Weird times. Same as in most countries, Finland is also mostly sticking to home. In case you happen to have more free time while practicing social distancing, then here is my list on art related things on how to spend time:
Consume & chill
Watch movies / shows
Watch Netflix ‘Art & Design’ movies/documents, e.g.
- Loving Vincent https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3262342/
- Struggle: The Life and Lost Art of Szukalski https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9316022/
- Sky Ladder: The Art of Cai Guo-Qiang https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5278930/
- The Creative Brain https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9316022/
- Carlos Almaraz – Playing with fire https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6335714/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0
- Julian Schnabel – A Private Portrait https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6794464/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_3
(note: these might be available for some limited time and no longer available. You can search recent Netflix for new content in Art & design.)
Virtual museums
Since most museums are likely to be closed all over the world, join some online galleries / viewing rooms to enjoy art:
- Kremer Museum – VR application
- https://www.thekremercollection.com/the-kremer-museum/
- “The Kremer Museum is an innovative new museum concept that combines the newest VR technology with world-class Old Master paintings. The museum includes pieces by Rembrandt, Aelbert Cuyp, Frans Hals and many more Old Masters from the Dutch Golden Age.“
- accessible exclusively through Virtual Reality (VR) technology, requires purchase of app, e.g. via Steam:
- https://www.thekremercollection.com/the-kremer-museum/
- Finnish National Gallery – online collection
- https://www.kansallisgalleria.fi/en/search
- “The Finnish National Gallery is Finland’s largest art museum organisation and a national cultural institution... The Finnish National Gallery’s collection includes approximately 42,000 works of art, as well as archival materials and artefacts. Search the collections using the search function on the homepage of this website.“
- https://www.kansallisgalleria.fi/en/search
- The Virtual Museum of Canada – virtual exhibits
- http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/virtual-exhibits/type/virtual-exhibits/
- “Discover history, art, science, nature and more through virtual exhibits from Canada’s museums and heritage organizations.”
- there seems to be mainly links to other pages, where there is then differing content and implementations (some I glanced were just plain picture galleries, not necessarily any virtual exhibition / view room)
- http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/virtual-exhibits/type/virtual-exhibits/
Virtual exhibits / viewing rooms
Visit online / virtual galleries or online viewing rooms
Since most galleries are likely to be closed all over the world, join some online galleries / viewing rooms to enjoy art:
- Mall Galleries exhibitions / virtual galleries:
- https://www.mallgalleries.org.uk/
- Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours 208th Exhibition
- https://www.mallgalleries.org.uk/whats-on/exhibitions/royal-institute-painters-water-colours-208th-exhibition
- “The Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours 208th show is the largest exhibition of its kind in the world, showcasing over 400 of the best contemporary water-based media paintings from around the globe.“
- Royal Society of Portrait Painters Annual Exhibition 2020
- https://www.mallgalleries.org.uk/whats-on/exhibitions/royal-society-portrait-painters-annual-exhibition-2020#block-views-exhibition-content-block-2
- “There is always so much to enjoy in this exhibition, from the faces depicted in the portraits, both famous and unfamiliar, to the wide variety of high-quality paintings. It is a celebration of the very best in contemporary portraiture nationally and internationally.”
- Art Basel Online viewing rooms
- https://www.artbasel.com/viewing-rooms
- “…digital platform connecting the world’s premier galleries with collectors around the world. Log in now with your Art Basel account and discover a wide array of curated rooms featuring thousands of high-caliber artworks.“
- you need to log in / register
- https://www.artbasel.com/viewing-rooms
- David Zwirner’s viewing room
- https://davidzwirner.com/viewing-room
- “The Viewing Room is David Zwirner’s online exhibition space, where visitors can explore and collect works from curated, online-only exhibitions by gallery artists and special collaborations.”
- you need to provide your contact information (e-mail) to enter room
- https://davidzwirner.com/viewing-room
- Pace Gallery viewing rooms
- https://www.pacegallery.com/viewing-rooms/
- “Pace’s online viewing rooms offer rich contextual lenses through which to engage with our artists’ work and exhibitions. Explore our open and upcoming online viewing rooms below.”
- you need to provide your contact information (e-mail) to enter room
- I explored the Sam Gillian viewing room and the watercolor pieces were beautiful, vibrant and inspires me to also take out my washi papers for watercolor experiments. Great display.
- https://www.pacegallery.com/viewing-rooms/
- Google Arts & Culture – online exhibits
- https://artsandculture.google.com/project/exhibits
- “Online Exhibits. Let expert curators inspire you with the stories behind the images.”
- just browse stories that are e.g. image galleries with descriptions and or audio, or articles
- https://artsandculture.google.com/project/exhibits
- Artland – 3D tour and image gallery
- https://www.artland.com/exhibitions
- just browse the exhibitions
Art blogs and podcasts
- The Jealous Curator – blog by Danielle Krysa
- https://www.thejealouscurator.com/blog/
- ” …sharing/exposing the work of talented contemporary artists” “I started the blog to document the work I loved, but more importantly, I wanted to find a way to flip the jealousy into something positive – admiration and inspiration to be specific”
- See e.g. this delicious art by Nicolette Valikoski: https://www.thejealouscurator.com/blog/2020/03/26/nicolette-valikoski/
- https://www.thejealouscurator.com/blog/
- Andrew Tischler – podcasts
- https://www.andrewtischler.com/podcast/
- “This Podcast is dedicated to up and coming creative professionals – sharing stories from practicing professional artists and creative geniuses from around the world.”
- https://www.andrewtischler.com/podcast/
- Artists Helping Artists (AHA)
- http://artistshelpingartists.net/
- “Leslie Saeta discusses how to market and sell your art, along with interviews with guest artists, gallerists, and others sharing their knowledge of the business side of art.”
- http://artistshelpingartists.net/
- More art podcasts tips by artists network:
Other online events
View some live shows, e.g.:
- Join patreon weird-stream-a-thon, note: 18th March //OLD EVENT
- https://events.patreon.com/weirdstreamathon?utm_source=organic&utm_medium=direct&utm_campaign=streamathon&utm_content=homepage
- Free to watch and participate from anywhere in the world
- March 18, 2020 4:00 – 7:00pm PST
- OLD EVENT
- Quarantine Livestream Tour by Marc Rebillet // OLD EVENT
- https://www.facebook.com/marcrebillet/
- funky music live shows in multiple days during March 2020 (available also for later view e.g. in youtube: https://www.youtube.com/marcrebillet)
- The Social Distancing Festival
- https://www.socialdistancingfestival.com/
- Featured artist submissions and a live stream directory/calendar
- “This is a site for celebrating artists and the work that has been cancelled/delayed/disrupted. So far, submissions have included clips from rehearsals, scenes done with cast-mates over webcam, recordings from previous workshops, design plans, and performers just doing the song they were really excited about singing into their webcam. It doesn’t need to be anything formal or polished!”
(see more virtual events (live sessions, streams) in studies; paint alongs)
Study
Learning platforms and video tutorials:
- Udemy – free courses
- https://www.udemy.com/courses/free/
- “…At Udemy, our mission is to improve lives through learning. Sometimes that means new skills for a new career, and sometimes it’s as simple as realizing a lifelong passion. To support you through this time, we’ve put together this collection of free courses from our learning marketplace.”
- Skillshare
- https://www.skillshare.com/
- join skillshare and learn something new (currently new members get 2 months Premium for free). You might also get free trials from other artists.
- Patreon
- https://www.patreon.com/
- Find your favorite artist, or some new artists in Patreon, support their work and gain access to some nice tutorials, paint alongs and other tips provided by the artist.
- Artists network
- https://www.artistsnetwork.com/
- Read some free art articles, or purchase online magazines, videos etc.
- Interaction of Color app for iPad
- http://yupnet.org/interactionofcolor/
- Do some color studies, learn color theory
- “First published in 1963, Josef Albers’s Interaction of Color is one of the most influential books on color ever written. The classic text achieves its full, interactive potential in this stunning, award-winning application for iPad.”
- http://yupnet.org/interactionofcolor/
- Andrew Tischler – painting tutorials (videos)
- https://www.andrewtischler.com/shop/ (purchase)
- “My obsession with realist painting has led me to study many of the great masters from the past and seek to understand how they made such magnificent pictures. I am eager to share what I have garnered from years of toil.”
- youtube videos: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCg4eQuX8UoZkpZNno-eyYoQ
- He has set his videos to reduced rate during these, times, so go ahead and purchase some great portrait and/or landscape tutorials from his site for great value!
- Justin Donaldson – painting courses and tutorials
- https://www.justindonaldsonart.com/
- https://www.justindonaldsonart.com/miniseries
- Landscape mini series (free, provide e-mail)
- schedule: during April 2020
- https://www.justindonaldsonart.com/landscape-course
- Landscape painting course (purchase)(PosterColor/ Gouache, Oil, and Acrylic)
- schedule: May – July 2020
- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLQQciDj33LYX9KILbyv26g
- https://www.justindonaldsonart.com/miniseries
- https://www.justindonaldsonart.com/
- Watercolor Summit 2.0 – gouache edition – online painting course (purchase)
- https://www.artsummits.com/watercolor-summit-2-gouache-edition
- schedule: May 11th 2020 (part 1, part two in Fall 2020)
- The earlier watercolor summit can be purchased in bundle with 2.0. or separately:
Live sessions / streams:
- Artists network – #CreativeBoost- Draw with us LIVE
- https://www.artistsnetwork.com/drawing-together-live-video-streams/
- schedule: Live Stream Schedule Every Mon, Wed, & Fri at 3PM EST
- Bobby Chiu – Chiustream Quarantine drawing party // OLD EVENT
- schedule: March 20th, 2020
- OLD EVENT
- schedule: March 20th, 2020
- Sky arts – Portrait artist of the week (UK)
- https://www.sky.com/watch/title/series/783004e4-1e75-493a-8805-43c5ad214575/portrait-artist-of-the-week
- Virtual spin off of portrait artist of the year show. Neither is unfortunately not available for everyone worldwide, but you can also search youtube to see what others have done as paint along. Or just pick a random reference to paint and do a painting in four hours 🙂
- Bobby Chiu – 90-minute art challenge
- https://www.youtube.com/user/digitalbobert
- Weekly paint along illustration challenges using Magma Studio; “During this exercise, your challenge will be to paint an illustration in 90 minutes inspired by the photo reference.”
- Strathmore workshop series – Strathmore Free Online Workshops
Fun and games
If you happen to play games, then e.g. buy this game from Steam and be an artist in game ;D :
- Passpartout: The Starving Artist – game (purchase)
Or if you want to explore some apps perhaps new to you, e.g.
- What to Draw https://play.google.com/store /apps/details?id=llamaze.com.br.whattodraw&hl=en (free, in app purchases)
- “gives you ideas when you want to draw something, but have no idea of what”
- Sktchy app https://get.sktchy.com/ (free)
- “Join to share your art, connect with fellow artists around the world, find and save inspiring reference photos”
- Daily Art https://www.getdailyart.com/ (free)
- “Daily dose of art in your pocket”
Other web-based pastime fun:
Create
Coloring books
Color some line art (color book), e.g.:
- freebies provided e.g. by few artists that I came by (free for limited time):
- Strange spring 2020 – printable spring coloring page by Kamila Stankiewicz
- Sailor Moon Coloring Book pages x6 by Jen Bartel
- https://gumroad.com/l/xdUpE
- Six pages of the full publication free of charge
- instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/B9zumnqAjH_/
- Collective Coloring
- http://collectivecoloring.com/
- A free publication (downloadable pdf) packed with original coloring pages by multiple artists
- First issue dropping 23rd March
- instagram: https://www.instagram.com/collectivecoloring/ (#collectivecoloring)
- And as usual a lot of free coloring pages are also available by Crayola
I guess I’ll give this a go and print some of the images and decide then what medium to use 🙂 (watercolor, ink, gouache, color pencils..)
Art challenges
Join instagram art challenges, e.g.:
- Corona art challenge by The Dublin Area Art League // OLD EVENT
- challenges in blog: http://www.dublinartleague.org/blog/
- schedule: new challenge weekly (week one started 16th March 2020)
- OLD EVENT
- social media hashtag #coronaartchallenge
- #30dayartquarantine
- Art challenge by The Jealous Curator (Danielle Krysa). Use the time spent inside to make one piece everyday (paint, draw, photograph, sculpt, collage, what ever you like). Stay home, make art, save someone’s life.
- #withdraw2020
- https://www.simchafisher.com/2020/03/15/introducing-withdraw2020-a-daily-art-challenge-for-covid-19/
- Daily art challenge while staying home to flatten the curve. 28 days with defined topic.
- https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/withdraw2020/
- #dtiys
- Draw this in your style Challenge: DTIYS is when you draw someone’s original artwork in your own styleI’ve done a few, but none recently. I have few pieces pending that I planned to do..
- https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/dtiys/
- #toonme
- Toon me art challenge: artists create a portrait that is based on an actual photo and half of it is illustrated
- planning to do this, but have not gotten into taking any new picture of myself
- https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/toonme/
- Toon me art challenge: artists create a portrait that is based on an actual photo and half of it is illustrated
- #mermay / #mermay2020
- http://mermay.com/
- Get ready for mermay 2020, i.e. draw/paint mermaids during May
- Schedule: May (annual art challenge)
- https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/mermay/
Join other art challenges / parties:
- World Watercolor Month – July
- https://doodlewash.com/world-watercolor-month-july/
- “World Watercolor Month Is A Charitable Event to Support Arts Education via The Dreaming Zebra Foundation… It’s a month to inspire people to paint with watercolor (watercolour, aquarelle) while raising awareness for the importance of art and creativity in the world.”
- social media hashtag #worldwatercolormonth
- schedule: starts in July 2020
- https://doodlewash.com/world-watercolor-month-july/
- The100DayProject
- https://www.the100dayproject.org/
- “Pick something you want to do every day for the 100 days of the project… What can you do? Anything at all! Paint, draw, dance, knit, doodle, sing, brush your teeth.”
- social media hashtag #The100DayProject
- schedule: starts April 7th, 2020
- https://www.the100dayproject.org/
- Isolation art school in instagram
- https://www.instagram.com/isolationartschool/
- Projects, lessons and tips by artists to help people get creative while housebound during Covid19 crisis
- https://www.instagram.com/isolationartschool/
- Sktchy Art School
- https://school.sktchy.com/
- hosts portrait art classes that they sell in the Sktchy Shop
- and an online community for portrait artists around the globe
- tip: 30 Faces/30 Days – Watercolor & Gouache starts 1st March 2021
- https://school.sktchy.com/
- Drawing Session: The Trevi Fountain – online// OLD EVENT
- https://www.mallgalleries.org.uk/whats-on/events/drawing-session-trevi-fountain-online
- “Inspired by the many watery scenes in the Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours 208th Exhibition, and now that this is an Online only event, we are no longer restricted to what we can fit inside the gallery. So, we will be drawing the Trevi Fountain in Rome. Live via Webcam.”
- schedule: April 16th 2020
- OLD EVENT
- https://www.mallgalleries.org.uk/whats-on/events/drawing-session-trevi-fountain-online
Do your thing!
Or just keep painting those unfinished paintings your stare every now and then, and/or make some new art!
My work in progress that I keep staring:
And a random color practice, a Space Saimaa seal (Pusa hispida saimensis):
See also other related sites:
- Artsy Shark tips for artists, how to manage and adjust your business and use time constructively during these times:
- and Artists Network supportive resources: https://www.artistsnetwork.com/art-community-support-and-resource-center/
- “As we all learn to live with the realities of the COVID-19 crisis, we are staying home, quarantining, and finding new ways to support and connect with our friends and family. As artists, we are also looking for ways to maintain our creativity in stressful times, find inspiration at home, and financially and emotionally care for our families and ourselves. In the next weeks and months, Artists Network is bringing together a regularly updated list of supportive resources for the artist community to help navigate these special circumstances.“
Lets keep safe and healthy! We can do this!
I do not benefit anything from displaying any of the links, I am just collecting the links to spread knowledge on some good sites and services I’ve come by 🙂 Enjoy!
I’ll update some new stuff to the post if I come by something new art related
- edit 27.2.2021: Added Sktchy Art School
- edit 20.2.2021: Added Strathmore workshop series
- edit. 21.11.2020: some reorganization, added image, added links to: Sky arts – Portrait artist of the week (UK), Bobby Chiu 90-minute art challenge, Patreon
- edit. 2.5.2020: Re-organizing content, updates on old ended events, added link to artists network community support and resources page (see above), added Artists Helping Artists podcasts, artist network tips on art podcasts
- edit. 15.4.2020: Added Artists network live drawing
- edit. 3.4.2020: Added Udemy, Andrew Tischler, Justin Donaldson, Watercolor Summit 2.0
- edit. 1.4.2020: Added Mall Galleries exhibitions, Isolation art school, Drawing Session: The Trevi Fountain
- edit. 31.3.2020: Added Finnish National Gallery,
- edit. 27.3.2020: Added The Jealous Curator, #withdraw2020, #30dayartquarantine, art trivia
- edit. 23.3.2020: Added Collective Coloring, World Watercolor Month and #mermay (later future events, July and May), The100DayProject, added headers
- edit 20.3.2020: Added The Social Distancing Festival
- edit. 19.3.2020: Added art challenges and virtual exhibitions / view rooms
- page published 17.3.2020
Soila Art 
Thank you so much for this!
LikeLiked by 1 person