♦ Art Appreciation Monday! ♦

Welcome, once more to a spectacular Art Appreciation Monday! :) 

 Last Monday I was thrilled to spotlight one of my best friends/pen-pal Thomas Bachamann, who you probably know as the Kid with a Camera, and just recently celebrated the accomplishment of an entire year of photography! So I was super excited to be able to spotlight him!

This Monday, I have another exciting guest for you! If you're a fan of art that looks cute and rather like Disney characters...you'll be very happy...If you like Sherlock you'll be even happier with our guest this week....also if you believe that Sherlock and Molly Hooper are a cute couple... And if you're like me...and love all of the above, then you're in for a wonderful treat! ♥

This week we welcome, ****Drum Roll**** Lexieken of Deviant Art!!!! :)

Ariana: What's your name outside Deviant Art?

Lexie: Lexie.

Ariana: Are you human/boy/girl?

Lexie: Female.

Ariana: What Country/Planet/State are you from?

Lexie: Last time I checked, it was Earth. But more generally known Sol 3.

Ariana: Do you have brothers/sisters/only child?

Lexie: I have a younger sister.

Ariana: Do you have any pets?

Lexie: Sadly, no.

Ariana: Birthday?

Lexie: Fall.

Fall birthdays are the best! I should know, my birthday is in the fall too. :)

Ariana: What inspires you most to paint/draw?

Lexie: Quite often, it's a feeling. I feel like there's something that I have to create, a story that I want to tell, an image that needs to flow out of my brain and I need to be able to see it and touch it and tuck it away in my pocket. The triggers for it aren't always the same, but it's always the same feeling.

Ariana: How do you cope with lack of inspiration?

Lexie: Quite often this is vegging out on the couch and watching my favorite movies or tv. I also tend to turn to crafting basics, like knitting a scarf or sewing a plushie following a pattern. This helps me still make something tangible but often removing the part when I have to think about it.

I'm not going to deny there's been weeks and weeks of not being able to make anything. When things get bad, I go back to basics and try to improve my learning: I follow tutorials that I've bookmarked for later, see if there's something new that I can learn in terms of technique or approach. This usually does the trick.

Ariana: Talking about munchies... do you have a favourite food/drink?

Lexie: I love food, just in general. But I have particular cravings for bread and cheese and fruit, in pretty much in any variation.

Ariana: Do you have a favourite media to paint/draw with?
Lexie: It will vary depending on my mood, actually. But it's always the traditional pencil and paper that I keep coming back to.

Ariana: Do you have a favourite thing to paint, movies, people, animals, what is your favourite thing to paint/draw?

Lexie: Right now, I love doing Sherlock fanart because it makes me happy, but I have to confess I really really miss oil painting. I love working on a large canvas and spending time in front of it, just me and my work while everything else dissolves around me.

Ariana: When did you decide you wanted be an artist?

Lexie: I don't think it was a conscious decision. It's just...who I am.

Ariana: When did you first decide you wanted to draw Sherlolly art? :)
Lexie: This has to do with the story by Emcee called "The Full House". I'd been reading that story and suddenly, it actually started speaking to me on a visual level. I HAD to draw something for it. And so I made a sketch and very shyly sent it to the author via PM. She was just oh so lovely and we got to talking so quickly...I wanted to draw more and more for it, and Emcee was nothing but encouraging throughout (more like she was my enabler). I hadn't drawn with any regularity other than little margin doodles in years, so it took some time to get in the groove of it, but wow, I can't believe how far it's let me go!

(For your information: The Full House, is available online and is a fan-fiction, just for those of you who don't know.) :) 

Ariana: You have a really cute Disney-ish style, how exactly does one draw like that?
Lexie: I...don't know? I've always loved the 9 Old Men, and I went back and I looked at art books for them, studied their sketches and their methods of learning. From there it was just a lot of practice!

---- And for those of you who don't know the 9 Old Men, (I've been there before too, don't feel bad.) here's a direct link to Wikipedia for you, Disney's Nine Old Men. :) For better understanding. :) 

Ariana: Do you have any interests outside of painting/drawing?

Lexie: Oh goodness, SO MANY. I do quite a lot of crafting, but I actually am a professional photographer (though it's not how I make a living).

Ariana: How do you wind down after painting/drawing?

Lexie: I go to sleep. Haha. Usually, I finish drawing really late at night so I basically stop what I'm doing, brush my teeth and go to bed for a few hours before going to work.

Ariana: What would your advice to other artists be?

Lexie: My best advice is to keep learning, don't get comfortable, and don't give up. If something's not working, fine it's not working right now: get up, take a walk, sing a song, do a jumping jack, turn your paper upside-down. Eventually, you'll get there. Be kind to yourself (not just about your work, but also about finding some time to relax and do those important wrist stretches!) and keep pushing for the next level, always be ready to learn something new. 

Ariana: What's your favourite line from Sherlock? :)

Lexie:  Sherlock: Beautiful, isn’t it?

John: I thought you didn’t care about things like that.

Sherlock: Doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate it.

(From The Great Game)

Ariana: What did you think of that kiss in series three? :) 

Lexie: Which one? My favorite was when Sherlock kissed Molly on the cheek, actually. Mostly because it was so genuine, so real: he's doing everything he can, putting himself in a vulnerable situation and still being mature and, in a way, he's letting her go. It was a beautiful moment.

Ariana: Is there anything you want to happen in series four of Sherlock? :)

Lexie: I really want to see more cases!! I want to see how the writers deal with some of my favorites from the classic stories! I can't wait to also see this Sherlock morph into ACD (Arthur Conan Doyle) canon Sherlock: more jovial and definitely more fun.

Now let's take a look at my favourite picture by Lexieken!! Who has so kindly allowed me to post a piece of her artwork on my blog! 

Disneylock-Sherlolly and Warstan-sm

One of the reasons I love Lexieken's art, is because of how cute it is! Her style is very unique and sweet, and has such a nice Disney flair to it. Notice how simple the background is behind them, how it doesn't really matter that there isn't anything back there, just plain simple pink. One of my favourite things about this picture is the fact that Mary and John are in it together this time. Disneylock Sherlolly and John, is before Mary was introduced, it is still gorgeously done, and I love John's face in that version. But this version is definitely my favourite. :)   Lexieken does a beautiful job of combining her colours and giving each of her characters great expressions and personality. And an added bonus to all her fabulous artwork with almost every picture she has a small snippet of story or conversation which brings the picture to life! 

I know some of us really want Sherlock and Molly to get together...and seeing it brought to life in fan-fictions and artwork is brilliant, but my favourite Sherlolly artist is definitely Lexieken.

If you like her artwork, go and check out some of my other favourites!

♥

Sherlolly Beach Holiday

Sherlolly Teenlock Piggyback

30 Day OTP Sherlolly Day 9 Hanging out with friends (This one reminds me of the Great Mouse Detective!)

Victorian! Sherlolly-Cont'd

♥

And because I love all the artists I spotlight I highly recommend you do the following:

Follow Lexieken on Deviant Art!

Or on Tumblr ArtbyLexie

Buy her art prints, or clocks, bags or coffee cups, through her Shop on Society 6! 

As always, I'm so amazed when an artist of any sort is willing to agree to do an "Art Appreciation Monday"! 

It is so thrilling to get to meet people like Lexieken, who know so much and are willing to share their stories with the world! ♥ That's why I want to give her a BIG THANK YOU, for agreeing to do this, it takes time and I really appreciate it! She is not only an inspiration to new artists, but also a kind person to know! ♥

Thank you! 

*****All the artwork belongs to  Lexieken!!!! There are links in blue which will direct you to the originals.**********

DO NOT USE ANY OF THE ARTWORK/WRITTEN WORK 

POSTED HERE WITHOUT PERMISSION!!!!!!! 

If you want to use some of the Lexieken's art, contact her through 

Deviant Art, not to mention she very much deserves loads of

 followers... so go follow her here.