Artist Interview – Christelle Bilodeau
Who are you and what do you do?
My identify is Christelle Bilodeau and I’m a portrait artist based mostly in Quebec, Canada. I focus in pencil portraits.
Why do you do what you do?
Drawing is my biggest enthusiasm. It is visceral, I have to draw. I miss it when I skip a working day or two!
What conjures up your art?
Largely audio, but cinema is also a massive inspiration. I enjoy a lot of motion pictures when I’m drawing – it retains me targeted for some explanation.
How and when did you get into art?
It all started off when I was a boy or girl. I appreciated drawing horses and I eventually took painting classes when I was 10. I obtained fascinated in portraiture when I was 14-15, I began by portray portraits but I ultimately traded my paint brushes for graphite pencils and I’ve been strengthening ever due to the fact.
How has your observe improved about time?
I’m constantly strengthening and checking out new approaches. Listed here are a few examples I used to attract on simple white printer paper, I made use of to mix using my fingers and tissues, and the working day I identified stumps, my full lifestyle modified!
What is your favorite piece of art that you’ve made? Why?
My complete most loved will often be the drawing Paul McCartney autographed. I have improved a whole lot due to the fact then but this portrait retains a quite particular spot in my coronary heart. Meeting him was a monumental turning point in my everyday living.
What’s the ideal piece of art suggestions you’ve been specified?
Prevent comparing your drawings to others.
What’s one particular art suggestion/method you can share with us that you discover truly useful?
Get a appropriate function area (drawing desk, easel, and many others.) and a excellent chair! You will not have to have a big art studio, your operate place can be in the corner of a area. But a devoted workspace is a have to if you want to be in a position to aim and operate for hrs at a time.
Do you have any top secret suggestions or methods you use to salvage a piece when you make a oversight?
Acquire a action back. Wait around a working day and go back to your drawing desk – it always can help. You may see items additional clearly.
What is your favored Strathmore paper? Why?
Strathmore Drawing paper, 400 series medium surface. The texture is excellent – not too sleek, not as well tough, best for blending graphite, and due to the fact it is not bumpy, you can very easily attract straight traces. It is quick to harm paper with an eraser but this 1 is nearly extremely hard to tear, which is a major additionally.
What art products could you not reside without the need of?
The basic principles: pencils and paper! Could not do anything without the need of them!
Who are your most significant influences (or who were when you started out undertaking art)?
I test not to assess myself to other graphite portrait artists, but one particular of my beloved visible artist is Andy Warhol. He noticed elegance in all people and every thing. He appreciated the tiniest flaws in every individual and that was magnificence to him. Our operates are fully different but we do share the identical goal: we want elegance to be mirrored in our art.
What is the most common artwork-connected concern you get from your followers?
How long does it just take to get very good at it? Well, the reply is, I really don’t know! It may differ, observe is critical and how rapid you’ll strengthen depends on how several several hours a 7 days you are inclined to devote to your enthusiasm.
Web page/social media one-way links:
www.christellebilodeau.com
www.instagram.com/christellebilodeau
www.fb.com/christellebilodeau
www.tiktok.com/@christellebilodeau
www.youtube.com/c/christellebilodeauportraitartist
www.twitter.com/christelleart
