027: Drawing Everyday with Jennifer Orkin Lewis

with host artist Miriam Schulman

For 5 years Jennifer Orkin Lewis has been producing a daily sketchbook painting. This may sound like a daunting idea, but building a daily art practice can both benefit your creativity and nourish your soul. So how does Jennifer do this? We talk about what her process actually looks like, tips for starting a daily practice and where she gets her inspiration from.

Jennifer is the author of several books, including two which inspire daily sketching. She has worked with clients such as Anthropologie, Abrams Books, Chronicle Books, Flow Magazine and Kate Spade.

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In this podcast, you will discover…

  • (03:36) Why it can be difficult to follow through on your goals
  • (04:04) The two spaces where Jennifer mainly paints
  • (05:00) Discussing the difficulties of doing art outside of the studio
  • (06:04) Drop in art works in museums in New York
  • (09:46) Her experience as a licensed artist and in the textile industry
  • (10:48) What inspired her to start painting every day
  • (11:51) How she refined her process so it became something that worked
  • (12:51) What time of the day she does it and that she does it even when she has commissions to do
  • (13:46) Tracking the time you are on your phone
  • (15:22) What Jennifer does when she needs inspiration
  • (16:45) What her sketching process looks like
  • (19:28) My light obsession with the gorilla Jennifer painted
  • (20:33) The importance of the time limit and other tips for daily sketching
  • (21:31) More about Jennifer’s process and the materials she uses
  • (22:19) What Jennifer’s books are about
  • (23:29) Her next book ‘All Hail The Queen’
  • (25:23) What inspired her to create her latest book

Links Mentioned

TODAY’S FREEBIE:

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100 Days of Drawing (Guided Sketchbook): Sketch, Paint, and Doodle Towards One Creative Goal by Jennifer Orkin Lewis

Draw Every Day, Draw Every Way (Guided Sketchbook): Sketch, Paint, and Doodle Through One Creative Year by Jennifer Orkin Lewis

All Hail the Queen: Twenty Women Who Ruled by Jennifer Orkin Lewis and Shweta Jha

Love Found: 50 Classic Poems of Desire, Longing, and Devotion by Jennifer Orkin Lewis, Jessica Strand and Leslie Jonath

About Jennifer

Jennifer is an artist, illustrator and author who works in a lovely attic studio perched atop a very colorful house right outside of New York City. She has been obsessed with painting from an early age, and was always making art and creating something new. She is known for her daily sketchbook paintings which she has been doing for over 5 years. Almost every day, weekends and vacations included, she paints for up to 30 minutes for personal satisfaction, the things that inspire and surround her. It has become a visual diary of the moments that pass by, sometimes unnoticed. It may be high flying bird, a field of weeds, a broken teacup or details in a large crowd of people, to the little things she does that take up a day such as gardening, a bike ride or a visit to a museum. Her paintings are primarily gouache and watercolor but also include ink, pencil and the occasional marker. Besides the sketchbook, she has worked with clients such as Anthropologie, Abrams Books, Chronicle Books, Eeboo, Flow Magazine, Kate Spade, Roger LaBorde, Dear Stella Fabrics and many more.

Her first two books were published by Abrams books and are creative guided journals that helps encourage people to find a bit of daily inspiration and develop a daily drawing habit.
Coming in March 2019 is All Hail the Queen with Chronicle Books. It is a celebration in illustration of 20 powerful women from different cultures and time periods who overcame all the odds to become the leaders of their people.

She also teaches painting classes on Creativebug and Sketchbook Skool as well as workshops and retreats.

Jennifer spent many years after graduating from RISD as a textile stylist designing prints for children’s clothing and lingerie.

About the host, Miriam Schulman

In case we haven’t met yet, I’m an artist and founder of The Inspiration Place, where I help other artists learn how to profit from their passion or become better artists. Through online classes, business coaching programs, and a top-ranked podcast, I’ve helped thousands of artists around the world develop their skill sets and create more time and freedom to do what they love. My signature coaching program, The Artist Incubator, helps artists go from so-so sales to sold-out collections.

A graduate of Dartmouth College and M.I.T, I initially pursued finance but after witnessing 9/11, I abandoned a lucrative hedge fund job to work on my art full time. Since then, my art and my story have been featured in major publications including Forbes, The New York Times, Art of Man, Art Journaling magazine as well as featured on NBC’s “Parenthood” and the Amazon series “Hunters” with Al Pacino. My forthcoming book with HarperCollins Leadership on how to make it as an artist is scheduled to be released January 31, 2023. When I’m not in the studio, you can find me hanging out with my husband, adult kids, and a tuxedo cat named Ebony. I’d love to invite you to check out one of my free resources for art lovers (of every passion level) at schulmanart.com/freebies

 

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Listener shout out of the week!

“I listen faithfully to Miriam’s podcasts and always have a take away from each and every one. I listen to them when I am making my art and feel like one of my friends has stopped in to chat. I strongly urge all my artist friends to tune in and hear what Miriam is talking about. She is so generous in sharing her knowledge and love for the artist community. Thank you, Miriam.”

~Annie B.

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Welcome!

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I’m Miriam Schulman, your curator of inspiration.

I inspire art-lovers to reconnect with their creativity and profit from their art. Whether you paint simply for the joy of it or you’re serious about selling your work, and you’re ready to stop putting yourself on the back burner...You're in the right place. I've done it and I can inspire YOU how to do it too.

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