Mel Elliott - How To Make Art

(So how do you become the one who did?)

Ive been drawing and making things for many years now. Ever since I can remember I was always busy graffiti-ing on my parents walls and furniture (something that my five-year-old daughter is currently helping me to see from their perspective). During all the time I have spent making art of various types, I have learned a lot, and Id like to share some of that knowledge with you.

I have been lucky enough to have had the most brilliant art education, learning so much from the various tutors I have had over the years. By a mile, the most important thing I was taught was to LEARN FROM MYSELF ... and that isnt as philosophical as it sounds.

Being good at art isnt, in my opinion, about drawing particularly well. I know many great, wonderful and successful artists who make a point of not drawing well.

You must have heard the art critics phrase:

I could do that and the response:

Yeah, but you didnt

So how do you become the one who did?

Being good at art is about knowing yourself, what makes you tick, who you like, what you dislike, the films, the fashions, your taste in music, your favourite food, and WHY?

Why do you favour certain films over others? Why do you like the work of one illustrator and not another? Being good at art is about knowing the answer to all of these things (and more) and then producing work that reflects who you are and what youre about.

At art school, you are rarely taught how to draw, how to hold a pencil, how to mix paint and all the other tricks of the trade. What they do teach you is how to channel yourself and how to think creatively. You are taught how to look at art, and how to understand it and appreciate it. Even if you hate it, they teach you to know what you hate about it without saying, I could do that.

Pearl, destroyer of walls, and ice creams.

I Love Mel HQ, Hastings, UK.

It is not always possible to have the ideal artists studio, but there are a few key ingredients to help you get the most out of your work area:

Light

Warmth

Music

Plenty of pens, pencils and paper

Having both a low desk and a waist-height desk is great if you have the space

A kettle, a mug and some teabags

A plant or two

So, in this book, you will learn how to think like an artist or designer and how to look at the world slightly differently, through the eyes of an artist. I think youll be surprised just how easy and yet rewarding this is.

You will discover various creative techniques and tricks of the trade, techniques that are both traditional and new. Ill give you some great little projects and exercises to get your juices flowing, and Ill help you find some inspiration for when you are staring at that blank sheet of paper, with your head in your hands. Ill show you pencil and paper, and digital methods, but most of all Ill teach you to teach yourself.

So what do I do?

I had always wanted to be an artist of some kind, and in 2002 I decided that it was now or never, went for it, and never looked back. I embarked on my degree with my sights set firmly on going to the Royal College of Art to continue into postgraduate studies (David Hockney went there and I have always been a massive fan).

During my five years of studying, I had moments of utter confusion, thoughts of worthlessness, anger, tears, panic but also joy, freedom, enlightenment, and pride. Lots of pride.

These days, together with my husband, I run a publishing company called I Love Mel. We mainly produce, my range of pop culture-inspired, grown-up colouring books called Colour Me Good, and we are about to venture into the world of childrens picture books with Pearl Power (a story based around the little girl you saw on the previous page). I also paint and screen print whenever I get the time. Oh and I also create books like this!

I enjoy my job enormously and feel incredibly privileged to be able to come into my studio each day, create stuff and watch it become something. However, there are times when I am under extreme pressure, unfocused and exhausted so please do not feel like you to have to make art and design your full time living. Sometimes its nice to just enjoy the process. Anyway, thats enough about me, lets see what floats your boat!

Answer the following questions on a piece of paper, or in your journal. Do think carefully about your answers and try to think emotionally and/or visually whenever its called for. Pretend you are on a date with yourself! Here goes:

(1) What is your favourite film? And why?

(2) Which famous person, dead or alive, do you think you can relate to and think youd get along with? Why is that?

(3) Is there a building that you love? Is it the interior or exterior? Or both?

(4) What was the best holiday of your life so far? What was it about that holiday? The people? The scenery? The culture?

(5) Do you collect anything? You may want to look around before answering no to this. Many people collect things without even realising it. If the answer turns out to be yes think about how that came about.

(6) Do you have a favourite family photograph? Is it old? Or new? What are the people doing in it?

(7) Who do you follow on Instagram? What is it about their photographs? The subject matter? The celebrity? The light or atmosphere in their pictures?

(8) What is your home/room like? What do you think that says about you?

(9) Do you have a favourite shop? What does it sell? How is it decorated? How does it smell?

(10) If you were a brand, what would your logo look like?

(11) Is there an everyday product for which you particularly like the packaging/wrapper? Is it clean and simple? Is it brightly coloured or retro-looking?

(12) Who would play you in a film about your life?

(13) What is your lifes dream?

Okay, now youre all set for your artistic adventure. Enjoy the ride!

For many people, knowing where to start their creative path is a difficult challenge. It neednt be that tricky though. There is inspiration all around us. It is everywhere you look you just have to notice it, and then embrace it.

We do not live in the 18th century any more, we do not need to meander the streets of Paris drinking absinthe (although Im sure that is a very lovely thing to do). We live in an age where so much is accessible to us so go ahead! Fill your boots!

Much of my time is spent not drawing or designing, but doing what many people would call procrastinating. I spend hour upon hour nonchalantly perusing the Internet, flicking through image after image, not really caring what those images are. Many would consider this a pointless exercise, but for me (and Im sure the same goes for many creatives), every so often I find something interesting and I save it. I may never look at that image again but somehow it is there, in my psyche, waiting to become a presence within my work in some shape or form.