Just Practice

Join artist and Opus Daily Practice participant Sharon Leung for an afternoon painting pandas in the park!

Sharon has always been creative, but she started getting back into daily practice thanks to our challenge. Between the daily prompts for inspiration and a creative community that embraced her via social media, Sharon is evolving her skills and making some cute pandas while she’s at it.

Watch Just Practice with Sharon Leung and get inspired by her experience in taking on a daily practice. Need a place to start? Join our Opus Daily Practice this Feb 1 – 28 and join us in making art a solid part of our daily routines!

Practice Makes Perfect with Veronica Roth

Whether you call it practice or just the act of making – fill your life and your creativity by finding the magic in everything you do. Veronica Roth has been creating ever since her aunt lent her art supplies as a child. Even if she doesn’t finish a painting every day, she makes sure to create something every day, whether it’s a drawing, a piece of writing, or a photograph. Anything and everything Veronica does, she tries to make it creative!

Practice Makes Perfect with Tristan Noone

Don’t try to find the time to make art – just do it! Even if it’s during your Tea Time. Watch Practice Makes Perfect with Tristan Noone.
Tristan Noone., artist and Opus Granville Island staff, has been creating art his whole life, but after a 2 year hiatus, he found it very difficult to get back into the habit of creating daily. He had to teach himself how to “practice art” again instead of toiling over a piece trying to create that perfect line.

A Step Forward: Just Practice with Aska Djikia

Get inspired to practice daily with a quote from Vincent van Gogh! Watch A Step Forward: Just Practice with Aska Djikia as she lends her hand lettering skills to his timeless words about the importance of practice.

We hope it helps spur you on to continue with your daily practice through to the end of our February Opus Daily Practice Challenge… and beyond!

PLUS, be sure to read Aska’s article, A Beginner’s Journey to Hand Lettering, for tips on getting started. You can also see what other Opus Daily Practice participants are doing with hand lettering by following #opuslettering and #opushandlettering tags on Instagram.

Practice Makes Perfect with Renae Kobayashi aka SleepyKoi

Get back into the Flow of creating everyday with inspiration from Vancouver artist Renae Kobayashi aka SleepyKoi.

Hear Renae’s full story on why drawing daily keeps her art practice strong – even in the face of fear!

Just Practice with Kyrra Kosar

Vancouver-based visual artist Kyrra Kosar gorgeously illustrates the world around her. From working on old fax machine paper as a child to using professional art materials today, she uses a broad variety of media to beautifully render the creatures and animals in her artwork.

Kyrra has participated in both the 2015 and 2016 Opus Daily Practice Challenges. Although she still feels a bit hesitant in sharing her art, she embraces the feedback she receives, using it as a source of motivation to bolster her commitment and keep her on track.

Watch this Opus Downtown Vancouver staff member in her video above and find out how she overcame a 3–year streak of painter’s block. Everyone has something inside of them that they need to express – so dig deep within yourself and unearth what it is that you want to communicate with the world through your art!

Just Practice with Kristofer Parley

Kristofer Parley’s intricate black and white cityscapes juxtapose his more vibrant watercolour paintings, resulting in a varied collection of detailed artwork. From drawing comic book characters on restaurant napkins as a child to more formal watercolour classes as he grew up, Kris’s dedication to practicing his craft over the past 30+ years has enabled him to develop a style all his own.

Watch this Victoria artist and Opus staff member’s video above to discover how working with a pen right from the start can loosen you up (no erasers here!), teaching you to incorporate your mistakes into the final piece. No one said your practice has to be perfect!

Just Practice with Brianne Tweddle

llustrator and cosmetic tattoo artist, Brianne Tweddle, took part in the Opus Daily Practice Challenge last year while she was working at Opus Downtown Vancouver. Through sharing her art on social media, she found that people loved seeing her doodles and sketches – just as much as a completed piece! The realization that not everything she made and wanted to share online needed to be a masterpiece helps keep her motivated everyday.

Watch her video above to learn how Brianne incorporates practice into her daily life, and start bringing your own sketchbook everywhere – you never know when the inspiration to Just Practice will come!

Just Practice with Sophie Graine & Paul Smith

Sophie Graine & Paul Smith took on last year’s Opus Daily Practice Challenge together, drawing the same image each day for 28 days. Both say having a partner to practice with kept them motivated, and was a driving force in helping them complete the challenge successfully.

Watch their video above and discover how drawing together makes it easy to Just Practice!

Just Practice with Jayleen Weaver AKA Guru Kitty

Jayleen Weaver AKA Guru Kitty and Copic marker master has drawn every day since childhood. See the results of her dedication and gather inspiration for your own daily practice!

Need some more inspiration to Just Practice? Watch Drawn Out: 365 Days of Drawing with Michael Markowsky to find out how he is handling a year long daily practice challenge.