ACI’s First Saturday Community Call starts in about 15 minutes~ ✨ Bring whatever you’ve got today~ something you’re working on, a WIP you want another set of eyes on, a question you’ve been sitting with, something you want to brainstorm, or just yourself and something to drink~ ☕️ No need to have something polished, finished, or even particularly figured out. 😂 This is community time~ come as you are, bring what you have, and we’ll see where the conversation takes us~! See you in 15~! 🌱❤️

We've begun quietly working on something practical: moving our existing tutorials into video format. Some of the how-to lessons you already know from ACI have lived as static images for a while now. Soon, that same teaching starts moving into video~ step by step, in real time, easier to follow along with and easier to pause and rewind. Nothing about the lessons themselves is changing. Just the format~ closer to actually watching someone draw next to you, instead of piecing it together from a few still frames~ and less jumps from one point to another. Heads-up though: this won't happen all at once. Converting the full library takes real time, and we'd rather do it right than rush it out. We believe video is a better way to teach this, so it's worth the time it takes. More details soon~!

Tomorrow is launch day~! (Though if you’re reading this… you may notice it’s technically already live. 👀) Over the past few weeks, we’ve been working up studio renovations, photographing artwork, framing pieces, writing descriptions, and putting together a collection we’re really excited to finally share. This release includes new work from the Still Garden Collection, along with a few other pieces that have been quietly waiting for their moment~ If you’ve been following our summer updates, thank you~! You’ve watched this collection come together one brushstroke, one frame, and one late night at a time. ✨ The collection is now live on our website, and tomorrow we’ll be officially celebrating the launch across our social channels. If you happen to take an early peek, we’d love to know what piece speaks to you most. Thank you, as always, for being part of our community and supporting independent artists. It truly means the world to us~! 🎨 See you at the launch~!

The subject doesn't really matter~ An apple, a pear, an orange, a peach... they're all teaching the same lesson. When you simplify a painting into grayscale, you're training your eye to see what really creates form: • Light • Shadow • Midtones • Edges • Contrast And here's the best part... It doesn't matter what medium you work in. Pencil, charcoal, watercolor, gouache, acrylic, oil, colored pencil, markers, digital painting—the principles are the same. Every medium has its own techniques, but light behaves the same way no matter what you're holding in your hand. If you can understand values, you'll become a stronger artist in every medium you explore. So grab whatever fruit is in your kitchen~ or any simple object with a clear light source~ and give it a try. The apple is just the exercise. Learning to see is the real lesson. 🍎🍐🍊 What medium will you be using?

New faces and friends~! If you’ve recently joined us, welcome. We’re really glad you’re here! This community is a place for artists, makers, and creative thinkers who want to keep learning, keep experimenting, and keep growing their creative practice over time. Whether you work in drawing, painting, mixed media, writing, design, or something entirely your own~ there’s space for you here. Creativity isn’t something we rush. It’s something we develop~ through curiosity, practice, and sharing the journey with others. If you're new, we’d love to get to know you~! ✨ Introduce yourself below: • Where you're joining us from • What kind of creative work you enjoy or explore • What you're currently learning or working on Feel free to share photos of your work too~ we love seeing what everyone is creating. Welcome again~! We're excited you're here~! 🌱 ~Hansheng The Art Collective International