FAQ

Courses and Self Study

Make Your Art Work: Art Business Bootcamp
This the best art business class I’ve ever taken. The material is fantastic and written by working, industry professionals, Lauren Panepinto and Marc Scheff so it’s current, regularly updated information. It comes with a Facebook and Slack community which is extremely helpful and active. You get lessons, homework, and worksheets. It’s all self paced too. I got my largest client (with a five figure budget) due to the lessons I learned in this class. It is 100% worth every single penny. Come ready to put in the work, and you’ll be rewarded.


Art of the Pitch
Another class from the Make Your Art Work team. I liked the bootcamp so much, I took this right after and was impressed once again. It teaches how to craft the perfect pitch for your new product or idea. It also teaches how to confidently talk to people about your art and your ideas. It’s a great stand alone or companion class for the bootcamp. Both the bootcamp and the pitch class have since paid for themselves many times over with my new clients.


Creature Anatomy with Terryl Whitlatch
Terryl is a master. Taking this class with her took my creatures to the next level. If you can afford it, buy the critiqued sessions to keep you on track with this very demanding but very worth it class.


Anatomy for Artists Online Course with Scott Eaton
The best human anatomy class I’ve ever taken. It’s worth the money. It’s a very technical, and dry course. It’ll require a good amount of discipline to get through properly. If you put in the effort, your art will get many times better.


Art of Aaron Blaise Online Classes
Lots of fantastic little courses here in the area of animal and creature art (which some humans thrown in). Can’t go wrong.


Oatley Academy
I owe my first book: Seen and Unseen to the Oatley Academy’s Story Teller Summit. Their other subscription is the the Magic Box - a rock solid painting course. The best thing about the Oatley Academy is the friendly, helpful community which comes with the subscription.

Supplies

Education

The short answer is this:
I earned a BFA in Electronic Imaging from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth in 2006 and a certificate in 3D modeling and animations from the CDIA at Boston University in 2009. I’ve also taken a number of courses post graduation because I never want to stop learning and bettering myself.

If you’d like to read about my education in greater detail, you can do so on my LinkedIn profile

That said, education - specifically the topic of “what school, if any, should I go to?” is a tricky subject. In all honesty, I’d recommend doing a google search for “should I go to art school” and read all the articles there. Then check out this funny flowchart from Lauren Panepinto of Orbit Books. There are a lot of points and counterpoints to help you make your best, personal choice.

If you’ve done all that and want to chat with me further, please stop by one of my Twitch streams (schedule in the bottom panels) and I’d be delighted to talk with you.

Final note: I do recommend all the courses I listed in the top section of this FAQ, however.

Productivity

I’m often asked how I manage to be as productive as I am. This is a bit funny to me because I’m always trying to figure out how to get more done - without - of course - injuring my mind or body.

Here’s a list of all the resources that have helped me. Fair warning - they might not be your cup of tea. But they work for me, so maybe they’ll work for you?


Books
Atomic Habits by James Clear

Deep Work by Cal Newport

War of Art by Steven Pressfield

Confidence Code by Katty Kay and Claire Shipman

Manage Your Day-to-Day: Build Your Routine, Find Your Focus, & Sharpen Your Creative Mind

Zen to Done by Leo Babauta


Podcasts, TED Talks, and Youtube movies

Sleep is Your Super Power with Matt Walker


Websites, and Blog Articles
How to Be a Prolific Creator & Double Your Work Output by Dave Morrow

Things That Are Worth Doing Are Worth Doing Poorly

3 Time Management Tips That Actually Work by James Clear

How to Stop Procrastinating by Using the “2-Minute Rule” by James Clear


Apps, Extensions, and Tools
Freedom - Block Websites, Apps, and the Internet

Social Fixer for Facebook

Bullet Journal Knockoff that’s Affordable

Using a Bullet Journal


I hope these resources help you, but I’d like to reiterate a point from the first paragraph - I am constantly trying to figure out how to get more done while staying healthy. Constantly.

You need to play around with this stuff. Mix and match. Review and change. Your needs are unique to you. Always be ready to make the right choice for you. Make you the best version of yourself.

Health - Both Physical and Mental

Being an artist can be rough for both the mind and body. I personally deal with anxiety and a bit of impostor syndrome daily. In my late twenties, I had incredibly severe RSI injuries, so bad that I couldn’t hold a pencil for two years.

Nowadays, I can draw all day (and have been able to for years), and, for the most part, the anxiety attacks are handled. This is what I do. I guarantee, it won’t be a perfect fit for you since I’m not you. However, I bet you can cherry pick this and make your optimal plan.

(Also, if you chat with me further about health and fitness, please stop by one of my Twitch streams (schedule in the bottom panels) and I’d be delighted to talk with you. Please show up before 9 pm eastern if you have questions.)


Mental Health
Vitamins
Stress B Complex
These are like magic for me. I take one a day, everyday, and if I do that consistently along with exercise, my anxiety is about 95% gone. I love these vitamins and I’ll sing it from the mountain tops. It takes a few weeks for them to start working and I’ve been using them for seven years now. Bonus: I take these when I go to cons and have never gotten con crud (I know I’m probably cursing myself here...).

Blogs and Website Articles
Muddy Colors - World Mental Health Day by Lauren Panepinto

Muddy Colors - Mental Illness and Artists by Lauren Panepinto

Make Your Art Work: Art Therapy by Lauren Panepinto


Apps and Tools
Headspace
My favorite meditation app. Start with the free trial. I love it and pay yearly for it. They have many new features including the option to switch between male and female voices now (on some meditations). Note: You don’t need to be able to clear your mind to do this type of meditation.

Calm
If you don’t like the voice in Headspace, or can’t afford it, Calm is a good option.





Physical Health
After years and years of cutting the gym and suffering for my actions (or inaction) with tendinitis and anxiety attacks, I’ve gotten decently serious about my fitness nowadays. I’m mostly working out for mental health and longevity. Lots of people think being fit is about looking good in a bathing suit. For me, it’s more about aging well so I can kick ass and take names as long as possible. Even if it’s fifteen mins a day, I would encourage you to have at least a stretching and mobility routine. If you add strength in there, that’s even better.

Lots of people ask me, “what sort of workout should I do?” The best answer is, “do whatever is the most fun for you.” Consistency matters more than anything else when we are talking about fitness for the average person who isn’t training for a specific event. Keep trying new things until you find a good fit for you. I love weightlifting. Lots of people find it super boring. Maybe you like dancing, or martial arts, or softball, or HIIT?

It doesn’t really matter what you do. Just pick a thing and do it consistently. If you’d like to do what I do, the apps I use are listed below.

Note: That’s not an answer for weight loss. That’s an answer for longevity and mental health. If you’d like to lose weight, that’s probably more of a diet issue than a gym issue. “You can’t outrun a bad diet”, as my gymnastic coach said.

Tools
Foam Roller

Lacross Ball

Rolflex PRO Edition Leverage Foam Roller

Apps
FitBod

Nike Training Club

Nike Run Club


Note: I’m not a doctor. I’m an artist. Use at your own risk. Also, go talk to your doctor before trying anything.

Molding and Casting

My materials that I used to cast my Worry dolls.

My materials that I used to cast my Worry dolls.

First off, I’m not an expert. I made this 3D print. I made a mold once and utterly failed. I went back into my nearest Reynold’s Advanced Materials to get help. I got help and the second attempt worked - that is literally all the experience I have. So grain of salt, right?

I used these for the successful casting. I made three molds. One for the large Worry doll and two for the Small Worry Doll. I used two of the trial sized packs of the silicone to do so; I got the gallon jugs of the liquid plastic (these are linked below). The results was 38 Worry doll figurines. Had I’d been better at eyeballing the measuring at the start, I’m sure I would have gotten an even 40.

Mold Star 16 Fast Platinum Silicone Rubber
Smooth Cast 300

I did not use a mold release or baby powder and didn’t have any issues.
After the first cast, I did notice some slight condensation in the small mold. A Q-Tip and some paper towel fixed the problem and I didn’t have that issue again.

My process
Make the mold container.
If your 3D print is hollow, stuff it with this clay which plays nice with silicone at the base. Very important to add this needed weight.
Hot glue the 3D print or whatever you’re using to a base: a dinner plate or plastic cutting board.
Now make the walls to hold the silicone. I used a solo cup for my tiny one and I glued together a cardboard box for my large one.
Glue the walls down to the base (the plate or cutting board)

Silicone Mold
Stir trial sized jars with wooden paint mixers
Pour part A into a cup
Pour part B into a cup
Stir part A with a craft stick
Stir part B with a craft stick
Add premixed part A and premixed part B into a solo cup
Stir solo cup with wooden paint mixer
Use a high pour (raise silicon as high up as you can and still get it into the mold) into one corner of the mold and don’t move it around much.
Completely cover the thing you’re making a mold off and have at least .5 inches/12.7mm over the top of the object
Wait one hour (package says 30 mins but I didn’t have extra silicone to afford any errors)

Casting
While waiting for the mold to cure - Shake each gallon jug thoroughly for 2 solid minutes. Use a timer.
Put them down and wait out the hour for the mold to cure.
Once you pop out the positive (in my case, my sealed 3D print), the process is largely the same.
Pour part A into a cup
Pour part B into a cup
Stir part A with a craft stick
Stir part B with a craft stick (optional: add pigments here)
Add premixed part A and premixed part B into a solo cup
Stir solo cup with craft stick
Use a low pour and add the resin into the mold.
Scrape any tiny bubbles off to the side with a stick.
Wait 15 mins (package says 10 mins, but again, no room for errors with my budget), and pop the cast out of the mold.
Reset the molds. In my case, I put the little one back into a solo cup and wrapped the big one up in it’s cardboard holder with elastics.
Repeat.


More notes
I took a class at Reynold’s Advanced Materials to learn this.
All volumes are measured by eye
Wear gloves
You will need A LOT of craft sticks and mixing cups. A LOT.
My house was 73°F/22.7°C (like the packaging recommends)
If you are adding pigments to the plastic, only add it to part B
The plastic resin has a short shelf life once it’s opened. I used the whole gallon in one day and just powered through.
I didn’t have any big air bubbles but I did get some small ones which I’ll fix.
You have to seal your 3D prints and it has to be this stuff. (or so I was told) It DID make a HUGE difference for me.
If you need to cut your mold to get the postive out, mind where you do that since you’ll get a seam there.
If you need to cut your mold to get the postive out, cut it in a zig-zag so it goes back together nice and tight.

Hope that helps!

(Also, if you chat with me further about molding and casting, please stop by one of my Twitch streams (schedule in the bottom panels) and I’d be delighted to talk with you. Please show up before 9 pm eastern if you have questions. )

Some of my unfinished casts. Time to sand and paint some.

Some of my unfinished casts. Time to sand and paint some.

3D Printing

Coming soon.
ANYCUBIC Photon 3D Printer
Plant based resin
(I’ve only used this, so I can’t compare it to other products.)

(Also, if you chat with me further about 3D printing, please stop by one of my Twitch streams (schedule in the bottom panels) and I’d be delighted to talk with you. Please show up before 9 pm eastern if you have questions. )