New website

Hello everyone!
I guess probably many of you have noticed that I haven't posted anything for a while. The thing is, I made a new website for myself and I would like to invite you to visit my new website. It took me about 2 weeks to make it. From now on I will post only on my new website

www.artliis.com

Painting #25

Sunset beach
Oil on canvas paper
50x65cm

I can't believe its already 25th painting of my "50 paintings in 1 year" challenge. So far it has been such a fun and exciting experience for me.

This time I wanted to paint something with warmer colors. That's why I decided to paint sunset beach. I haven't painted clouds very often so I had to look different pictures so that I could paint them.

I can't tell you how much I enjoyed painting the waves. It was exciting and risky at the same time. Why risky? Because I was afraid that waves might not look so realistic as I want them to look. But I'm quite satisfied with the way the painting turned out.

I'm planning to make more beach/sea paintings as I want to learn some new things. What kind of paintings would you like to see? Sunset beaches, stormy sea, tropical beach with some palm trees? I would love to know your opinion.

I will post some work in progress shots so you could see how this painting came together. You can also see the work in progress shots on my Twitter, Facebook and Instagram page.

You can also follow my blog on Bloglovin:

https://www.bloglovin.com/people/liisi6-11139073

Painting #24

The beach
Oil on canvas

50x100cm

Inspiration is something that keeps me going. As I I'm planning new paintings, I'm constantly searching for new ideas to paint. 

The story behind this painting is.. I came across a website called stumbleupon.com. Maybe some of you don't know what this stumbleupon is all about. Basically its a discovery engine that finds and recommends web content to its users. It didn't take me long time to get addicted to it. I chose all the things that I was interested in and photography and art were some of those things that I wanted to find. I saw so many beautiful pictures of beaches and seascapes. I was so excited. And it all got me thinking.

I have been painting dolphins and I thought to myself " "Why not paint a beautiful tropical beach" You know these kind of beaches you see in the movies or the places where you have dreamed to go. The places which are on your "To do" list. And the water is beautiful light blue.

I have to admit I haven't visited places like this. At least not so tropical places. Right now I have 3 places where I want to travel. 

• Zansibar
• Bora Bora
• Thailand- Koh Phi Phi

Sometimes I just like to look the pictures of these places. And this time I also got some inspiration and ideas for my painting. I also watched some Youtube videos to learn how to paint the clouds and the waves.

Finally I got into the action. I started to paint the sky and when it had dried, then I painted the clouds. And after that I painted the sand and the water with some waves. I'm quite happy with the way this painting turned out.

I will post some work in progress shots so you could see how this painting came together. You can also see the work in progress shots on my Twitter, Facebook and Instagram page.

I think there is nothing as relaxing as the sound of the waves. I could listen it for hours.

"It's hard for me to put into words why I like beach so much. Everything about it is renewing for me, almost like therapy, beach therapy"- Amy Dykens

I would like to know what you think about my painting.

You can also follow my blog on Bloglovin:

https://www.bloglovin.com/people/liisi6-11139073

Painting #23

Bliss
Oil on canvas paper
50x65cm

Today I finished this painting. It's a third dolphin painting that I've done so far. I guess right now I won't do more dolphin paintings, although I would like to. I feel like its time to start painting something new.

I also started a new painting. This will be an ocean painting. I realized like its something that I'm not good enough and its time to improve my skills. Recently I have been watching many artist's videos on Youtube where they paint ocean and waves. And now I feel like I'm ready for it. So stay tuned.

Painting the background

Painting the shadows so that it would look more realistic

Painting the underwater plants.

Painting fish.

You can also follow me on Bloglovin:

http://www.bloglovin.com/people/liisi6-11139073

Art groups

As an artist I have learned in time the importance of being a member of art groups. As though most of the artists tend to like more solitude, they still need the community. A feeling that you are a part of something bigger in this world. A place where you can meet people who have same interests and share the same passions as you.

It was 2013 December. I remember it very clearly,I was drawing and painting. I was happy. Yet I felt like there was something missing. By that time I  had found some art groups on Facebook where people could share their artwork and give feedback about other artist's artwork but mostly people just posted their artwork and that was about it. They didn't much care about giving feedback about other artist's artwork or just a simple "Like" which sometimes could brighten up somebody's day. There was something missing in those groups.

That was the time when I was browsing artwork on one of these art groups. There was a lot of nudity in this group and I was doing my best to still see the good sides of the group which were beautiful artworks of artists. And then it happened. I came across a post by Inaa Häggström Foose who invited all the girls to join her new art group Women's International Creative Group.

Women's International Group was created for girls and women only which means that nobody else can post to this group. It's a group where people can post all kinds of creative work and share it with other artists. Which include photography, craftings, artworks, music, writing and share tips and ideas.

In the beginning I decided to keep a low profile and observe to see what this group is all about and to understand the spirit of the group. It didn't took me a lot of time to realize that this group is full of beautiful, talented and friendly people. They appreciate each and every single member of the group. I felt the joy of recognition. Why? Because I felt like I had found a right group. A group that I had always wanted to be a part of.

And what I also love about this group. People actually give feedback about each other's artwork and they encourage and support each other on hard times. For sometimes some artists might get artist blocks or they might have some problems in life and feel like they want to give up. To quit art, for ever. But in this group everybody are always so positive and they encourage each other to not give up and try harder.

I'm so happy that I found this group. Thanks to this group I have been able to meet so many beautiful and talented people.

Here is a picture where you can see the admins of this group.

Another group that I recently found on Facebook is Lachri - Youtube art group. I found it because I had been following Lachri fine art page on Facebook for a while and then Lisa ( an artist behind Lahcri fine art) decided to make a group for artists. And of course I wanted to be a part of this group because I love Lisa's artwork and her Youtube videos.

This group was created so that people from Lisa's Youtube channel could have a place to share their artwork and ask advice from other artists. I can always learn something new by reading all these posts that discuss about a technique, medium and social media . People are really friendly and nice. There are also challenges for group members in every month.

Plus every week Lisa posts new videos on her Youtube channel and also shares them in the group with members. Those videos include painting critiques, speed paintings, speed drawings, tutorials, artist vlogs, tips, tricks and art advice.

I'm so happy that I found that artist and that group. I have learned so many new things and I have seen so many beautiful artwork.

You can see Lisa's Youtube channel here: 

https://www.youtube.com/user/Lachri

So these are my favorite art groups on Facebook. What do you think about art groups? Do you follow any?

You can also follow me on Bloglovin:

http://www.bloglovin.com/people/liisi6-11139073

How Linky parties can help you grow your blog

Maybe there are many people who haven't heard anything about the Linky Parties. So in this article I will tell you what it is and what its used for.

What are Linky parties?

Link parties are the opportunity for you to grow your blog and get some new followers. Basically what it does for you, it allows you to share your content on other websites. When you visit a site on the day of their weekly link party then there is a link to " link up" and you can share the URL of your blog/site and write a title and crop a photo from the post. It will create a hyperlink thumbnail that other bloggers can see and visit.

It is recommended to read the rules before you put your own link. Because every day there is a different theme and some Link Parties don't allow to post selling stuff and giveaways. So its better to read before you act.

How can I host my own link party?

Before you start there are few things you should keep in mind.

First of all. Like always with parties, you should think about the reason why you are hosting a link party. Are you celebrating the birth of your first baby? Are you looking for a new recipes to try? Or you want to find some new DIY ideas to try out?

• Choose a date and time. Link parties are held weekly, monthly, seasonal.
• Plan your budget. Unfortunately Link Parties like any other parties require some cash. In order to  host a party you can use a service like Inlinkz or LinkyTools. They both have a subscription fee.
• Invite quests. Market it on your social platforms.
• Design a button for your Link Party, There are many tutorials about it on internet.
• Be a good host. Try to comment on every linked post. Make your guests feel special!
• Keep an eye on posts. If somebody posts anything inappropriate, then you have to make sure that it will be deleted.
• Make a new connections. Just like you would on a real life party. You can also introduce some of your friends to some new guests.
• And at last, don't forget to send out Thank you's.

What do you think? Will you give it any try? Are you willing to take the time and money to make a Link Party and make some new connections?

Happy linking!

Painting #22

Ocean of love
Oil on canvas paper
50x65cm

As you can see here is the next dolphin painting. Last time when I had painted the dolphins, I asked some critique and feedback about my painting. With this painting, I was trying to do everything right.

First of all, I tried to add some shadows in the background so that it would look more realistic. And this time I was trying to make fish look a little bit more realistic. In my opinion they look better than on the first painting.

It was my first time to paint turtles. Aren't they lovely? I made many layers before I finished them. I'm thinking about doing some more dolphin underwater paintings. I really enjoy painting them! Maybe I will paint some whales next, who knows.

What do you think? Should I do more dolphin paintings? Or should I paint whales?

If you are curious to see what I will create next, then follow me. You can also follow me on Bloglovin:
http://www.bloglovin.com/people/liisi6-11139073

Workspace

The other day when I was on Facebook, I got a really good idea that I should make a post about my workspace. I have seen so many beautiful and inspiring pictures of other artist's workspaces and that kind of inspired me to write that post.

I had a pretty good light in my room, so I decided to pick up my camera and make some photos to share with you.

You might think that most of the time artists have this huge art studio but its not always true. Leonardo da Vinci once said: "An artist's studio should be a small space because small rooms discipline the mind and the large one distracts it".

I totally agree. I personally work in my room. And so far I'm totally satisfied with the room that I have. Yes, sometimes I feel like I don't have enough room for all of my art supplies but it just requires organizing the things, you know?  I'm sure that most of the artists are facing the same problem.

Most of the time I draw at the table. Well, when I feel really comfortable then on my couch. I also have a molbert but I don't use it very often. Why? I have learned that when I paint about 3-4 hours in a day, then my lower back starts hurting me. And believe me, that's not a good feeling! So I prefer to sit and paint on the table.

Right now most of my art supplies don't have a really good place so I'm planning to buy some rolling shelves so that I would have more storage space for my supplies. I guess I should think what are those things in my room that are working and what are not working. Maybe I can even throw something out. I have learned that I tend to be more inspired when I can see all my art supplies.

So this is my workspace. Where do you work? Do you have your own studio?

7 reason why you should use Bloglovin to promote your blog

If you are a blog owner and you are looking for a new ways to promote your blog and get some extra traffic to your blog then Bloglovin is a good place to do that. Maybe you haven't heard about it before, believe me few months ago I also didn't know anything about it but I'm glad that I found it. In this article I will tell you all the benefits of Bloglovin.

It's one of the newest social platforms which was created for bloggers and also readers. It allows readers to read, organize and discover their favorite blogs. It's really easy and comfortable to use. I personally haven't used it very long time but I have realized some of the benefits that it offers.

• First of all, it allows you to link your blog to Bloglovin. This way your followers will easily see your new posts on their feed. I personally like to follow people more on Bloglovin than on blogger. It's more organised.
• It has some really attractive " Follow this blog on bloglovin" buttons that you can use to post on your blog and this way your readers will see that you are using Bloglovin and can follow you there.
• And of course you can build connections in the blog world. Commenting and following other blogs can have some really good impact to your blog. It will get you more traffic and you will even find some new friends.
• Bloglovin has different blog categories. This way you can follow the similar blogs to your own or you can just search for the topic that interests you the most.
• You can link not only your blogs, but your social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and it will help you to get more traffic from their users.
• It's easy to use with your blog. You just have to "claim" your blog.
• Bloglovin is free, It also has a mobile app which is available for Iphone, Android and Ipad.

So these are the benefits that Bloglovin offers. I hope that this article was useful for you and that you can go and claim your blog and rock the traffic world with Bloglovin!

And here is a link to my Bloglovin profile:

http://www.bloglovin.com/people/liisi6-11139073

What I like to listen while drawing/ painting

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Just like art is a huge part of my life, the same way is music. Certain type of music inspired me a lot. It's a really huge part of my painting process. Music is the light that switches me on in my work. I will share some most common songs that I love to listen when I work on my art:

























I also love to listen:



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If you are working or you are doing something that you love,  do you like to listen to the music? If yes, then what kind of songs do you listen to?