Painting is like breathing to me | Artist Insights - Gris | Jacksons Art

Gris is a Berlin-based artist, musician, and teacher. In the latest of our Artist Insights series, he shares how being part of the Berlin graffiti scene informed his urban sketching practice, tips for making the most of your painting materials, and how he makes a positive out of mistakes in his drawing.

0:00 "Painting is like breathing to me because I don't think about it"
0:20 Introduction
0:33 "I realised I wanted to be an artist when I was a kid, but I did not plan it"
1:10 "If I talk about my education, I have to talk about graffiti"
1:35 "There was a small time when I wanted to be an artist, but I wasn't brave enough. I wanted to be an art teacher"
2:13 "I learnt the most while riding on the train to the university"
2:56 "I'm trying to find good motives in lame motives, and I want to give them more life"
3:59 "I love using watercolour because you cannot plan it 100%"
5:00 "These are the colours that I have to have in my box otherwise, I would get nervous"
5:55 "Schmincke - it's like a marriage, and I'm proud that I married the right colour company"
7:37 "If I sketch it rawly and fast, when it's working, I'm done"
8:34 "I want crisp lines"
8:54 "A sketcher can do anything he or she wants"
9:36 "A small box, a small sketchbook, a waterbrush, and that's it"
10:04 "A lot of good stories began because of being approached or disturbed while sketching"
11:36 "Graffiti is part of the hip-hop culture, and the music I make is a part of the hip-hop culture, so it's stuck together"
12:56 "A typical working day is a typical day for me"
14:18 "It is a very, very good job, and I love it, but if you teach painting for 6 hours a day, you won't get in the studio and paint in the evening"
15:32 "Get cotton paper if you want to have the magic of watercolour"
17:29 "If you have a good brush with natural hair and you care about it, it will last longer than you"
18:46 "Do the minimum of work, until it works"
19:50 Credits

Shop Schmincke and Gris' art materials on our website: https://www.jacksonsart.com/blog/2025/04/22/artist-insights-gris/?utm_campaign=artist_insights_gris&utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=organicsocial&utm_content=youtube_social_organic_video_to_blog

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