Fan art created by Kayla Carlile
I have always loved creating art. As a child I spent my free time drawing, painting, and writing/illustrating my own books. I used an old typewriter my parents had and then would draw my pictures right on the page after I typed it!
Last winter, my son and I wrote a children’s book together called “Taro the T-Rex Meets Santa.” I illustrated it and published it on Amazon through Kindle. We are now brainstorming ideas for our second Taro book, which I hope to publish by the end of the year! My ongoing projects are custom painting commissions for clients while also selling my artwork prints online and at the Eugene Saturday Market. I sell my art in the form of posters, canvases, apparel, phone cases, mugs, stickers, and more.
My favorite projects I have done are definitely larger scale paintings, like murals or large-scale canvas paintings. In additional to digital art, I also paint with both acrylics and watercolors. Sometimes I even do chalkboard murals.
Upon recently graduating college, my daily routine has gotten much calmer. In a typical day, I get my six-year-old son ready for school, drop him off, and head to work. After work I pick up my son and spend my spare time playing with him or creating. On Saturdays I load my car full of grid walls, a canopy, and my artwork, and I set up a booth at the Eugene Saturday Market to display and sell my artwork.
Painter Essentials is the first and only digital artwork software I have ever used. I decided one day to buy a Wacom tablet for my laptop, just for fun. It came with Painter Essentials, and after much experimenting, I finally found a technique and style that works for me. Painter Essentials allows me to create custom portraits using photographs and realistic brush styles.
My favorite Painter Essentials tool is the ability to manipulate layers. Other than that, I can’t pick a favorite- I love them all! My favorite brush would probably be Real Oil Filbert.
Although I am not a full-time artist, I was for a while, and the most challenging part was trying to make an income off of my passion. Money can buy a lot of things, but passion isn’t one of them. I have discovered that my most pure expressions of creativity come from a place that cannot be forced. I enjoy creating artwork the most when I have no expectations, no criteria, and nobody to answer to. I love having the freedom to paint whatever I want. I have decided that when I can make a living off of the art that I WANT to create, then I will pursue being a full time artist again.
My advice to up-and-coming artists would be to keep creating. One of my favorite quotes is by Andy Warhol: He says, “Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art.” Create what makes you happy. Hard work doesn’t go unnoticed, so continue to work hard and it will show in your artwork. Don’t let anybody tell you what kind of art you should be making—find the style that is uniquely yours, and run with it.
Most of my clients have been obtained through social media. I use platforms like Instagram and Twitter to post my artwork and links to my Etsy page. I have hosted giveaways to gain exposure, which has been very beneficial.
I use an HP Spectre to create my artwork, keep track of all of my personal business accounting, and manage my sales. Everything about my business is done on this 360 laptop/tablet combination. I absolutely love it.
Sometimes when creating time-lapse videos, I use Icecream Screen recorder to record the footage and Movavi video editor to compile the video. They are both useful free tools that I have found to be helpful.
Learn more about Kayla Carlile: https://www.instagram.com/kaylacarlileart/
