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Dana Blust is an artist and art instructor we came across on Instagram- where her hyper realistic spider illustrations stopped us dead in our tracks. We knew we had to learn more about her and her creative process when we saw how skilled she was in the world of Acrylic painting. Read on to learn more about her!
From Dana: "I use Royal & Langnickel products in my studio as well as in my classes! They offer a large range of brushes that appeal to the most experienced artists as well as beginners who are beginning to develop their confidence in brush techniques. I know that when I purchase Royal & Langnickel products that I am making a quality investment in my career!"
A: As an artist and art instructor, I use and love a range of brushes from Royal & Langnickel! A few of my favorites are:
Espresso™: These are my favorite for personal use on commissions and show paintings! They allow great control and absorb the perfect amount of paint when painting realism.
Auréa™: The Auréa series are absolutely perfect for my adult students in my fine art classes. Their bristles allow for smooth and even strokes and they hold a great amount of paint in both oil and acrylic. They are very durable for both beginner and advanced.
Big Kid's Choice™ Chubby series is my favorite for teaching children of all ages, even adults love to use them! Their unique handle is easy to keep a good grip on and they allow an ease of motion for all painters!
A: I started as a serious artist 4 years ago after my second child, pregnant for my third. I had just had a career change and pushed myself into the arts world in my town! I met some amazing people and it opened me up to unthinkable opportunities such as working the Detroit Institute of Arts, hosting and participating in art shows and becoming a certified art instructor for both Clarkston Cultural Arts and Michaels inc.
A: When I first started painting I worked up the courage to do so by observing other experienced artists and admiring their techniques and styles. I lean more towards realism and wild life. An entire artistic family has inspired me greatly over the years, stribbling family wildlife art. David Stribbling and his family bring their talents and passions to the world, together! I have also always been influenced but surrealisms favorite, Salvador Dali.
A: My preferred medium is acrylic as that is what I taught myself to paint with! Though as I meet more artists and have new experiences I find that I am less intimidated to try other mediums such as ink and oils.
My reward for teaching art is seeing the confidence in others just soar. The realization that any artist can learn and excel at anything that they put their effort into is life changing, at any age!
Having three children has forced me into a routinely creative process. At the end of the day when my household is falling sleep I turn on some music in my studio and paint into the night, undisturbed! I use multiple reference photos of the same subject and hang them up while I am sketching and painting.
A: All I can ever remember wanting to be was an artist. I have always practiced art of some sort as young as 5 years old. I knew that this is what I wanted to consume my life when I had my first opportunity to teach my own art Classes through my Clarkston Cultural Arts, a non-profit art organization in my small town of Clarkston Michigan. Ever since, I live and breathe art and it will never stop!
A: My one and only piece of advice that I have for all artists is to get involved in your community. Step outside of your comfort zone, attend a meeting, join an organization and keep doing what you love all the time!
To see more amazing art, find Dana on Facebook and Instagram!
DabThePainter | DanaThePainter
Royal & Langnickel - Art & Craft
