Danielle wene

When I first noticed Danielle's art in a Facebook group we have in common. Her style to reminds me of the dreams of high fantasy we have as children and I hope we continue to enjoy and treasure as adults.

 
1. Who are you and what artforms do you use?     

 Despite my brand being Passion Drawn in Ink, I LOVE to use all sorts of mediums to produce art! I use graphite, acrylics/gouache, watercolor, inks, and digital apps like IbisPaintX, Procreate, and Photoshop. ^-^ When doing personal art, I really love working with traditional mediums and feel more connected with having a physical format. I do use digital most often while working with clients and learning how to paint. All of them bring such a different flavor to the work I do and keep me inspired to create and experiment with how I tell stories through art!   

2. What are your 5 favorite movies?  

 Oh gosh... 0.o This is a hard question... XD I LOVE movies so much! Oof... Okay this is gonna be a LOONG one. I have so many reasons why these movies are my favorite. XD Sorry in advance! hahahaha  Okay so firstly I would have to say Lord of the Rings series and the Chronicles of Narnia! Absolutely breathtaking and inspiring with locations, characters, and stories! It always reminds me to push the scope of my story telling abilities and to pursue even greater concepts with flaws and real life tribulations, regardless of how fantastical the medium may seem! Narnia was the first movie I ever saw in theaters and established my adoration for high fantasy! Both of those movies have always been my go-to comfort movies and inspiration!   Third, I would say the Hunger Games! Gosh I freaking LOVE dystopia! This is very much one of those series that I will binge at least once or twice a year! Absolutely 10/10! These were my introduction to dystopian novels/films and will forever inspire me to tell compelling stories about the underdog and the downtrodden. So often in life we feel like we are up against huge enemies. We feel like we're in an impossible situation and hope is a dirty word used to manipulate ourselves into existing in more trauma with no end. But when we allow ourselves to process/own our shortcomings and rely on those in our community, whether we agree/like them or not, we collectively overcome the things which keep pushing us down. When we process through our trauma and own our actions, we can find our voice. No matter how insignificant we feel our voice is, it resonates far wider than we could anticipate. And that for me in my journey of art as well as life, has been significant. ... We may  never know the depth and length to which our voice resonates in our work. It impacts all who see it whether it be 1 or thousands... And that is the great humbling and privileged mantel we carry as artists. I always critique my work and it never stacks up to what I hope it will be, but I have to keep going because the world is desperate to hear what it says. And that is good enough. The world needs to hear what stories and messages we tell in our work and in the stories of our lives. The Hunger Games teaches me that the every day struggle is impacted by even the things I feel insignificant about.   Next I would say the Sandlot. XD I know it's a classic but it teaches me to retain a childlike wonder of the world and to appreciate the moment I'm in with everything I've got. Our stories change and we grow up, but we can still capture the wonder and sense of adventure we once had. The world is bright and exciting and beautiful and terrifying. We are in the greatest time to be alive that there's ever been! And everyday we have the opportunity to appreciate it for what it is. The good... The bad... The awful and the painful. The great triumphs and the struggle. We are alive and sometimes that is incredibly hard. But if we can see the world through a lense of wonder, we might be able to capture the magic we once felt it had.   Lastly, I would say the Little Prince. Along the same lines as capturing the wonder in life, this one translates into a great reminder not to let the cares of adulthood change our hearts. We are SO much more than what we provide. It's so easy to get consumed with a myopic view of work, money, and day to day grind, that we begin to believe that our only value comes when we work hard and even harder. I'll say it again... We are so much more than what we provide. We have to remember that our intrinsic value shines when we learn how to embrace ourselves and our uniqueness and exist as such. Just... Be... and just... Dream... We forget about that last part a lot... Dream.   

3. How has your craft developed  

When It comes to how my craft has developed, it's been a lifelong endeavor. I wasn't a prodigy. I would say the fastest development in my art that I've seen, came after I got my art tablet and started learning digital. I followed youtubers like Dave Greco, Mark Brunet, Marco Bucci, and Trent Kenigua (I think I spelled that right). They all have resources on how to practice effectively and how to train your eye. They also share so much knowledge on fundamentals, painting, color, texture, and how to tell a story. While I'm no where near where I wish to be, I have learned so much from them and have made the most development in my art over the last 2 years. Digital helped me practice without worrying about wasting my traditional materials.  

4. What are your artistic inspirations ? 

 My inspirations come from watching other illustrators work, such as the aforementioned illustrators, movies, videogames, books, and music. The Elder Scrolls has been a MAJOR inspiration to me. I would say one of my biggest illustration inspirations is Ruan Jia. I absolutely adore their work and wish to create at that level one day.    

 5. What is an artist or art form that is catching your attention ?   Lately It's ben Ruan Jia, and Trent Kenigua. I've been doing studies of their work. As for the artform that is catching my attention, digital painted environment concept art as well as miniature painting and miniature set building for DnD.  

6. What is the best piece of advice a fellow artist gave you?   "It's okay to create bad art. Create it and learn from it. It doesn't matter if you never show it to another soul. Before you can make great art, you have to make bad art. Start with where you're at and work to grow your eye. When it gets frustrating and hard it's because your taste has improved but your skills haven't yet. But when you grow your eye for art and the world, your taste will grow with it. And keep going. Create the bad art even when it's frustrating because right on the other side of that frustration, is a massive jump in skill, so that your skill meets your eye/taste." - Justus Mackintosh  

7. How do you seek opportunities to share your art ?

  I try to be as diverse as I can when it comes to sharing my art! I start with having a website of my own so that it's a landing page for clients to engage with my products/portfolio. Post in facebook groups, tiktok, instagram, and twitter. Apply for art conventions to share your work and hand out business cards. This is a GREAT way to meet other artists who can open doors for you and engage with potential clients. Also posting to Artstation. Another way is participating in events held by game studios such as The Elder Scrolls October challenge.   

8. Where would you like your art to go? Thematically and stylewise.   Thematically I would love to incorporate more mech designs and greater atmospheric environments. I'm still learning a lot about fundamentals and getting the hang of anatomy so tightening those up would be nice. Stylistically I really want to get to the same general style of Ruan Jia and Dave Grecco/Marco Bucci. Kind of a combination of all of them would be nice! XD Vivid, rich color, clean and deep painterly style, atmospheric, and dynamic lighting. The goal is to work in the video game or film industry so emulating them would help me land some jobs there!     

9 What makes you smile?

   My husband. XD Like no really. hahahaha I know it sounds cheesy but he is hilarious and never ceases to amaze me. He inspires and challenges me to be the person I have always wanted to be. He is bliss incarnate and somehow always knows how to reach me in the darkest times to put a smile on my face.   ... Also babies laughing and cats when they spread their toe beans.  

  You can find my art at:  

My Website: www.passiondrawninink.com  and Artstation: https://passiondrawninink.artstation.com/  Tiktok, Facebook, and Instagram: @passiondrawninink