Barb Sotiropoulos Art & Inspirations

Colored pencil and mixed media artist currently based in Calgary, Canada. When I'm not creating art, I'm blogging or writing about it for internationally published COLORED PENCIL Magazine. Visit my website at www.barbsotiart.com

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Does Lightfast Really Matter?

Does Lightfast Really Matter? Find out more on my latest bog post and listen to my recent guest co-hosting episode on the Sharpened Artist Colored Pencil Podcast! #doeslightfastmatter #lightfastness #artistpodcasts

You may not have heard of the word before but whether or not a particular brand is lightfast or not, is a hot topic in the colored pencil world. This singular quality has enough power right now, to, in some cases, be the ultimate deciding factor in whether or not someone purchases a certain brand of colored pencils.

What is lightfast and what does that word even mean?  Lightfastness is a property…

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Never Give Up

Being creative is not a linear journey. There will be times when you will be on top of your game and bursting with ideas and times when you wonder if this “art thing” is even really for you. Artists at any stage in their skill level or career have moments where they want to just throw the brushes out with the paint water. It’s in those moments that you have to look at the core of why you’re…

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Artsnacks December Review

Hey Everyone! This year is coming to a close and with that, my final Artsnacks box review for 2018. It’s been an awesome year of getting these boxes, trying new things with different products and most of all challenging myself to create drawings with products and colors I may not have normally put together. Whether you go with Artsnacks or not, I highly recommend trying out one of these box…

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SoHo Urban Artist Project

The 2018 Jerry's Artarama Artist Gift Guide is now out! Download my mixed media demo using SoHo Urban Artist products available exclusively at Jerry's. #jerrysartarama #coloredpencilmagazine #artistgiftguide #mixedmediaartist #giftideas #artdemo

Hey Everyone!

I have some exciting news to share with about a project I’ve been working over the last month. I partnered with American art supply store chain Jerry’s Artarama and COLORED PENCIL Magazine to create a mixed media demo using products from the SoHo Urban Artist line of products. These products are available exclusively at Jerry’s Artarama!

The demo I created is available as a FREEdig…

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Mother of Dragons returns tomorrow!

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The King in the North! 5 days!

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Music has always been very important to me, and Chris Cornell was one of my musical heroes and the subject of my artwork quite a few times over the years. Some people don't understand how you could get so upset over the death of someone you didn't know personally. I would argue in this case that isn't that part of the point of music? To connect. To feel. His music meant so much to me as I know it did to many others. I'm so very fortunate that I was able to see him perform live many times. His voice was unlike anything else. His songwriting talent is unmatched. The music world is at a great loss today. I feel so very awful for his friends and family who I'm sure are beyond devastated. Rest in Peace, Chris. 🖤

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Second in my Canada 150 Series inspired by British Columbia. "Splendour Without Diminishment" 11x14" colored pencil, ink, PITT pens on hot press watercolour paper.

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The first in my Canada 150 series inspired by Alberta. "Strong & Free" 14x11" colored pencil, ink, and acrylic ink on hot press watercolour paper.

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Catching up on some unfinished projects tonight....is @gameofthrones back yet ????? 😩June feels like an eternity away. Kit Harington portrait created with Prismacolor, Polychromos, Pablo, and pitt pen on Strathmore toned grey paper.

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Tour of my Strathmore Toned Tan sketchbook. This particular sketchbook is for my colored pencil fan art pieces 😊 Hope you enjoy it!

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Getting back to some drawing this week. I’ve drawn mostly actors so going to give the musicians some love this time. Happy Friday!

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Studio Update

Studio Update! I finally set-up my new art space! Check it out! #artstudio #artspace

Hey Everyone! It’s been a really busy past month! Where did August go?! Where did the Summer go?! Did anyone actually get an actual Summer because I feel like the official new season here is now called “Rain Storms” instead of Summer? Anyway, the plus side to all of that rain, was that I got quite a bit done in my studio. I’m still struggling to understand how I once fit everything in my previous…

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Read My Advice in Colored Pencil Magazine!

I'm excited to share that I'm the new Q&A contributor for Colored Pencil Magazine! You can read my first article in the September issue!

Hey Everyone, I have some beyond exciting new to share with you today. Back in July, I was approached by Sally Robertson from Colored Pencil Magazine about being the new contributor for the Q&A portion of the magazine. Being a huge fan, I was completely flattered and of course said yes! I’m really honored and am looking forward to contributing to the colored pencil community and sharing advice…

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Feels good to be drawing with my colored pencils again after what feels like forever 😊 I was advised by my boyfriend however not to stare too long into Kit Harington’s eyes LOL… Too late. 😁

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This went a lot quicker than I thought and turned out to be a joy to work on despite my initial hesitation 😜... And now on to the next! Original photo by Sally Robertson, for the @coloredpencilmagazine May challenge.

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So you've graduated art school, now what? Check out my 5 quick tips to jump start your career as an artist #artstudentadvice #artschool You’ve finally graduated. After countless all nighters and years of creatively giving it all you've got, you’ve reached the finish line.