Author: Mitchell Bagnas

Five Steps for Discovering What New Skills Can Bring to Your Art When we talk about developing as an artist, the conversation usually centers on drawing and painting. We work to improve our ability to control value, mix color, handle edges, understand materials, and compose an image. These are, of course, essential skills for our pursuits. But artistic growth can become limited when we define it only by drawing and painting skills. Some of the most important things I have learned as an artist came from developing completely different skills. Photography was one of the first. When I began using…

When I first came to ÀNI Art Academies, I simply wanted to learn how to draw and paint. I had no idea how much of my life would eventually grow around the studio. Over the years, the studio became more than a place I went to work. I met people who became close friends, worked alongside artists from very different backgrounds, and built relationships that continued long after our time working beside one another. When I think about community now, I think about those people. Some of my earliest memories at ÀNI include working alongside Dan Christian, who is now…

What a 24 × 36″ drawing taught me about patience, persistence, and the art of staying the course. Every artist eventually reaches a point where they must decide whether they’re ready to commit, not just to making a drawing, but to living with it for months, or sometimes, even years. For me, that moment came when I began Mourning Swan, a 24″ × 36″ drawing executed in charcoal and white pastel. It ultimately took nearly a year and a half to complete. Within the Waichulis drawing program, this was no small undertaking. It was by far the largest and most…

A Journey of Teaching, Learning, and Cultural Connection A First in More Ways Than One This summer, I spent three weeks in the Dominican Republic helping teach students at ÀNI Art Academies. While the opportunity itself was exciting, the trip also marked several important firsts for me: my first work-related trip and my first time traveling alone. Without the comfort of familiar faces, I had to rely on myself in ways I never had before. From navigating airports to adapting to a new environment, I discovered that I was more capable and independent than I had realized. What began as…

People often ask how long it takes to get good at drawing or painting, and honestly, I don’t think most people are prepared for the real answer. It takes years. Not weeks. Not months. Years of focused repetition, frustration, observation, failure, adjustment, and persistence. Competence in art doesn’t arrive suddenly after finishing a sketchbook or watching a few tutorials online. It’s a slow restructuring of how you perceive the world and how effectively you can respond to it with your hands. When I first started taking art seriously, one of the biggest challenges wasn’t just learning how to draw or…

When I first transitioned from drawing to painting, I wasn’t expecting it to feel as difficult as it did. I had spent years building confidence in drawing, working with charcoal, getting comfortable with value, control, and observation. There was a point where I felt like I understood what I was doing. My marks felt intentional. I could trust my process. Then I started painting… and it felt like all of that disappeared. Suddenly, things that once felt simple became frustrating. My marks felt clumsy. My control wasn’t there. Even when I knew what I was supposed to do, I couldn’t…