In December, I met with Taryn of LoveSum, and I committed to making jiu jitsu painting progress for this website, LocoJitsu. The goal was to build this website, get it ready to sell prints, and create artwork to sell on it.  I really love Brazilian jiu jitsu and judo, and that is why I want to sell artwork around it, so that I can make a living following two of my favorite passions: art and jiu jitsu!

Judo throw, fits under the jiu jitsu umbrella. The new painting style that developed from the process that evolved from the jiu jitsu artwork process I’m using for this first group of paintings.

How is the Jiu Jitsu Painting Progress Going?

I am very pleased with the progress of the website and the artwork! I was able to work out a very satisfactory process for making artwork, paintings, drawings, and vectors for print, as well. It is important that the art-making process is reproducible, efficient, as well as appealing. I will also be able to do custom artwork for clients who want a painting of themselves of a friend/family-member/colleague doing jiu jitsu, which I think will be a very appealing service! Since doing the prototype paintings and posting them on my Instagram account, I have been getting lots of interest, proposals for purchase, and I will be able to trade art to jiu jitsu friends to model for my upcoming work, which is great for my currently very limited budget. I hope that in the future, I will be able to pay people to model for me if that is what they would prefer, but I think people also really want the personal artwork, which makes me very proud and humble at the same time.

The reason this website itself is a special achievement for me

Half of the reason for this online art-shop project is because I started doing web design because I needed a web portfolio after college, and had to build it myself. I learned how to build a website, but I didn’t learn the importance of having a voice, direction, or mission for the website. Why do people care about a website or the content of that website? Before this, it was because people knew me personally, but that isn’t enough, or the purpose of a website. Everyone who was being directed to that website knew me already, and cared about that artwork because it was mine. That isn’t enough for me, I want people to come see the artwork not knowing me and to like it for what it is, and a well-built, well-designed website with relevant content to the people visiting it is the key.

Therefore, I have built this website to feature artwork that I make, around a topic that I am passionate about, jiu jitsu. I want to reach, impress, and move people who have the same passion that I do. That is what this website is really all about. I can make a ton of jiu jitsu artwork and not tell anyone about it, but if this is going to be a sustainable enterprise, where this artwork grows and progresses, it must be a financially viable enterprise, treated professionally, and promoted to a the world jiu jitsu community.

Judo throws and Brazilian jiu jitsu, fit under the jiu jitsu umbrella. These new paintings are precursors to the style that developed from the process that evolved from the jiu jitsu artwork that the first group of paintings will be painted with.