New Year’s Resolution: Reorganizing the Studio for a Creative 2025

As the year winds down, I decided to take some time to reorganise my studio space. It’s something I’d been putting off for a while, but it felt like the right moment to reset and prepare for what’s ahead.

The goal was simple: to create a more comfortable, functional environment that supports my workflow and encourages me to make even more art in 2025. I cleared out unused materials, rearranged some furniture, and tried to open up the space both physically and mentally.

There’s still plenty to improve, especially when it comes to my digital art station. My current table and chair setup is... let’s just say "less than ergonomic." That’s going to be the next big upgrade. 

Still, even with a few pieces of the puzzle left to finish, the space already feels different. Hopefully, this fresh start will help fuel new ideas.

#ArtStudio #NewYearsResolution #CreativeWorkspace #StudioReorganization #DigitalArtSetup #SimonLocheArt #ArtistLife

Quick Photoshop Tip – Rule of Thirds Grid Made Easy

 If you’ve ever wanted a fast, built-in way to apply the Rule of Thirds in your Photoshop compositions, without manually overlaying a reference image, this quick tip is for you.

It takes just a few seconds to set up and works every time you toggle your grid. Here’s how:

How to Set Up a Rule of Thirds Grid in Photoshop:

1. Go to Preferences > Guides, Grids & Slices.

2. Set Gridline Every to 100%.

3. Set Subdivisions to 3.

4. To display the grid, go to View > Show > Grid or use the shortcut Ctrl+` (PC) or Cmd+` (Mac).

That’s it. Now, each time you toggle the grid, you’ll get a clean, non-invasive Rule of Thirds overlay, perfect for checking your focal points, composition balance, and visual flow.

This setup works especially well for quick layout adjustments, thumbnails, or even more polished pieces where you want to double-check your compositional anchors.

Let me know if this was useful, or if you’d like more Photoshop workflow tips like this. Always happy to share!

Infinite Painter - Sketch from Photo Reference

 

Infinite Painter - Sketch from Photo Reference

Sketching Moments That Matter

 

Every now and then, I do a sketch that reminds me exactly why I love drawing. It’s not about the polish or precision, it’s about capturing something real with just a few lines.

This one is a quick black and white sketch made in Adobe Fresco. Simple, fast, but focused on what matters most: body language and the quiet confidence that comes from feeling at ease. It’s the kind of pose that doesn’t shout, but tells you everything through subtle gestures.

Sketches like this are a reminder that sometimes, the strongest storytelling comes from restraint. A few lines, the right posture, and just enough suggestion to let the viewer fill in the rest.

More studies like this to come.

Tribute to Kim Jung Gi – Sketch from THU 2024

 

During my time at THU (Trojan Horse Was a Unicorn) 2024, I took a moment to create a tribute sketch for Kim Jung Gi, an artist whose impact on the art world is beyond measure.

Kim Jung Gi’s unparalleled talent, creativity, and passion for art continue to inspire artists across the globe. His dynamic linework, incredible memory, and storytelling ability have set a benchmark that few can match.

While surrounded by other artists at THU, it felt natural to honor someone who changed the way so many of us approach sketching, composition, and even how we view the act of drawing itself. This sketch was my small way of paying respect to a master whose influence is still felt daily in the creative community.

I miss his presence deeply, but his energy lives on through every artist he touched. His work remains a source of inspiration for me.

Rest in peace, Kim Jung Gi. Your art lives forever.

#KimJungGi #TributeSketch #THU2025 #ArtInspiration #MasterArtist #SimonLocheArt #Sketching #DrawingTribute

Using MapCrunch and Instant Street View for Landscape and Environment Painting Inspiration

Finding fresh, interesting references for landscape and environment studies can sometimes feel repetitive. That’s why I often turn to two great tools: MapCrunch (https://www.mapcrunch.com) and Instant Street View (https://www.instantstreetview.com).

Both platforms pull imagery from Google Street View, offering access to real-world environments from all over the globe. Whether you’re looking for a windswept coastline, a dense urban street, or a remote countryside, you can land somewhere unexpected and inspiring in just a few clicks.

MapCrunch drops you into random locations, often leading to places you wouldn’t think to search for yourself. Instant Street View lets you be more targeted, searching specific cities, landmarks, or regions, while still using the navigable Street View imagery. Together, they give you both randomness and control depending on what kind of reference you’re after.

For artists, these tools are invaluable because they expose you to different lighting, architecture, terrain, and mood, and they help you avoid falling into the trap of painting the same type of scene over and over again.

---

Mini-Tutorial: How to Use MapCrunch and Instant Street View for Painting Studies

1. Explore Randomly or Intentionally

   • Use MapCrunch for random inspiration. Just click “Go” and see where it takes you.

   • Use Instant Street View if you have a specific place in mind, like “Iceland coast” or “Tokyo back alley.”

2. Look for Composition Opportunities

   • Move around and adjust the viewpoint to find strong framing, leading lines, interesting light, or color contrasts.

3. Capture the Scene

   • Take a screenshot when you find a composition you like. Focus on big shapes and mood rather than tiny details.

4. Set a Time Limit for the Study

   • Challenge yourself to do a quick 30- to 45-minute study to capture the essence without getting lost in over-rendering.

5. Vary Your Exercises

   • Paint the environment as it is, or push it further: change the weather, time of day, or add storytelling elements.

   • Try doing a series based on a single region but at different times of day.

---

Using tools like MapCrunch and Instant Street View keeps your practice dynamic, varied, and full of surprises. They’re simple, free, and a fantastic way to stretch your observation and imagination.

If you haven’t tried them yet, I highly recommend adding them to your study routine.

#LandscapePainting #EnvironmentArt #ArtInspiration #MapCrunch #InstantStreetView #DigitalPainting #SimonLocheArt

The Value of Quick Marker Studies – 1 Value Exercises

 

One of the easiest yet most efficient methods to enhance your visual comprehension is to do quick studies with markers. Specifically, 1 value studies, which use only one shade of grey or black, compel you to concentrate solely on readability, composition, and shape.

Markers provide immediacy, something that digital tools can occasionally make more difficult. No undo button or endless tweaking is available. You learn to make decisions more quickly and confidently as a result of your commitment to each stroke.

Limiting yourself to a single value forces you to consider what is most important. Which silhouette is it? Where is the difference? What elements of the picture must be immediately readable, even at a quick glance? These exercises sharpen your ability to group information and simplify complex scenes without losing clarity.

Quick marker (or digital marker) studies aren’t about making perfect drawings. They’re about training your eye to see what’s essential and to strengthen your instincts. Over time, these fast, focused sessions have a real impact on larger, more detailed works.

It’s a habit I keep coming back to, and one I highly recommend to anyone serious about improving their foundations. Grab a marker and start with one value. You’ll be surprised how much you learn.

#ArtFundamentals #ValueStudies #MarkerSketching #QuickStudies #VisualDevelopment #SimonLocheArt

Landscape Study in Collserola with HeavyPaint

 

This digital landscape was painted during a walk in Collserola, the natural park just outside Barcelona. It’s a place I often return to, not just for the views, but for the quiet rhythm it offers, especially when you step away from the city.

I used HeavyPaint for this study. The app’s stripped-down interface and unpredictable brushes push you to think in broad shapes and color relationships rather than fine details. Perfect for capturing the mood of a place quickly, without getting stuck in technical execution.

This sketch wasn’t planned. It was more of a response to the light and how it moved across the hills and tree lines. Just a few colors, a few shapes, and an attempt to hold onto that feeling for a bit longer.

Looking forward to doing more of these, both in Collserola and wherever the next walk takes me.

Quick Life Drawing Studies in Infinite Painter

I recently took a short break to do a couple of quick life drawing sketches, this time using Infinite Painter on the iPad.

No pressure, no overthinking, just trying to capture gesture, proportion, and energy in a few minutes per pose. These were fast studies, but that’s often when things feel the most honest.

What I really appreciate about Infinite Painter in this kind of session is how fluid and responsive the tools feel. The pencil brushes give enough texture and the simplicity of the interface makes it easy to stay focused on observation and rhythm rather than getting caught up in technique.

I still think nothing beats drawing from life to stay sharp. Whether it’s for warming up, loosening the hand, or just reconnecting with the fundamentals, these quick studies always help.

 

Quick Sea Studies – Painted in Infinite Painter

https://www.infinitestudio.art/discover.php
 

Landscape Study in Infinite Painter

Digital Portrait of Vincent Cassel in Infinite Painter

Every once in a while, a subject captures your attention not just because of their appearance, but because of the attitude, expression, and raw character they bring to a frame. That was the case with this digital portrait of French actor Vincent Cassel, which I painted using Infinite Painter on the iPad.

Cassel’s face is a study in contrasts, sharp and angular, yet incredibly expressive.

I wanted to keep the rendering loose but intentional, focusing more on capturing his energy and presence than achieving photographic accuracy.

As always, painting portraits like this is a way to explore character through form. It’s not about copying a photo but interpreting a presence.

#VincentCassel #DigitalPortrait #InfinitePainter #PortraitStudy #iPadArt #CharacterPortrait #SimonLocheArt

Lessons Learned in Pencil Drawing: The Importance of Size

One of the most unexpected lessons I’ve learned through pencil drawing has nothing to do with shading or line quality - it has to do with size.

When I first started sketching, I would often draw too small. A face, a figure, or a composition would barely take up a third of the page. While it felt comfortable and manageable at first, I later realised how limiting this habit had become.

Working small often leads to cramped gestures, tight lines, and a reluctance to explore bold forms. It becomes harder to capture the energy of a pose or the full expression of a face when there’s no room to move your hand or loosen up your strokes.

Increasing the scale of my sketches, even just slightly, opened up everything. The lines became more fluid, the gestures stronger, and the overall drawings more confident. It also improved my understanding of proportion and structure, since I was now forced to confront them at a larger scale.

Drawing larger doesn’t mean abandoning control; it means giving yourself the space to think in forms, not just outlines. It allows for corrections, layering, and above all, movement. And when you're drawing with pencils, movement is what brings life to the work.

One of the key benefits of working at a larger scale is that it encourages you to draw not only with your fingers, but with your wrist and even your shoulder. This shift in physical engagement changes everything. It frees up your motion, helps you build stronger lines, and introduces a new level of gesture and dynamism into your drawings. The more your whole arm is involved, the more expressive and confident your strokes become.

So if you find yourself stuck, tightening up, or repeating the same types of sketches, consider this: maybe all you need is a bigger piece of paper.

#PencilDrawing #SketchingTips #DrawingFundamentals #TraditionalArt #ArtProcess #SimonLocheArt

Digital Landscape Study: Clouded Sky and Marshy Seashore at Sunset (Infinite Painter)

This recent digital painting study, created in Infinite Painter on iPad, was inspired by a dramatic coastal scene that captured both atmosphere and tension. The focus of the piece was a cloud-filled sky at sunset, heavy with movement and light shifts, stretched above a quiet shoreline dotted with marshes.

I was drawn to the contrast between the weight of the clouds and the softness of the fading sunlight reflecting on the water.

Working in Infinite Painter allowed me to blend texture and color efficiently, experimenting with brushes that mimic oil or pastel without losing precision. I kept the palette tight, leaning into cool purples, desaturated greens, and streaks of warm orange light cutting through the grey.

The result is more about mood than detail. It’s an attempt to capture that fleeting moment at the end of a stormy day, when the clouds finally break and the light spills across the land in unexpected places, one of those moments when the landscape feels bigger than you.

Looking forward to exploring more scenes like this.

#DigitalLandscape #InfinitePainter #iPadArt #CloudscapePainting #SeashoreStudy #SunsetMood #SimonLocheArt

Figure Drawing in Adobe Fresco

 

Infinite Painter - Sketch from Photo Reference

 Infinite Painter - Sketch from Photo Reference

Mediterranean Landscapes – Quick Studies in Infinite Painter

 

I recently took some time to create two quick sketches in Infinite Painter, both inspired by the beauty and diversity of Mediterranean landscapes. It was also the perfect opportunity to test out a new brush that I’ve really been enjoying, it added just the right texture and flow to these fast studies.

The Mediterranean offers a wide variety of forms and atmospheres that are endlessly inspiring: rugged coastlines shaped by the wind, dusty hillsides stretching under clear skies, and scattered villages tucked into the landscape. Each scene carries its own mood, shaped by light, color, and time of day.

I’ll definitely be doing more of these sketches. The Mediterranean always has more to offer, and it’s the kind of subject that keeps inviting you back to look closer and draw/paint more.

#InfinitePainter #MediterraneanLandscape #DigitalPainting #LandscapeSketch #ArtPractice #SimonLocheArt

Quick Sketch with Adobe Fresco

 

Here’s a quick sketch I made using Adobe Fresco.

Fresco stands out for digital painting and drawing because of how naturally it handles brush behavior and blending. The live brushes are especially impressive, mimicking the flow of watercolor or the texture of oils in a way that feels intuitive and direct.

It’s a great tool for quick studies or more refined work, and the clean interface keeps the focus where it should be, on making art.

Definitely a solid choice if you want a digital tool that feels close to traditional media.

Digital Portrait - Adobe Fresco

 

Study from photo Reference

Barcelona Hidden Street – Charm Through Sketching

 

Tucked away from the main tourist routes, Barcelona’s small hidden streets offer some of the city’s most authentic and inspiring scenes. During a recent walk, I came across one of these charming alleys, a quiet corner with textured walls, soft afternoon light, and the kind of atmosphere that feels both timeless and alive.

I decided to capture it through a quick sketch....

Barcelona’s hidden streets are full of inspiration for artists, and working from life (or from quick photo studies) keeps the process fresh. This drawing was a reminder of how much beauty lies off the beaten path, no grand monuments needed.

If you’re ever in Barcelona, don’t just stick to the major landmarks. Wander. Get lost. Look for the small, quiet moments. They’re often the ones worth remembering.

Made with Infinite Painter on iPad Pro.

#UrbanSketching #BarcelonaSketch #CityDrawing #HiddenStreets #TravelArt #Sketchbook #BarcelonaArt #SimonLocheArt