My Name Is Kevin, and I Like to Draw
“Draw, Antonio, draw, and do not waste time.” – Michelangelo to his apprentice, Tony
Hello, Newsletter Family
(may I call you that now 🥹?),
How is everyone doing? I hope you’re all staying warm and safe. Can you believe that this is what it looked like in the Deep South just a week ago? ⤵️
Why I’m Renaming the Newsletter
You may have noticed the title change—this newsletter is now simply Kevin Scott Davis. Why? Fame and celebrity. 👉🤭👈
Kidding. I just want this space to be direct and personal. While A Beautiful World had meaning for me, I realized I don’t need to overly decorate the doormat, so to speak.
That said, the phrase comes from a moment in T. H. White’s, The Once and Future King:
“They made me see that the world was beautiful if you were beautiful, and that you couldn’t get unless you gave. And you had to give without wanting to get.” – Lancelot Dulac
This line has stuck with me, especially as I reflect on what it means to be an artist concerned with beauty and truth.
There was a time I didn’t find the world beautiful. But if I’ve learned anything in my 44 years, it’s that the world reflects what’s inside you.
My story is my own, however. I’m no Lancelot. So from here on out, look for Kevin Scott Davis (artist and Lancelot fan) in your inbox. I’ll do my best to give without expecting to get.
Let’s talk about art.
Recalibrating Intentions: Circling Back to Drawing
I’ve decided to make drawing my primary artistic focus in 2025. If you read my last newsletter, you might be thinking: Didn’t you just commit to oil painting?
Yeah. And now I’m eating my words. Here’s why:
For the past couple of years, I had oil painting in mind as the next logical step. My drawings—heavily influenced by an academic approach—had become increasingly labor-intensive and time-consuming. As a professional, this would be fine (and is even to be expected!), but as a self-taught artist not selling work I began to question the return on investment. I thought perhaps alla prima painting would offer a solution, giving me a way to work faster, introduce more options, and loosen up. I was also looking forward to how color might open up possibilities for atmosphere and emotion.
Now, after 20 or so paintings, I have to say that something has finally clicked, and it’s not what I was expecting. I realized I wasn’t just battling the early struggle phase of a new skill, pushing through to find the reward—I simply wasn’t enjoying painting the way I enjoy drawing. Not yet, at least.
I may return to oil painting when I feel better equipped (studio space is a factor), but for now, letting it go has freed me to take my drawing further—which makes sense, because never felt I left the early learning stages, and may even have felt interrupted. Sometimes the beginner’s mind is the right mindset, but other times, its helpful to know when the path you’re already on is the right one, and just in need of a little adjustment. 🐢
Current Studies + Early Digital Work
Letting go of painting has forced me to look at other doors available to me as a drawing-focused artist. It made me ask: What do I really want out of this?
More and more lately, I want the ability to say something with my art, not just copy what’s in front of me. The last thing I want is to feel I am owed a pat on the back for completing something based on its level of difficulty.
I’m realizing that what excites me currently is the potential to create stories and scenes. This requires an understanding of forms in three dimensions and the ability to turn those forms in space. It is an approach embraced by many illustrators and animators, cartoonists, and comic books artists, due to their need to draw from imagination. To help with this transition, I’ve started by taking Karl Gnass’ figure drawing class through New Masters Academy (NMA). His approach to gesture and movement has been a breath of fresh air, especially after a number of years using slow, comparative measurements in my portraits.
But what about color? Well, this shift is naturally leading me to experiment with digital tools again. I’m not saying I’m becoming a digital artist (who knows where things are headed?), but using digital tools for color, refinement, and flexibility feels like it could be an exciting extension of my drawing. It also ties, in a way, to my current UX design job search—which, while more structured, overlaps with digital illustration in interesting ways. I once flirted with illustration, anyway, before I got turned on to traditional art in 2021:
Leaning into Strengths, Finding the Fun Again
Rather than chasing perfect drawings, I’m focusing on mileage and fluidity—drawing more, experimenting more, embracing a construction-based approach rather than obsessing over finish. And I’ve found something unexpected:
I’m having fun again.
This shift has breathed new life into my path as an artist—one who draws, explores, and builds, rather than just translates. I’ll be back to the academic stuff eventually. There’s a depth to it that really resonates with me as a fine artist. But I want to spend some time this year getting a broader lay of the land. Currently, it feels like switching from classical music to improvisational jazz.
Looking Ahead
I feel we’ve arrived at the first moment in the history of this ‘lil newsletter where I’m finally freed to up to start showing, not telling. I’ve let you guys know some of my personal thoughts as I’ve been processing some beginning of the year goals and answering some questions in my own heart. Now I’m ready to lace up my boots and go.
I hope to spend a lot more time sharing drawings in 2025, as I continue my commitment to draw every day (minus Sabbaths 🙏).
I’d also love to hear from you about what you find interesting, or maybe what you’d like to hear more about. Drawing or art tips? Deeper looks at my creative process? Writing about creativity and all things meaningful? Just the art, man? Shoot me an email or leave me a comment here. Or just say hello. I love that.
Have a wonderful weekend. Thank you for reading. 🤓 – Kevin
Where I’m Sharing My Work
Aside from this newsletter, you can also find my work here:
📌 Instagram –
www.instagram.com/kevin.scott.davis (for sketches and works-in-progress)
📌 Website/Portfolio –
https://www.kevinscottdavis.net/ (currently UX Design focused)
📌 My Music –
https://glowwormmusic.com/ (Glowworm)
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