We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Juan Perednik. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Juan below.

Juan, appreciate you joining us today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

I learned to draw and paint while telling a story with the images by trial and error. I’ve changed several times my style and not only that but also the way I organized myself and how I approached to be a creative and making a living out of this. I have finally reached a level in which I feel comfortable and happy with my work.
I highly recommend to everyone who wants to start drawing, or level up their drawing skills, to take lessons. I have students allover the world studying with me via Zoom/Online courses and also joining my weekly practice on Patreon and the progress they are making is amazing!
I would say the bigger obstacle in my way was me, anxiety and low tolerance to failure… Once I understood how to enjoy while doing my art, everything changed from one moment to the other.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I started drawing as a kid, most of us did. As I got older, I stopped doing it and started back again after finishing my Industrial Designer career in 2014. At that time caricatures were my thing. I spent a whole year figuring out how to do digital paintings and by the end of that year The Rock (Dwayne Johnson) shared one of my drawings of him. That was a game changer and not only because of the job opportunities but because someone thought my work meant something. That same day I started thinking that maybe, just maybe I could do this for a living. After that episode, I had the chance to work for Justin Bieber’s family, his father in particular. I would work for newspapers and famous celebrities doing digital caricatures and commissions!
A few years went by and suddenly fall completely in love with drawing everyday people instead of celebs and especially with the most ordinary tools: pencils and paper.
I believe drawing is the sincerest form of art, the line and the white background don’t lie, every mistake, every move, every emotion is there on each mark…
One day two people asked me if I could teach them to do the same, they just wanted to draw and I did. They both became amazing artists. This was 4 years ago in 2018 and they still study with me!
When I found myself enjoying so much every minute I spent drawing, plus that I could definitely teach people to do it, I decided to start teaching seriously.
Today, you can go to my website (www.juanperednik.com) or to my instagram (@juanperednik) and not only see all the pieces I create almost daily, but start learning from me. Everyone can join my online courses and also my Patreon for very little money (only $5!) – my idea is always to have as many people as possible drawing and having fun while doing it!
The thing that really fills my heart with joy, is when someone tells me I helped him or her to go through a tough day or when they tell me that thank to me, they started drawing again after 20 years or also when my students tell me that my drawing lessons are their therapy sessions haha!
To be able to help people and make them also be better artists at the same time means the world for me; that is when I realize the power of art and how drawing can do wonders…!

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

The mission driving my creative journey right now is not only drawing by myself every day at my studio but sharing the experience with others. Creating a community of ordinary people who want to create their own art, no matter the level they have. There is a phrase I repeat constantly: everyone can draw…
I am trying to make this art journey accesible for everyone that wants to be part of it by sharing all my knowledge, everything I learnt over all these years of practice and studying, every tip and every small little secret… so, there are no excuses! haha

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

For me, the fact that we start with a blank piece of paper and we end up with an art piece is pure magic. In a matter of minutes or hours we travel through our minds, emotions and ideas and make that imaginary finally something real, it is there…!
I will never get used to this amazing feeling of creating, there’s nothing better and everyone should try it.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.juanperednik.com
• Instagram: @juanperednik
• Other: www.patreon.com/juanperednik