I’ve given this question a lot of thought in my life. I’ve gone back and forth between ultra realism being art or not being art. I realized that I was asking myself the wrong question. First I needed to decide on what I considered to be art. My simple answer to that question is that art is a very personal perspective. So personally I consider ultra realism copied from an existing image to only be an incredible skill. It’s certainly not easy to do. It requires a lot of patience and practice and dedication. The attention to details has to be strictly followed to trick a viewer into asking themselves, “is this a photo or a painting”? I’ve never viewed an ultra realistic painting that’s copied from an existing image and felt anything other than respect for the skill it takes to do it. I’m an artist myself so I’m seeing these images knowing full well what’s involved with pulling it off. I do not consider it to be art in the sense of something that comes from within an artist that is expressed through their own uniqueness and perspective on life. The subject matter “is what it is” and has no other purpose than to be used to copy in a very skillful way. So all it is in my opinion is a skill. Being a human copy machine is an amazing skill but that’s really all it is. Using the Olympics as an example. We tend to group all competitors into the same category. We call them “athletes”. Whether you consider an archer to be an athlete or not, I’m sure you can agree that archery is an amazing skill. Archery is very different than most Olympic competitions in the sense that the archer stands still and focuses on one small point. It requires an uncommon ability to be precise and perfect. But is it really “athletic” in the classic sense of athleticism? Archery is on the edge of being considered an athletic competition or purely a competition of skill. Perhaps ultra realism when copied from an existing image is on the edge of being considered “artistic” in the classic sense of art. If it inspires some kind of feeling or emotion or is thought provoking then I guess it’s doing the same job that art is for you. Just not for me. All I see is a display of amazing skill and might as well be a giclèe print. Let me be clear…..I have great respect for those who can really pull it off.

Great and helpful video! Thanks 💜

I really enjoyed this. I have done pet portraits in oil. I consider myself a mixed media artist because I have work in acrylic, encaustic, collage, oil, and assemblage. But the portraits are always oil. Your work has come a long way! Though I understand your wish to replicate your loose watercolor birds style.They are adorable. My own goal is to focus less on particular details and more on the overall feel of the work.

It looks like you!

beautiful! Can you please tell which white you are using? I am desperate to find something that applies as easy as yours!!

Hey Amie, can you tell the tools used in this beautiful piece of art

Thanks

I like to use prismacolours, but sometimes when I'm WAY too deep in my drawing, I get fumbly and drop them... (if you know what happens to prismacolours when you drop them, then you'd understand my pain.)

Very pretty. I been watching a bunch of how to draw botanical videos and I’m just about ready to have a go. Prolly gonna try watercolor base and colored pencils for details. Wish me luck!

You might look into getting a sublimation printer, like a Sawgrass SG500, an Epson F170 or a Brother SP1. Your art would like really cool on a t-shirt and one of those printers would be ideal for making that! The printer and a good heat press and you'd be on your way.

Don't let anyone or anything dictate to you what you should do, paint or draw. Do it for you, not for some trend. The only time you do something for someone is if you're doing a commission. I love your painting!!! I was thinking of what it could be as well...I have a few thoughts on that😊

How would you do feathers in bright colors, like blue or purple?

7:51 Great vid. I’m just getting started using Colored pencils. Your vid’s are so helpful.

Prettyy❤

Thanks Amie, great tutorial! :)

Bien!!!

Yes, you can, but it is not the same, because pencils never mix exactly like paints.

Okay just a question I'm trying to do a bison and do you technically consider that for wooly or wavy or curly or all of the three?

Art is beyond our imagination! It consumes lots of pain, mixtures of emotions at the same time,,,it can't be defined appropriately, but in my opinion realism is just a beginner stage of art. Remember it , a donkey is also a hardworking animal 😉! Everyone's perspective towards art is different, but realism is actually overrated af! Artists fill their canvas with their pain & create amazing master pieces.Its not about the particular art , Artist becomes the ART itself!

first time I've heard it being called a Lemon crested cockatoo

Very nice ❤

Excellent explanation of colored pencil application! Loved it!!!'

Hi wanted to join your patron, but won't allow me to join???

Sofia

Ok

❤❤❤

Liton

. gh

Looking forward to doing this as I am obsessed with bees. I’m in Australia. 🐝🐝🐝🌺😊 not one of your patrons yet but I intend on joining soon.

Beautiful Aime ❤️❤️❤️

I watched this video so I could make the ears on my Irish Setter drawing the best. This video really helped to make it just that! Thank you!☺

Great Vlog really enjoyed watching! Bob😊

So sorry to hear of your loss, though glad that you took time away from being online to focus on yourself and your family. I’ve learned that regaining stability is quite a slow process and happens differently for everyone, and getting back to feeling your own creative self will similarly have its own timeline. I had to chuckle at your cat’s insistence for attention. Through frustration, I found that if I take literally two minutes to thoroughly scratch behind my kitty’s ears, she’ll be satisfied and wander off. Of course work at your own pace but I am looking forward to the additional contane. All the best, Amie.

I am trying to do a bison and I'm trying to figure out how to do the fur to make it look really realistic do you have any tutorials on bison / American Buffalo fur?

Hey Twinny! Great to see you! Sorry to hear of your loss, hope things are getting easier. I’m being drawn to mixed media too. I think gardening cards will be good sellers for sure. In my mind, I see a watering can with strawberries growing in it, with a trowel / fork laying next to it 🤔 My veg garden is such a mess 😩 Good luck with your new project…..lovely to see you again x

Nice to see you again! Why dont you do mixed fruit and vegetable cards, like everything you would put in a healthy juice in one card?

Nice to see you back missed watching your vlogs while I work, hope your keeping well xx

Set a parice parches

You’re very talented! ❤🎉

I bought 11 of these pencils today and I wasn't happy about them not having the color names on the pencil. I had to go online and find a chart to match the numbers with the color names. How hard would it be to put the names on the pencil?? I think I will write to them and tell them to put the names on their pencils lol. Other than that, I like the pencils very much. I'm not experienced with colored pencils and I only have cheap sets but these perform just about the same as my other ones. These are smaller than most pencils though and they are so lightweight even when I pick all 11 of them up at the same time lol. 😂 I'll probably buy some of them so I can have more colors.

Thank you, learned a lot❤

Amie! I never see you posting on socials anymore. Are you doing ok?

Stunning Amie ❤

Spectacular!

Very nice technique Amie! I love doing birds, maybe a bit of everything and your vids are excellent. The puffin are so lovely. I enjoy using the light sepia, which looks a bit cooler f😊 my browns even the brown violet, Mars because they lean towards the blue or using indigo light handeds. I enjoy listening to others’ methods, I also like to put a darker color down, maybe not the darkest value quite yet but I also absolutely love to add into the fur or plumage the lightest and beautiful variation of color so that when I go over them( it will happen 😂) if there are a number of layers then the ceramic knife will also pull out down to those light layers and really show them off. Beautifully done.😊

The fact that people debate whether realism is art is shocking.

Do you have any Cardinal tutorials ?

With all the breakage and having to sharpen all the time I won't buy prisma again. Faber Castell last significantly longer.

WOW