Idleness makes hours pass slowly and years swiftly. Activity makes the hours short and the years long.
/Cesare Pavese “This business Of Living”, 1938/
Accomplishments as measuring unit
Time flies: are we going to stand by and watch it disappear? I’m using accomplishment to mark the days, months, years. Most of us have some daily duties, jobs, schedules, routine, obligations and problems. Fewer of us have big achievements, satisfaction, passion, happiness and things that make this life a pleasurable experience.
One of my youngest art students with her creation
Be passionate
I have noticed people who are passionate about something are simply better off. They are better off in many ways, not only because they don’t know what boredom or wasted time is, but they have something more than just routine, duties and obligations. Time really flies, and there are so many reasons to interact with life. My accomplishments don’t have to be always important things, but “accomplished” things. Watching TV, for instance is wasted time. Watering plants is an “accomplished” thing. Calling mom is an “accomplished” thing. Painting or sketching is an “accomplished” thing for sure.
Giving art class as accomplishment
I am happy that my art classes allow other people achieving something good, as well. That can be even to make a dream come true. I am obviously happy that spots for the fall art classes are already taken in spring. I hope we will be able to arrange an exhibition of my students and my demo artworks either in October or December.
Everybody loved following steps on spring orchard painting.
Rich in inspiration
Not all art which I am putting on this blog is finished works, but it is easy to understand: we all are unique and our creative ways are distinctive. The passion for art and creation is a common feature of all my students. The inspiration is so vibrant in this studio that it is simply impossible not to paint, draw, sketch or create.
The blossoming road, acrylic painting done during art classes as a demo.
We are recently hearing about the creativity crisis. How come? Why do we even need to be creative? Everybody who cares about personal development would most likely agree that it is very important to develop our creative side and work on it. Creative activities help easing different mental conditions. Being creative makes life happier by raising serotonin levels and significantly improves our internal balance. Balance is the key to everything: good health, well-being, success and prosperity.
Creative children are more successful
Long-term and wide research shows that creative children are more likely to succeed in any subject and cope with any situation easier. They will feel more confident and less lost if something unexpected happens than kids, who are lacking creativity. Creative activities can make one’s life more interesting, fuller, more exiting and less stressful.
Letting creativity in
I was reading recently how becoming creative was described as getting into some state of mind and intentionally trying to make that happen. I am very sure it won’t happen that way. Becoming smart, interesting, enthusiastic and creative is not following five easy steps. Becoming creative takes work, efforts, numerous experiments and perseverance.
You have to simply try
Creativity is not that somebody will pour over you, and nobody can actually teach you how exactly to be creative. There are so many definitions, approaches, tests and scores to detect whether you are or are not a creative person. Creativity has to originate from the inside of an individual. It is possible to get advice, technical and practical guidance, but the process is up to you.
Attractive trait of character
Creativity is a very attractive feature, similar to being interesting, imaginative and innovative. Such talent empowers any person. We all desire to be noticed, to be loved and appreciated. By doing something creative, we are opening the doors for love, appreciation, new friendships.
Most people want to be creative
Whenever the talk touches creativity, nobody has told so far they did not want to be creative. I am most often receiving completely contrary messages. People complain their life is boring, dull, it is lacking any interesting or magic aspect. They would love to become somehow involved with creative things. So what’s stopping them?
What is stopping you?
Many people give up quickly anything which does not happen right away. Some give up activity they just started because the results did not show after the first attempt. Some are feeling sorry to spend any money on what they think is simply a pastime. Creativity crisis is associated with other issues, unfortunately.
Spending on creativity
Spending some money on creative activities is inevitable. The least costly thing is probably writing poetry or stories. So, yes, you will have to spend some money on your fabrics or papers, for sewing machine or brushes, for gardening or crafting tools. That is definitely less than one spends on fast foods, useless drinks or antidepressant pills.
Benefits of being creative
Depending on your creative activity, there are also real benefits. We spend much less money for things we have created than bought. The creative mind works like this: I have something, perhaps I’d need a few other materials and I probably could make something great out of it, or I could recycle or upcycle something. The consumerist’s mind works this way: where do I get it and how much it costs?
Inspiration
Where to get inspiration or idea what is the creative area you would like? There are hundreds of options: all craft and art shows, local meetings of writers and photographers, amateur song and dance festivals, amateur theater performances, garden shows, musical gatherings like open mikes, galleries, art and craft stores and departments, fabric stores and more. Besides, there are always people at these events and places who will give good advice on where to start.
Is creativity forgotten?
Surveys and research tell us that creativity is dramatically decreasing, and something needs to be done to reintroduce more creative activities in our families, schools and society. We might have too many opportunities to get everything served on a tray. However, things you create reflect you and suit you the best. Become artistic and creative crisis won’t be an issue.
Never too late
It is never too late to engage in creative things. Local people who are interested in art could join also my art classes and attend the creative workshops. I am not surprised that some of my students love these art classes so much that they return year after year. They would miss anything else, but not the weekly art class. It is obviously doing something good for them!
My experience
My experience after teaching at high schools, colleges, individually, and in groups allows concluding the following. The idea of becoming creative most often is present in the family and it is passed over from generation to generation. Kids, who pick up arts, crafts, sewing, writing, dancing, playing an instrument in early childhood, will most likely continue with creative activities. Teens, who love creative lifestyle and who paint, write, dance, sing, play, have less depression, anxiety and upset moods. They don’t engage in drugs, alcohol and troubles.
Adults need creativity, too
The same goes for adults. People, who are involved in creative activities, are much less complaining about loneliness, depression, feeling lost, seeing no meaning or purpose in life than those, who at the best go to the bar or sit in front of TV. People, who make creativity their best companion, are healthier and more satisfied with their life.
I’m usually advising my students: if you ever would like to learn drawing free-hand and manually, do not use photos, grids and other tools, but only your eyes in addition to paper and pencil. That gives us huge artistic freedom and allows not to depend on camera, printer, computer and photo editing software. That also saves a lot of time. It is more difficult for some people to draw and paint from a real subject initially, but it is like everything else: once you’ve understood how it’s done, the improvement is continuous.
Creating without devices
I grew up and learned painting without any cameras and photos. There was no internet, there were no computers. I suppose, that’s why the number of artists was noticeably smaller, too. In order to paint or draw something, you simply had to use your visual abilities and imagination. I am disagreeing with those who are trying to convince us that everybody was using some kind of camera obscura in the past in order to capture accurate details, proportions and perspective. It’s believed, that mostly amateur artists were using it since they did not have the knowledge and capability of producing good drawings. I know, everybody has heard about Canaletto whose drawings were created that way. Well, there were others, too. Some people can draw and capture everything flawlessly. I am one of them.
Why you can’t draw yet
I find that most people are unable to draw not because they have problems handling pencil and creating the image, but because they don’t know what to look for when they would like to recreate the subject on a paper or canvas. That takes practice and work, that’s all. I love doing drawings or sketches just for the sake of pleasure. It’s so great to see something evolving on a sheet of blank paper. Nothing really compares to this fantastic feeling! That always excites me, and I can spend hours drawing alone while other people are watching TV, for instance. As a kid, I was drawing my garden, street views, buildings and similar simple things. I used to draw portraits of my sister, other kids and later my daughter and my group-mates at the University.
Painting and sketching the easy way
Paintings are sometimes very labor-consuming, especially the large and very large ones. It is simply a lot of work. It can be hard physical work, as well, when handling huge canvas. Sketching with pencil, watercolor and pen is a quick way of capturing the desired view or subject. I do not draw anything tiny because I am trying not to use glasses. Glasses, just like camera can distort the image, and I wouldn’t like that to happen. These sketches were created while travelling, and sizes are between 10 x 12 to 12 x 16 in (25 x 30 and 30 x 41 cm). They were done in about 2 hours.
Advantages of using pen with watercolor
There are many advantages of sketching with pencil, watercolor and pen. First of all, sketching allows to stay focused. It’s like a daily exercise which keeps us in good shape. Our senses stay sharp and fresh, and it’s easier to get back to larger artwork after a break. It is also a great tool to overcome artistic blocks. Just start sketching without worrying about results. We allow our creativity to unfold and follow our imagination and inspiration.
Sketching is the quick way of capturing reality
Sketching does not take much time, it is very relaxing. Many artists and people, who are doing art for pleasure, know that. Lack of time is an ongoing problem. Not everybody is willing to sacrifice their free time only to drawing and painting, but they should. Doing painting and sketching regularly is already an achievement and it will certainly result in better skills. Sketching is very suitable to experience a new subject or style. There are millions of different ways of sketching, and that means: there is something for everybody.
Become a master in drawing
Finally, sketching is crucial for those, who want to master free-hand drawing from live subjects, or to capture a plein-air view. We can learn writing by reading a lot; we can learn many things by just watching how others do them, but drawing is a skill which we can learn only by doing it. The more we draw, the more we sketch, the more artistic and skillful we become. We might get a new approach this way. We also might find a completely new style which works for us. I have always something on my studio desks: flowers, cups, jugs, brushes, paint tubes and similar items. Jars and cups are my favorite still life subjects. I have a large collection of them. I’m already looking forward to spring impatiently because that’s when the true sketching starts. Nature wakes up and takes us outdoors.
Framed sketch: why not?
It is also possible to frame sketches and use them as beautiful art for decorating your space. Sketches can make great illustrations and they sometimes serve as a standalone artwork.
Happy sketching! Please share your experiences with different media and subjects if you have time.
Have you tried painting watercolor with sponge? I decided that adding some new technique wouldn’t disturb. Let’s give it a try.
This time it was application of watercolor using a sea grass sponge. It worked well with acrylic (I will post these pictures separately), it seemed it could work nicely with watercolor, as well.
I could see after the first attempts that it is advisable to test colors first. There are lots of brands, many types of paints, it’s hard to know whether the chosen colors will or won’t mix well. It is important not to overdo right at the beginning. Sponging takes one away easily, and in no time we can lose focus and forget where exactly we intended to place any particular color.
I did not plan these paintings. They are very spontaneous, and I just got straight to sponging. I would advise anybody who is trying this technique to plan a small bit ahead. Sponge allows to create beautiful watercolor backgrounds, like distant trees or forests, it is amazing how quickly some spots get textures, and it is a fantastic way of layering watercolor. Simply don’t forget to test your paint colors.
It seemed that Hooker’s green light and dark in combination with French ultramarine, Cobalt blue, Payne’s grey, Lemon yellow and Burnt sienna or Burnt umber worked better than Sap green in any combination unless I mixed only 2 or 3 colors in all layers.
Seagrass sponges are inexpensive and available at any art store, that’s at least where I got them. Every sponge is slightly different, so will be textures created using these sponges. I cut my sponge in smaller parts, and used every time that part which seemed to be the most fitting. Sponge has to be made wet at first, and we should squeeze out all excess water before picking up the paint with it.
Sponge works on wet paper well (wet in wet application), and we can create nice distant backgrounds this way. It creates thicker layers and attractive irregular shapes when applied on dry paper. It is possible to create the entire painting this way, and it looks especially great when we combine different techniques.
Generally speaking, application of a sponge helps loosen up, and sponge is a good tool to vary paint application techniques.
Forest creek, I used sponge for background.
Layering quite a few colors with sponge is interesting: we never know how it will look at the end! Using just a few colors is beneficial with sponge painting. If you test them before and see that mix well without causing muddy look, just go ahead.
Spring forest: watercolor painting using sponge, it is quite large, 18 x 24 inches
I did these paintings during private painting classes sitting next to my student. That allowed me seeing immediately what they did correctly and what needed extra adjustment. These paintings are perfect for any beginner in watercolor painting. There is hardly any need for drawing, just some areas need that. Painting with sponge in watercolor will make it simple for any beginner and help loosen up.
And finally, large watercolor painting Spring forest: watercolor painting using sponge, 18 x 24 inches or 46 x 61 cm.
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Winter ends in the art studio around half January. That’s just how impatient we are: once Christmas is over, we’ve got to start preparing for Valentine’s Day, Easter and, most importantly, for spring. We use this time period to define our painting styles.
While winter may seem to be long, boring and unpleasant to many people, we are using the best part of it. The picturesque beauty of snow-covered fields makes a good scene for painting, especially when contrasted with frozen or silently running dark streams to which the majestic attraction of trees under the snow is added.
Our vision and perception of any subject are absolutely unique. There are no two persons who can see one thing in exactly the same way. That’s how nature has taken care of our individual features. That’s also how one image becomes a reflection of many personal interpretations and allows to create many distinctive paintings.
Winter creek, acrylic painting, it’s sold. I painted it as a demo for class
Painting as a process is a very individual activity regardless of how much of experience or knowledge we are implementing in this process. The art we are creating from scratch will always carry our own features, as well.
From psychological point of view, it is possible to associate certain types of lines, composition, application of paint, colors, amount of detail or lack of it with particular human features. I find this fantastic because that’s one more way how our uniqueness manifests.
Winter creek paintings by my students
The emerging painting style is like handwriting: once we have perfected it, it’s completely ours. Does it make sense to repeat somebody else’s writing? Probably not, not even in these cases when you are told your writing is hard to read. The most beautiful hand-writings are actually all complicated and hard to read.
