So many things and artists inspire me. Sometimes it will be a movie or a book, or even a place I have visited. I keep a library of images of things I see or come across that I find inspirational to refer back to when I’m feeling a creative block. Thankful the invention of Pinterest also helps with this. As many creative people will tell you, inspiration can strike at any time. I keep a small sketchbook with me in my bag at all times for this reason so I can do a quick sketch or take notes when I get an idea for something. Now I just need the time to execute them all!

Social Media is a great way to connect with people around the world! I’ve made a lot of new friends from Instagram especially. That said, I have specific business accounts that are open to the public and ones that are private and reserved for close friends and family.

If you send me a friend request on Instagram or Facebook to my private accounts and we have never even met or had a conversation before, chances are I will not accept your friend request. This is nothing personal against you, I just have accounts that I share personal photos and updates that are meant for close friends and family only. If you would like to interact with me on my public accounts you can find me @barbsotiart 

I always like to try different brands and see how they perform. Sometimes what works for me for a while, will be replaced upon the new discovery or advances made in a type of material. Here are a few of my current favorites:

Faber-Castell: I generally enjoy everything I have ever tried that is made by this company. They have a really high standard of quality with their products and I’ll admit I like their branding and packaging as well.

Strathmore Paper: I have been using various types of Strathmore paper for a while now. I like the variety that they have in both type and size and best of all it’s pretty economical. My Favorites are their Mixed Media 400 Series and The Bristol Smooth 300 Series.

Grumbacher and Liquitex: I have been using these acrylic paint brands for many years and I enjoy them both individually and together. They have great consistency in their hues and textures.

You can explore more of my favourites in my Supplies, Tools & Freebies section

I am so flattered that you like my art so much that you would want it on your body permanently. 🙂 That being said, even though I have done this for people in the past, I no longer do. Tattoo artists are often traditional media artists themselves outside of their profession and have immense talent. If you are spending hard-earned money getting a tattoo, please support the artist tattooing you by getting them to design your piece. They will also have a good idea of what type of things work and don’t work in terms of lines, coloring, and the way a design will fit on a particular part of your body.

A lot of people really love fan art, myself included. On occasion, I have done fan art pieces for close friends or family for gifts. The other exception is when I do them for myself or as something I am submitting to an official fan art site such as those for television shows like The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, or Vikings. In a way, asking an artist you like to do a copy of your favorite cartoon character, for example, is similar to asking a band you like to play another band’s songs when you go see them live. While you may be interested in their version of someone else’s work, you are at the same time unintentionally devaluing the original work of the artist who you are asking to create the fan art. It’s true that some people make a living as fan artists in the same way that some bands make a living playing cover songs. It comes down to copyright infringement and not having permission to reproduce an image for sale. At the end of the day, it is my goal as an artist to sell and be known for my original works.

You can read more about this on my blog post Stealing vs Inspiration

For the reasons stated above, unfortunately not.