also use the round end of the charcoal for making small dots—ideal for eyes or buttons.

6) Blending: use your thumb or finger-tip to deaden a harsh black area.

7) What to do after you’re finished? Always be sure to spray your work with some kind of fixer. Then it won’t matter if someone accidentally puts something on top of your piece. The charcoal will not smudge!

Finally before I go, I have just became aware of the fact that I have been glaring at my computer screen for the last little while and am really tired of my Heroes Wallpaper, I think it is time for a revision, these and more updates coming soon!

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Viggo Mortensen and Naomi Watts: directed by Canadian master David Cronenberg–what more do you want from a movie?

Dark, sinister and refreshingly different from most modern gangster stories, Eastern Promises

In some ways, Eastern Promises

As with all of Cronenberg’s films, Easternthe

By the way, I have finally applied for those Secondary school jobs

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