# Venkaris

> Your Go-to Place to Learn All About Art


## Posts

- [Just do the next step](https://venkaris.com/just-do-the-next-step/): I recently heard an idea on a podcast that to get anywhere, you only really need to know 3 things.
- [Get lost on purpose](https://venkaris.com/get-lost-on-purpose/): This week I changed almost everything about my schedule at once.
- [Your body decides for you](https://venkaris.com/your-body-decides-for-you/): I noticed an interesting correlation between my least productive days and my sleep quality.
- [Face the damn mountain](https://venkaris.com/face-the-damn-mountain/): For the last 2 months I was acting like I'm productive without actually being productive.
- [Stop forcing yourself](https://venkaris.com/stop-forcing-yourself/): Have you ever noticed that if you force yourself to do something you don't want to do, it works the first time, but the second time your body rebels much harder?
- [Hiding in side projects](https://venkaris.com/hiding-in-side-projects/): Whenever I get stuck on a big project, I feel an irresistible pull to start something new.
- [You keep what you justify](https://venkaris.com/you-keep-what-you-justify/): Whenever I didn't feel like working on the book, instead of sitting down and working on it anyway, I told myself "I'm not feeling motivated today, maybe I'll feel more like it tomorrow".
- [You can never prepare enough](https://venkaris.com/you-can-never-prepare-enough/): Before starting to work on the perspective chapter I decided to spend a couple days fact-checking my outline of it.
- [Doubt is there to help you](https://venkaris.com/doubt-is-there-to-help-you/): Last Sunday I decided to solve my motivation problem by making a better checklist and planning to buy sticky notes to write tasks down on.
- [You're probably not lazy](https://venkaris.com/youre-probably-not-lazy/): I can’t get myself to work on the book. It’s been two weeks and I haven’t even opened the project file once.
- [Focus is a tool](https://venkaris.com/focus-is-a-tool/): As long as you’re working on multiple projects at once, you will never truly be focused. True focus is when your mind is occupied with only this one thing.
- [Give your numbers a job](https://venkaris.com/give-your-numbers-a-job/): This week I saw a post from an artist with 2.3k followers, he was saying that he needs to radically change his life and work because his growth rate isn’t what it used to be.
- [Style is a byproduct](https://venkaris.com/style-is-a-byproduct/): I was drawing diagrams for the book this week and realized something that made me rethink my understanding of style.
- [Balance is boring](https://venkaris.com/balance-is-boring/): Every once in a while I get obsessed about some project or hobby, and it's always when I make the most progress in that area.
- [Use your delusion](https://venkaris.com/use-your-delusion/): I only ever start a big project if I'm really excited about it.
- [Counting the wrong thing](https://venkaris.com/counting-the-wrong-thing/): I've had pretty much the same diet for many months - a burrito for breakfast and a big spaghetti meal for dinner.
- [Silencing the alarm](https://venkaris.com/silencing-the-alarm/): I deleted Discord off my phone a few weeks ago. It was part of the detox that I was doing in order to get serious about the book again.
- [Delete the schedule](https://venkaris.com/delete-the-schedule/): This week I came back from my detox experiment (you can read about it here) and immediately started breaking my own rules.
- [Disconnecting to reconnect](https://venkaris.com/disconnecting-to-reconnect/): Three and a half days ago I set out to completely disconnect from the internet and my devices.
- [Why comfort feels empty](https://venkaris.com/why-comfort-feels-empty/): It's late, and I'm staring at the ceiling. One thought won't let me sleep. "What am I actually doing with my life?" I'm 22 years old.
- [Outgrowing your why](https://venkaris.com/outgrowing-your-why/): A reader emailed me this week asking why I make art. It made me sit with the question for a while.
- [The loop that keeps you stuck](https://venkaris.com/the-loop-that-keeps-you-stuck/): I haven't posted any studies in two months. When I slow down on drawing or posting, I just keep going in that direction.
- [I've felt this before](https://venkaris.com/ive-felt-this-before/): Two weeks ago I opened Notion to look at my old notes for the anatomy book I planned on making.
- [Like to have drawn](https://venkaris.com/like-to-have-drawn/): There's a stage in every project where I lose interest. It's usually shading, I spot small issues with shadows and just leave them.
- [Your brain plays it safe](https://venkaris.com/your-brain-plays-it-safe/): It’s 8 pm, I’m taking a shower before bed. I can’t use my headphones to distract myself there.
- [Being a beginner again](https://venkaris.com/being-a-beginner-again/): This Wednesday, I spent 7 hours standing in front of a wall, trying to harness the power of a paint roller and sputtering spray cans.
- [The productivity vacuum](https://venkaris.com/the-productivity-vacuum/): I used to play guitar a lot, it was my favorite hobby for a while. Every time I felt like playing, I just grabbed the guitar and played for as long as I wanted.
- [Don’t borrow a spine](https://venkaris.com/dont-borrow-a-spine/): I’m sitting in front of an empty tweet draft in Notion. I have a list of ideas that I gathered from podcasts and videos that week.
- [I was wrong about commissions](https://venkaris.com/i-was-wrong-about-commissions/): Last Saturday I finally opened commissions and sent out the announcement email to my waitlist. Next day I sent out my first invoice and got paid.
- [Guilty productivity](https://venkaris.com/guilty-productivity/): Yesterday I caught myself trying to guilt-trip me into making a new anatomy study just to post something.
- [How to actually start a project](https://venkaris.com/how-to-actually-start-a-project/): I recently got an email from a reader that really stuck with me. They’ve been studying fundamentals for years, going to classes and doing the work.
- [Creating isn’t problem-solving](https://venkaris.com/creating-isnt-problem-solving/): This Tuesday I didn’t draw at all. I spent the day doing chores, watching YouTube and scrolling Twitter.
- [Free time is not your problem](https://venkaris.com/free-time-is-not-your-problem/): This Tuesday, I was staring blankly at my PC, clicking between windows to find something to do between drawing sessions.
- [Why habits fail without numbers](https://venkaris.com/why-habits-fail-without-numbers/): Last Friday, February 27th, 11am.
- [This doubled how much I draw](https://venkaris.com/this-doubled-how-much-i-draw/): This Monday morning I was working on my illustration, the rendering was frustrating but I was making progress.
- [The fear of small numbers](https://venkaris.com/the-fear-of-small-numbers/): This Tuesday I woke up at 5 am, I set myself the brave task of going to gym at 6 am for the first time.
- [How comfort abandons your art](https://venkaris.com/how-comfort-abandons-your-art/): Wednesday morning. I woke up, grabbing my phone to turn off the alarm. But instead of putting it down, I check Twitter.
- [How I stopped waiting to be ready](https://venkaris.com/how-i-stopped-waiting-to-be-ready/): It’s the 1st of January 2024. I’m already sitting at my desk, staring out of the window at the sunny day outside. The kitchen is a mess of undone dishes.
- [Why I wish I had less time](https://venkaris.com/why-i-wish-i-had-less-time/): Yesterday, I stood in my bathroom for 5 minutes, staring at the wall before stepping into the shower.
- [Test your worst ideas](https://venkaris.com/test-your-worst-ideas/): October 3rd, 3PM. I was hunched over my tablet, forcing myself to finish an arm study. I wasn’t excited. I was desperate.
- [You are what you doomscroll](https://venkaris.com/you-are-what-you-doomscroll/): Last week I woke up and immediately reached for my phone to turn off the alarm. Then I opened YouTube and clicked on a 3 hour Project Zomboid video.
- [Why I stopped chasing followers](https://venkaris.com/why-i-stopped-chasing-followers/): Last week I took a look at my analytics. 7,163 followers on Twitter and 81 newsletter subscribers. That’s 1.1% conversion rate. My heart sank a little.
- [How to blame others for your failures](https://venkaris.com/how-to-blame-others-for-your-failures/): My 2 week college break is about to end. I was really excited when it started, promised myself to post a sketch or a study every day for those 14 days.
- [How to actually set goals for 2026](https://venkaris.com/how-to-actually-set-goals-for-2026/): I'm sitting here with 30+ goals written out in front of me, feeling completely overwhelmed.
- [The phase where nothing gets made](https://venkaris.com/the-phase-where-nothing-gets-made/): I was sitting at home, sick, no energy to do anything. I realized I hadn't posted art in 8 days. School exams were crushing me.
- [The advantage you lose by waiting](https://venkaris.com/the-advantage-you-lose-by-waiting/): I was scrolling Twitter at my desk last week. That's when I saw their profile. 16 years old. 91,400 followers. They joined in April 2021.
- [The artist’s wealth trap (and the 3 ways out)](https://venkaris.com/the-artists-wealth-trap-and-the-3-ways-out/): My first commission was €80. I was so excited. Someone wanted to pay me actual money to draw something. I poured everything into it.
- [3 signs you need to switch topics (not push through)](https://venkaris.com/3-signs-you-need-to-switch-topics-not-push-through/): Hey there, After four weeks of anatomy studies, I opened my idea list to choose the next one to draw, and felt... nothing.
- [It's always harder than it seems](https://venkaris.com/its-always-harder-than-it-seems/): This Wednesday I posted a tweet about the artist's loop: It blew up.
- [What great artists actually do (it's boring)](https://venkaris.com/what-great-artists-actually-do-its-boring/): If you knew how much time successful artists actually spend on their work, you'd be less impressed. Not because their work isn't incredible. It is.
- [The only shortcut is hard work](https://venkaris.com/the-only-shortcut-is-hard-work/): If you're thinking about tracing 3D models, copying other artists' work closely, or using any shortcut to skip the fundamentals, I need to tell you what I learned the hard way.
- [Why "I want to improve" keeps you stuck](https://venkaris.com/why-i-want-to-improve-keeps-you-stuck/): Hey there, I've been fantasizing about opening commissions for months. What I'd charge. What I'd offer. Imagining the clients rolling in.
- [The study method that finally worked for me](https://venkaris.com/the-study-method-that-finally-worked-for-me/): Do you avoid sketches because they feel pointless? Do you also watch tutorials and nod along. Then you draw and realize you retained nothing.
- [Test small before you go all in](https://venkaris.com/test-small-before-you-go-all-in/): You want to make money from your art. Open commissions, sell adopts, launch a Patreon. But here's what keeps happening. An artist builds a following.
- [The self-sabotage that follows success](https://venkaris.com/the-self-sabotage-that-follows-success/): Hey there! I hit 33,000 likes on a drawing. Gained 1,300 followers in two days. Got people asking for art advice in my DMs. My response?
- [The beliefs quietly sabotaging your art career](https://venkaris.com/the-beliefs-quietly-sabotaging-your-art-career/): Hey there! Right now, you might have beliefs running in the background of your mind that make creating feel risky, selling feel wrong, or progress feel impossible.
- [If drawing frustrates you, read this before you quit](https://venkaris.com/if-drawing-frustrates-you-read-this-before-you-quit/): Hey, I get it. You're sitting there staring at another drawing that doesn't look anything like what you imagined. Your hand won't cooperate.
- [4 systems that saved my 30-hour commission](https://venkaris.com/4-systems-that-saved-my-30-hour-commission/): Do you know what happens when you're 20 hours deep into creating an illustration but it still doesn't look complete and would definitely take 10 more hours?
- [5 ways to escape tutorial hell and actually improve your art](https://venkaris.com/5-ways-to-escape-tutorial-hell-and-actually-improve-your-art/): I’ve spent hundreds of hours watching YouTube tutorials on how to draw hands, faces, anatomy, shading, all of it.
- [4 types of learners (and why only 1 succeeds)](https://venkaris.com/4-types-of-learners-and-why-only-1-succeeds/): Do you start projects with incredible enthusiasm only to abandon them when the initial excitement wears off? You're not broken.
- [What actually matters when you're starting](https://venkaris.com/what-actually-matters-when-youre-starting/): Hey there! So you're scrolling through X again, looking at other artists' work and this feeling comes back: Why does everyone else seem to have it figured out already?
- [The real reason you're not motivated to draw](https://venkaris.com/the-real-reason-youre-not-motivated-to-draw/): Have you ever watched another artist work and wondered how they seem so genuinely excited about what they're creating? They're not forcing themselves to draw.
- [5 exercises to discover your creative purpose](https://venkaris.com/5-exercises-to-discover-your-creative-purpose/): Everyone talks about "finding your artistic style" or "developing your creative voice."
- [What I'm Learning About Creating (From Someone Who Hasn't Made It Yet)](https://venkaris.com/what-im-learning-about-creating-from-someone-who-hasnt-made-it-yet/): Reading Linchpin this week made me face an uncomfortable truth: I've been living like someone who loves art but doesn't make any.
- [The voice that almost stopped me](https://venkaris.com/the-voice-that-almost-stopped-me/): I’m not writing this because I figured it all out. I’m writing this because I didn’t wait until I did.

## Pages

- [CraftSpan](https://venkaris.com/craftspan/): Sees only the name of the window you are in.
- [Anatomy Book Waitlist](https://venkaris.com/anatomy-book-waitlist/): I'm building a book that takes you from drawing basics all the way to creating convincing anthro characters.
- [Contact](https://venkaris.com/contact/): Got a project in mind, or just want to talk?
- [Commissions](https://venkaris.com/commissions/): I get to know the character, then build the scene around who they are, according to your idea.
- [Mentions Légales](https://venkaris.com/mentions-legales/): Tous les contenus présents sur ce site (illustrations, textes, logos, images) sont la propriété exclusive de Mark Abramenko, sauf mention contraire.
- [Commission Waitlist](https://venkaris.com/commission-waitlist/): Enter your email and I'll notify you when I'm taking new orders!
- [Thank You](https://venkaris.com/thank-you/)
- [Terms of Service](https://venkaris.com/terms-of-service/): Hey! I'm Venkaris, a digital artist based in France.
- [Disclaimer](https://venkaris.com/disclaimer/)
- [Imprint](https://venkaris.com/imprint/)
- [Privacy Statement (ZA)](https://venkaris.com/privacy-statement-za/)
- [Cookie Policy (ZA)](https://venkaris.com/cookie-policy-za/)
- [Privacy Statement (BR)](https://venkaris.com/privacy-statement-br/)
- [Cookie Policy (BR)](https://venkaris.com/cookie-policy-br/)
- [Privacy Statement (AU)](https://venkaris.com/privacy-statement-au/)
- [Cookie Policy (AU)](https://venkaris.com/cookie-policy-au/)
- [Privacy Statement (CA)](https://venkaris.com/privacy-statement-ca/)
- [Cookie Policy (CA)](https://venkaris.com/cookie-policy-ca/)
- [Privacy Statement (UK)](https://venkaris.com/privacy-statement-uk/)
- [Cookie Policy (UK)](https://venkaris.com/cookie-policy-uk/)
- [Privacy Statement (US)](https://venkaris.com/privacy-statement-us/)
- [Opt-out preferences](https://venkaris.com/opt-out-preferences/)
- [Privacy Statement (EU)](https://venkaris.com/privacy-statement-eu/)
- [Cookie Policy (EU)](https://venkaris.com/cookie-policy-eu/)
- [Gallery](https://venkaris.com/gallery/)
- [Newsletter](https://venkaris.com/): Every Saturday I break down one hard lesson from my art journey so you can skip straight to what actually works.

## Optional

- [Agent (MCP protocol)](websites-agents.hostinger.com/venkaris.com/mcp)

[comment]: # (Generated by Hostinger Tools Plugin)