What keeps me grounded

Dear Artists,

When I was in art school, there were concepts like warm and cool colors that felt like a slow drip that would eventually sink in. I learn best when I get to absorb a concept several times, in different formats, from different artists.

At the same time, I came to rely on my mentors to keep grounded. No matter what was going on, everything would come into focus when we talked.

I was at the Brooklyn Print Fair this week and met up with Andrew Raftery, who I met when I was 19. I was struggling as a painting major at the time and was a total wreck. Amidst all of that uncertainty, I came to rely on him to find quiet moments of focus.

I knew things were bad because I was a painting major, but absolutely dreaded going to my painting classes, something was definitely wrong!

Andrew's drawing class was the only good part of my semester, and I learned to see ink as a sketching technique from his class. After an entire year of charcoal drawing, it felt refreshing to learn his techniques.

Further down the line, Andrew was the reason why I went to the IFPDA Print Fair for the first time, and why I went to the SGC Printmaking Conference, where I got my first college teaching job.

Artists I mentor often come to me with a specific area they want to work on, only to discover a whole of universe of wonderful things they would never have thought to search for.

Andrew first taught me how to mix my ink gradients, but over time, he made my world bigger. (he still does)

xoxo Prof Lieu

30 min. that will save you hours of grief

A portfolio critique ensures that you can be confident as you prepare your portfolio. Instead of constantly wondering what to do, you'll have a clear plan of action.

Focused, relaxed learning

My RISD professor Tony Janello didn't do group critiques. In our 1 on 1 conversations, I could tell him what I was really thinking. What a relief!

You can have that same authentic experience with mentoring, where you'll gain focus and start to see steady progress.