A Little Art, a Little Animation, and a Leap into YouTube

New adventures in digital art, filmmaking, and sharing a little more of my creative world.

I've always been a little cautious about sharing too much of myself with the world. Creating art is one thing, but putting it out there for everyone to see, critique, or simply scroll past is another adventure entirely!

However, I've been thinking more about the ways I can share my artwork and creative experiences with others. After all, one of the things I love most about art is its ability to spark imagination, tell stories, and occasionally bring a little joy to someone's day.

So, I've decided to branch out into something new: YouTube!

Learning Something New (and Occasionally Questioning My Sanity)

Over the past few semesters, I've had the opportunity to explore digital media, animation, and video production through my university coursework.

Before these classes, I had absolutely no experience creating animations or even sketching digitally. I was much more comfortable with a paintbrush, a piece of wood, or a handful of materials scattered across my studio table.

Suddenly, I was learning how to draw on a screen, make those drawings move, edit footage, incorporate sound, and piece everything together into something resembling an actual movie.

Let's just say there was a learning curve. A rather steep one.

Working with Adobe Creative Suite and other digital programs introduced me to an entirely different side of artmaking. To be fair, Adobe is an entire universe now compared to what it was 26 years ago when I began my art journey. I discovered that even the simplest animation can involve an incredible amount of planning, patience, and trial and error.

And while I certainly haven't mastered any of it, I've had a wonderful time experimenting with the possibilities.

From the Studio to the Screen

So far, I've uploaded two short animated movies and an Artist Spotlight video to my new YouTube channel, Owlchemy Art Studio.

Each began as a class assignment, but they also represent something a little more personal: my willingness to experiment with unfamiliar materials and techniques.

-->One of my animations, Root Beer Break, features a rather unfortunate little purple character who just wants to enjoy a cold root beer. Naturally, things don't go quite as planned.

-->My Artist Spotlight video is a little different. It offers a glimpse into my creative world, including what inspires me, some of the materials I enjoy working with, and moments from my studio practice. It was especially meaningful to put together because it allowed me to share a little of the person behind the artwork.

These projects are far from Hollywood productions, but that's perfectly fine with me. They are little snapshots of what I've learned, where I've experimented, and how my creative interests continue to grow.

Sharing a Little More of My World

I don't know exactly what my YouTube channel will become just yet.

Perhaps there will be more animations, videos from the studio, glimpses of works in progress, or little creative projects that might inspire someone else to pick up a paintbrush and try something new.

What I do know is that I want to share the things I enjoy creating, without feeling that everything must be perfectly polished or professionally produced.

Sometimes art is serious and meaningful. Sometimes it's imaginative and beautiful. And sometimes it's simply a silly little animation about a purple character and his root beer.

There's room for all of it.

If something I create makes someone smile, encourages them to try a new medium, or reminds them how much fun making art can be, then I think that's reason enough to share it.

Come Along for the Adventure!

If you'd like to see what I've been creating, I would love for you to visit Owlchemy Art Studio on YouTube.

You can watch my first few videos, take a peek inside my studio, and follow along as I continue learning and experimenting.

And if you enjoy what you see, please consider subscribing! It would mean a great deal to have a few friendly faces joining me on this new little adventure.

I'm still figuring things out, and I imagine there will be plenty of creative mishaps along the way. But that's half the fun of making art, isn't it?

Here's to trying new things, sharing a little more, and finding joy in the process.

Until next time, happy creating!

— Kira R. Keller, Owlchemy Art Studio