About me
f.a.q.
About my art
-
Where are you from and how old are you?
My mum is Polish and my dad is from Bulgaria. I was born in February 1988 and live in Cracow, Poland.
-
Did you go to art school?
I studied Industrial Design & Fashion Design on Academy of Fine Arts in Cracow. Also Graphic Design on Pedagogical University of Cracow. Before that, I attend a one-year art school every week to prepare my portfolio and get into college. During that year I drew mostly still life studies which I think were the best basis for the development of my artistic skills.
-
What is your profession?
I worked as a Sport Apparel Designer for almost 10 years. I had a pleasure to design all kinds of technical garments such as snowboard and ski jackets, training, cycling and running wear as well as garments for the Olympic Games and for famous sport stars. Since November 2020 I'm a Freelance Illustrator and Artist.
-
How did you become independent?
Initially, I put aside a sum of money that would help me survive for about half a year without a full-time job. At that time, I started accepting orders for illustrations and personal comissions, that came mostly from my Instagram followers. After a few months, I created my first Domestika course and opened Patreon. So far, it all works even better than my nine-to-five job and I feel very blessed.
-
When did you start drawing?
I was probably about three years old when I started and I was creating something my whole childhood. I was drawing mainly animals and Disney characters. Since then I was drawing only from time to time or because I had to do some homework. At the end of 2018 I decided I wanted to draw daily so I started my first sketchbook. I also started to learn portrait drawing. Since then I'm sketching everyday or almost everyday.
-
How long does it take you to finish a drawing?
For quick, pencil sketches - about 15-20 minutes each.
For digital drawings it's about 2-3 hours.
For digital paintings about 6-12 hours.
-
Can you draw me?
I don't take personal commissions at the moment.
-
What is the name of your drawing style?
I don't think it has a name but I would say it's a freehand sketching with semi-realistic stylization.
-
How did you learn to draw?
Do you have any methods on proportions or anatomy?
I don't use any specific methods of measurement. I practice my observation skills and hand drawing a lot. I explain much more in my courses and on Patreon.
about inspiration
about motivation
-
Do you use references? Where do you find them?
In my opinion using reference for artwork is essential. Especially when you learn. It helps me to understand anatomy and how the things really look like. However, I feel it is important to use photo reference as a starting point or guide and avoid depending on it in every detail. I look for reference photos on Pinterest and sites such as Unsplash or Pexels. Sometimes, if I can't find what I'm looking for, I take my own photos.
-
Where do you find inspiration?
I take inspirations from books, movies and animations as well as other artists who publish their work online. Sometimes I'm inspired by the light or colors of everyday life so I love to take photos of these fleeting moments.
-
What's your favorite theme to draw?
The most important thing for me is to learn nd develop my skills. I love to capture peoples emotions but want to learn also how to make proper environment studies, character design and illustrations with story telling.
-
What do you hate to draw?
Maybe not hate but I rarely draw vehicles.
-
Do you think it's bad to be inspired by other artists and use their artworks as references?
I don't think it's bad until you don't entirely copy the artwork and post as yours. You can learn from everything that inspires you. I used to copy a lot of Disney characters as a child. Always remember to give credits to the artist if you show your copy anywhere. The best way is to ask the artist for permission before posting. I don't mind, as long as it's clear you studied my artwork.
-
How do you deal with art block?
Drawing is now my habit and I rarely have an art block. I usually feel demotivated when comparing myself with much better, more experienced artists or when I can't draw something that I planned to do in a particular way. It doesn't take long though, because now I know I can't be too hard on myself. I want to draw and develop my skills, so the most important thing is practice and patience. I usually tell myself that I'll finally make a drawing that I'm happy with and will feel motivated again.
-
How did you manage to have daily job and keep on working on your art so often?
It wasn't easy, not gonna lie. In November 2018 I decided to draw daily and sticked to this decision but it was very difficult sometimes. Often I needed to cancel the activities I liked or meetings with friends. At one point I felt quite overwhelmed so decided that my rule will be to stick to my resolution in about 80%. You can't be too hard on yourself because you'll start to hate what you do. I think enjoyment is the most important in art - especially at the beginning!
-
What do you do when you're not in a mood to draw?
I draw something that's easy for me and can't go wrong, like doodles, cats, flowers or faces from profile. If it doesn't help, I take a break, a nap, go for a walk. If it's still not helping, I take a longer break, but no more than 1-3 days.
-
Do you ever have ugly drawings that you don't like and wouldn't post?
Sure! I have plenty of those :) I think everyone has bad drawing days. You can see some of them on my Instagram.
about social media tips
-
How to build an audience on Instagram?
Create account that is dedicated to your art.
At the beginning I didn't even tell my friends that I'm making separate art account. I wanted to know if people like my art, not just support me kindly as a person they know from school or work. I started from zero followers and gained first ones just with hashtags, being active on other artistic accounts and participating in art challenges.
Mixing artworks and personal stuff might work for some people but it's very rare. Also when they add something personal — they still keep their content consistent (in colours, filters, whole aesthetic).
Be there for your existing followers.
Not only to find new ones. Focusing on your contact with few followers is better than being totally anonymous for many of them. Engage the followers you already have, learn about what they like and what interests them. If you will try only to get new followers you will probably quickly lose them.
Use proper hashtags.
It's better to use a few, medium popular hashtags than many highly popular, where your post will have small chance to be seen.
Do not use forbidden tags. You can google list of tags blocked by Instagram. There are many innocent like #books or #brain. Be sure not to use any of these because your post won't be visible.
Don't act like a bot.
Don't run with with following & unfollowing or "likes for likes". It works only for a short time. After that, you will loose most of gained followers. You might even get blocked by the algorithm. It's also very annoying for many users so you might get blocked.
Be helpful and support other artists.
Share your knowledge an inspiration. Give a positive feedback if you like someone's artwork. Make friends. It is not just a portfolio - it's a social media platform.
Keep your page consistent and authentic.
Show your finished artworks but also your workshop, process, quick sketches and helpful tips. Post regularly.
Participate in challenges.
There are many interesting events on Instagram like Inktober, Mermay or Draw This In Your Style challenges. Find something for you and enjoy bonding with people :)
Keep up with trends.
You don't have to blindly follow each, individual trend but be aware of them and pick what suits your audience. Maybe all the changes (like reels) don't sound exciting at first but at least try to know what you like.
Have fun!
People can feel when you do something because you enjoy it and they often wanna be a part of it. Doing something just for the sake of popularity will not necessarily be authentic and appealing for the followers.
-
How to take good photos of your art?
Take photos in soft, natural light.
Daylight is usually more soft and optically white. All the regular lamps are too dark or too yellow or not bright enough to show delicate pencil lines. I know it's difficult, especially on winter time, but I think it's essential.
Improve parameters of your photo with proper software.
I'm using Snapseed App. For pencil drawings usually I'm increasing highlights and structure, and decreasing saturation.
Check how your photos will look like on your page before posting them.
You can use Preview App. I'm always doing this to keep my page consistent.
Use a scanned picture and paste it to the photo of your sketchbook.
I started to use this trick recently, when it was impossible to capture some of my traditional, colorful artworks on the photos.
-
How do you stay consistent with your account?
I take photos in similar place and similar light. Use the same filters to achieve similar saturation, structure, white balance, fading etc. Before posting, I put a photo into Preview App to see if it fits my grid.
-
What apps do you recommend?
Preview App — helps to keep the content consistent
UNFOLD — helps to create aesthetic Stories
Snapseed — helps to correct your photo parameters
VSCO — has a lot of aesthetic looking filters
InShot — an intuitive app to edit your videos
on being a beginner
-
What is the best excercise to get better at drawing?
How should I start?
From my experience the best way is to get a sketchbook that you like and fill it from the first to the very last page.
There will be many bad drawings. It's good because you can learn on your mistakes. There will be also few that you like. That's good because they'll keep you motivated to start next sketchbook and learn more.
-
What is the best tool for a beginner?
Anything that gives you joy! At the beginning the most important thing is to just stay motivated and keep drawing. No matter what you use. It doesn't have to be fancy or expensive. You can use anything that feels pleasant.
-
How to learn portrait drawing?
There are many ways that I explain in my Domestika courses and on Patreon. Long story short - observe, practice, get to know the rules, break the rules and have fun!
-
How to find your own style?
In my opinion developing style isn't some conscious decision to make. It's a combination of your personal taste, practice and time. Observe the styles that inspire you most, practice regularly and be patient. Also — don't worry too much about getting some particular style (or styles). It will find you no matter what if you'll practice enough.
-
I want to start drawing but I'm afraid it's too late. I didn't go to art school. Should I bother?
I don't belive that there is something like "too late" for art. I haven't been drawing for years and started my first sketchbook when I was 30. It didn't stop me from trying :) There are many self taught artists and they're doing great so don't worry about that. There are also many courses for adults or seniors. You can search for many options but the most important thing in my opinion is to just draw and have fun from it!
-
How to draw without any reference?
I wouldn't recommend you to draw without any reference if you're a beginner. Even very experienced artists use references, it's completely natural. You're not smarter than mother nature and you won't design how the animals move or how human anatomy works. It's usual process to use references in art and draw from nature.
Drawing from imagination is for those who had drawn a lot and learned how the particular things really work. Of course you can draw without any reference and practice your imagination but I think it shouldn't be the only thing you do. There is a risk that you'll trap in some mistakes and repeat them in your next artworks.
I think a good practice is to draw from memory. Draw something from the reference, flip the page of your sketchbook and draw it again but this time from memory ;)
-
How can I draw with your style?
We all have different sensitivity, other taste and experiences. Try to show it in your art! It is very valuable and I'm sure other people will appreciate it much more than a perfect copy of someone elses art.
About my art supplies
-
What are your favorite art supplies?
You can find the list of my favourite art supplies here: LINK.
-
What Hardware and software do you use for digital art?
Ipad Pro 12,9 with Apple Pencil 2nd gen and the Procreate App
