We were lucky to catch up with Krista LeAnn recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Krista, thanks for joining us today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?
As a wee one, I remember drawing, coloring, and tracing a lot, eventually, I started to visually copy what I saw the best I could, anything that interested me, usually animals. In high school, I took an art class that taught us various pen and pencil techniques, fun challenges, and the first time I ever got to try painting! I fell in love with it, but I struggled with acrylics and I didn’t really like them. After graduating I took a few art classes at the community college—a beginner’s class in oil painting, an art history class, and photography. I became a lot better at painting after that and continued working in oils. Eventually, though I got tired of how stinky they were and didn’t like how many chemicals were needed to use them. So I decided to give acrylics another go but still didn’t really like them, and that’s when I discovered ✨Watercolors✨They don’t dry too fast or too slow, you can blend them, they don’t require harsh chemicals to use and you can easily take them with you because they don’t require many supplies! My work really evolved though when I discovered Instagram and my favorite artist, before that I had minimal exposure to artwork, so I thought, for art to be good, it had to look exactly like the subject, in detail and color. But her work was cute, colorful, and loose, I loved it! That’s when I realized art can be whatever you want it to be. So through practice, mimicking what I see, a few classes here and there, watching artists’ process on YouTube, and admiring other artists’ work is how my art came to be what it is today.
If I could go back and give little baby Krista nuggets of wisdom to help her on her journey, I would tell her to practice as often as she can and to not feel guilty for it. That she doesn’t need to go to a fancy art school the price of a house to grow. You can DIY it, there are so many free resources out there. Don’t be afraid to put your work out into the world, your art IS good enough, and not many people are going to pay attention in the beginning anyway. Just have fun and don’t be afraid to make bad art!
Paint shapes, not things! Using the colors that make you happy. It doesn’t have to be “perfect”. Socializing, is, so, important! Tell people! Nobody will know what you do if you don’t tell them.
What stopped you from progressing faster? Me. Fear of what people might think, being guilty for doing what makes me happy, feeling like I wasn’t good enough, telling myself I wasn’t ready, and not just going for it. This wasn’t in my control, but if I had had a family member I could go to for help and advice on art-related things, someone cheering me on, I think that would have helped me a tremendous amount.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
Hello, my name is Krista, I go by Krista LeAnn Art on the interwebs.
I enjoy the outdoors, like hiking, kayaking, and picking up critters. I love the sunshine and hate the rain but love the green it brings. My favorite color is pastel pink. Pizza and sushi are my 2 favorite things to eat, and toucans are my favorite animal. I love gallery hopping and playing games with friends. I’m based in Western New York but I grew up in the Pacific Northwest. I’m married and work from a home studio with our two cats, Ozro and Luna. 🤍 I don’t have a formal education, but art has always been a part of my life. I started teaching myself by mimicking the things I saw and eventually got to take classes here and there. The experiences I’ve had in life as well as artists like Leigh Ellexson and others have inspired my work and helped me grow.
I make colorful artwork for colorful people! My watercolor paintings are inspired by animals and nature. I sell prints and originals of my work, as well as stickers and postcards. If you’re interested you can view my art on
Instagram @krista.leann.art if you enjoy what I do and want to adopt one of my pieces, I have a Ko-Fi shop.
https://ko-fi.com/kristaleannart
I think what most people find different about my art is how I balance realism with whimsy and my happy color palette.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
Getting to interact with people who enjoy what I do, and getting feedback and thoughts from people at markets. Seeing how excited little kids get when they see a painting they like. The feeling you get when you finish a piece and you’re just so happy and proud of it. Being around other creatives.
Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?
I wish I had known about Score before I decided to do art full-time. They are a free resource that helps small businesses and entrepreneurs learn the business side of things. You tell them what you need help with and they will set you up with a counselor to help you. They also provide free online classes for things like taxes, building your website, SEO, if you should become an LLC, and how to do it.
Skillshare, I’m sure you already know but they have a bunch of courses that are super helpful, from finding your style to making youtube videos and marketing yourself. I’ve learned lots of things from there that have helped me.
I don’t know if this counts as a resource but doing markets has opened up soo many doors for me. You get to meet other amazing creatives that are often happy to share opportunities they know about with you. Like good markets, (and the really bad ones) Recommendations for things I could do with my art, consignment opportunities and so much more!
Artwork Archive on Instagram. They post about art grants and opportunities and their website https://www.artworkarchive.com/call-for-entry/complete-guide-to-2023-artist-grants-opportunities
offers even more, like residencies, exhibitions, competitions, and open calls.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://ko-fi.com/kristaleannart
- Instagram: krista.leann.art
Image Credits
siraphol
Simon Dannhauer