FIND OUT WHAT INSPIRES ANNAMOON, YOUTUBE INFLUENTIAL ROCK PAINTING ARTIST
If you are a beginner rock painter, then you may have seen one of the many wonderful rock painting tutorials on YouTube by Annamoon Fine Art Channel. She has over 7,000 subscribers to her YouTube channel and nearly 800,000 views that feature many step-by-step tutorials on rock painting, landscape painting, watercolor, and drawing. Her YouTube videos are the perfect place to start mastering your artistic skills. I wrote to Annett aka Annamoon to express my gratitude for her rock painting tutorials because it has helped me along with so many others, to request an interview and she graciously agreed.
Annett lives with her husband and child in Germany along with her cat/studio assistant, Chester. She’s a part-time software developer and as well as a talented artist. She explains that “Painting and drawing is like breathing for me. I do it as compensation for my work and for my everyday stress. I began painting at the age of 3, when I was able to hold a brush.” She related to me that she has always been artistic her whole life but, has not always painted as intensively as she has for the last 6 years.
What is your creative process like?
“Oh, there is not really a process. I just let myself drift. If I see something interesting in nature or on the Internet, then I decide only with what materials I would like to paint it. Most of the time I start with a rough sketch with a pencil or watercolor pencil to get an idea of the composition. And then I just start.”
How do you come up with ideas for your rock painting?
“I just see something … a landscape, an animal or just a color that I want to paint. A few rock painting ideas are wishes from my fans.”
What’s your workspace setup like?
“I have my studio in the attic. There are two large tables next to each other. One table is for my computer equipment and the second table is for painting and creating videos. I have 3 natural light sources. Sometimes it is great to have a nice view but for creating videos I have to close the blinds. At the summer it can be very hot there.”
What’s your best time-saving shortcut or rock painting hack?
“I think there is no shortcut. What I can advise everyone is always to apply a white primer. Some colors are transparent and lose their luminosity without primer, especially craft paints are not that opaque. I read that some people apply up to 10 layers of yellow to make it really yellow. This is not necessary with a primer. That really saves you a lot of time.”
What inspires your creativity?
“I am always inspired by landscapes, plants, and animals.”
Besides acrylic, is there other mediums that you like to work with?
“Yes of course. I like to paint with watercolors or watercolor pencils and since few weeks I am really obsessed with oils. Next, to painting, I like to draw and sketch with pencils and inks.”
Do you do anything in particular to seal your painted rocks?
“I seal my painted rocks every time with 2-3 coats of a glossy varnish. And for this, I use a soft brush. I don’t like sprays because I think I waste too much of the varnish medium.”
Why did you decide to paint on rocks?
“This idea originally came from my husband. I was looking for a way to get more attention to my art. At that time, we liked to do geocaching. He suggested painting small stones and writing my web address on the back to hide them. I also showed these stones in my son’s kindergarten and painted quite a few as a donation for the Christmas bazaar. The people were really crazy about it and I was able to sell all of them. At some point, I uploaded a video to my YouTube channel “Annamoon Fine art” on a whim. In this video, I am painting a ladybird which looks very real. Since then, the demand for such videos, tutorials and for my stones has literally exploded.”
How has your style changed over the years?
“I always think I have no style. But other people said that I have one. I think I paint as always, I got better because I practice a lot. And that means I draw or paint something nearly every day. I am a realistic painter and I don’t think that I will change this.”
What advice would you give to my beginner rock painting readers?
“Do not be too strict with yourself. Just have fun, grab a brush and some paint and start painting. Stones are cheap or free, who cares if it fails. You can only learn and get better if you make mistakes. And it’s very very important do not confuse the painting water with the coffee. This happens to me sometimes!”
Is there anything else you’d like to add that might be interesting to readers and your YouTube fans?
“A few weeks ago, I uploaded a video to YouTube where I show you every rock painting I did till this day. 109 rock paintings in a slide-show. There you can see how I got better over the time.”
Where can people find your art and tutorials?
Annamoon Fine Art Tutorials can be found on her YouTube channel. Subscribe to her YouTube and Facebook for the latest rock painting tutorial. For more information about Annamoon Fine Art visit her website at www.annamoon.de, it’s in German, but Google Chrome can translate the website into English.
Thank you, Annett, for sharing your tips and advice for the novice rock painter. Your videos are truly inspiring. Stay tuned for more updates on Annamoon Fine Art and more inspirational interviews in the future. In the meantime, be sure to visit my Beginner’s Guide page to learn more about rock painting!