Thanks Bill for your kind words. I’m so glad you enjoyed the article. It really was an honor to have the opportunity to spotlight all of the incredible artists on this list. So many of them have helped me out along the way creatively in ways they probably don’t even realize. This article was my small way of giving them something back. . .

It was certainly my pleasure Lynn! Although I just realized that I put you and Trevor next to one another to battle it out for the Scotland art empire domination ;)

Now that I look at it again, I am amazed how many different countries are represented on this list. I think this really speaks to the incredible diversity and international reach of the Twitter arts community.

Well it’s about time I made you cry Shell!

You are more than welcome and you’re right that this is an incredibly talented group of artists and friends. I sometimes feel bad coming up with these lists because I know that I’ll be forced to leave off so many other deserving souls. You truly are an amazing artist and an extraordinary friend that I hope to have the pleasure of knowing long after 2011 is over. Enjoy it!

Thank you so much Annick. Making women cry does seem to be a specialty of mine ;)

I’m the one who has been fortunate enough to get to know all of these incredible artists including yourself over the past year. Even though Skinny Artist is still less than a year old, I have been truly blessed by meeting so many amazing people like yourself in the Twitter arts community. Nous sommes reconnus par les amis nous gardons!

Hi Nichole

The ArtPlatform concept looks interesting. We’ll have to look into it. Thanks for stopping by!

Thanks Rachel for the kind words and it’s always fun to find great new artists to follow on Twitter. You obviously can’t go wrong with any of the awesome artists on this list (yourself included!)

You’re right, Patti does rock! I’m just hoping that she’s not too offended that I called her a creative kindred spirit of mine ;)

You’re more than welcome Russ (awesome avatar by the way). My family really loved the New England region when we lived there and I think your work really brings that home for me. It’s apparent that you have a very deep connection with that area and it’s people, which is something that is revealed in every brushstroke. I couldn’t think of a higher compliment to bestow on any artist.

It’s always great to see you here DB :)

I don’t think most people realize how many incredible artists are out there until some idiot like myself comes along and foolishly tries to whittle them down to a manageable number. Last year when the 2010 list first came out, we were just getting started here and I had been lucky enough to have met you and so many of the other artists on that particular list. Back then, I never could have imagined how much this community would grow or how many fantastic new artists I would have the pleasure of meeting along the way. Enjoy the warm fuzzies!

One of the best things about having a site like this is in having the opportunity to do something like this every once in awhile. There is often so much isolation that comes with creating our art, that sometimes we just need a reason to celebrate our little community and with any luck possibly inspire someone along the way.

Keep on painting your life’s adventure Pete. Just remember to pack lots of paint, lots of coffee, and maybe a paintbrush or two. . .

You are more than welcome Jessica!

It’s always a pleasure for me to see talented writers like yourself who have worked so hard at their craft get recognized (and published!). I think you’re story will become an inspiration to countless other poets and writers who read it. The irony here, of course, is that most of these people you’ll probably never meet or have any idea how much your words have meant to them.

One of the things that no one ever tells you when you start putting your work online is that for every person who leaves a comment or interacts with you, there are hundreds if not thousands more who may silently read your words or admire your artwork. You may not always know they are out there, but if you just keep going, you might someday end up on a very short list of amazing artists on a website with a very silly name ;)

The honor is all mine Sarah. I was truly impressed by your determination and hustle to raise the tuition money you needed for your time in France. You really put yourself out there and the arts community responded as I knew they would. So congratulations again!

It is said that inspiration often comes from the most unexpected places. As I mentioned in Jessica’s reply above, you never really know who you are going to affect with your words or actions, especially online. But when you have given as much as you have to the arts community, there’s little doubt that instant karma’s gonna get you back eventually (thank you Mr. Lennon).

I hope you have an absolutely wonderful experience in France and feel free to stop by anytime to give us an update. Je vous souhaite bonne chance dans votre voyage!

I know that it’s probably a bit childish, but one of the reasons that I never let any of the artists know in advance that they’re on the list is that I don’t want them to lose that unexpected joy of discovery. I don’t want them to lose that feeling that comes from discovering they are being recognized for something completely out of the blue.

As you well know, none of the artists on this list ever asked to be on it, and I doubt the majority of them ever expected it — which is exactly why I do it!

My goal here has always been to recognize extraordinary artists like yourself who show up every day to create their art and find ways to support their fellow artists. They don’t do it in order to get on some list, they do it because that’s just the kind of awesome people they are. As I mentioned in your own write-up, one of the things that I really admired about you is how you don’t sit there and worry about the final result, you just follow the path in front of you and have faith in the process.

Call it karma. Call it reaping what you sow. Call it whatever you want. I truly believe that when you do the right thing and you treat other people the right way, sooner or later, it’s going to come back to you. Not because you “earned” it and not because you expect it, but simply because that’s the way the world works. Now if I can somehow be some small part in that process of recognizing your awesomeness, then that’s what I’m going to do :)

It was my pleasure Hannah!

As you know, it’s not always easy to find writers who actually write. It’s even more rare to find a prolific talented writer who just happens to be an incredibly nice person as well. Now if you are lucky enough to find someone who is all of those things and a fellow Buckeye, well then you really have no other choice then to stand up and cheer!

Thank you so much Julia for being a part of this artist celebration :D

Even though you’re beautiful painting does make my writing appear that much more dull and lifeless, I am truly honored that you have allowed us to use your artwork for this special occasion. On behalf of all the members of the Skinny Nation, we thank you!

Thanks a lot Sarah for saying nice things about me, now I’m not going to be able to get my big ego-inflated head through the doorway and I’m going to have to sleep here in the den. Of course now I don’t feel quite as bad for making your face hurt from smiling too much ;)

It was certainly my pleasure to include you on this list. I know that I beat this whole “artist personality” thing into the ground sometimes, but it really is so important to put yourself out there and let the world see the personality behind the art. Of course it helps tremendously if you have a wonderful personality like yourself, but the rest of us have to work with what we’ve got. . .

First of all, I’m glad to hear that you have sufficiently recovered from your earlier feather incident!

To answer today’s Sprout question: I am over-the-top with creative joy today for having had the unique opportunity to recognize this incredible group of artists. I am grateful that we have a place online where I can publish this list knowing that thousands of people will be able to see it and join in on this celebration of the creative spirit.

Skinny Artist is only as strong as the community that supports it. After watching all of you come together and celebrate all of the different artists on this list, I have to say that I’ve never been prouder of what this community has become.

Thank you!

Thank you so much Annika for your kind words :)

Anytime that I can give an incredible artist like you some well-deserved recognition and perhaps an extra shot of motivation to continue doing what you do, I consider it time well spent.

We are all here to inspire and support others with our work. Sometimes we are the creators of the work and sometimes we are the supporters. As a former teacher myself, I’ve learned firsthand how helping others reach their own true potential is it’s own reward. It’s all give and take, yin and yang, and all that good stuff. Sometimes you are the giver and sometimes you are the one on the receiving end of that gift. Enjoy it and pass it on.

Luo taidetta, luo elämää!

Thanks Mary for taking a moment to share your thoughts with us. Terrill really is a fantastic person and someone who exemplifies everything a true artist and friend should be.

By the way, I really enjoyed reading your Notes Along the Way blog. Thanks for the new discovery and I’ll be stopping by again soon!

You’re absolutely right Jerry, this really is a terrific group of artists (and I certainly include you in that group as well) who have inspired me with their work as well as their thoughtful conversation. As one of the unofficial deans of the #draw365 club, you have introduced me to so many of these amazing artists along the way by retweeting their latest works and always being an incredible supporter of the Twitter arts community. So thank you for your support and inspiration!

First of all, let me say Sandra that you really have some amazing work on your site and your “Into the Fire” series is extraordinary!

Also thank you for the additional arty tweeps suggestions (below). I’m already a rabid fan and follower of Mimu, Sandilee, and of course Anero– but I did not know Matthew until now, so thank you! As you can imagine, with so many incredibly talented artists out there (including yourself), it’s extremely difficult to narrow down a list like this to a manageable number. Thanks again for the suggestions and I just became a fan of your Facebook page as well. Keep creating Sandra and always live your art!

Thank you so much Rebecca for your kind words :)

It means the world to me to have friends like you who have supported this community from almost the beginning. This site has become the inspiring place that it is because of amazing artists like yourself who are always willing to support the work of other artists and join in on the conversation. You are what Skinny Artist is all about — artists helping other artists. So thank you!

Unfortunately “Skinny” is more a state of mind these days for me than a reality ;)

You’re absolutely right when you say that Twitter (and Facebook) has developed this extraordinary international arts community. It’s pretty amazing that we can now instantly connect with artists, writers, and photographers from around the world. On this list alone, there are artists from at least nine different countries around the world. We tend to forget that making these kind of connections even as little as five years ago would have been incredibly difficult if not impossible. Twitter didn’t exist and Facebook was still strictly the domain of college kids.

Congratulations again David, and thank you for bringing so many of us here together for the first time. I wish you all the best!

That’s a very good questions Iain, and the answer is that basically “10 Artists to Watch” seemed way too arbitrary and countdown-like while “50 Artists to Watch” would have probably ended up being little more than a list of avatars and links. So in the end, I settled on “21 Artists” which seemed large enough to include a broad selection of different online artists/writers/photographers while still being a small enough list to give everyone a personalized write up. I hope that answers your question. . . Thanks again for stopping by Iain.