Category: painting techniques

How to start painting?

I’ve noticed that too much preparation can result in never getting started with anything. That is especially true when trying to know everything will prevent one from ever getting started, for instance, with painting.  That will cause insecurity and feeling of always missing something. Many people mention also fear, the fact that they are scared to draw on white paper or paint on blank canvas.

Children do it right

Children usually are very successful with new things. They don’t try to prepare for everything which might or might not happen. They also don’t try to collect all possible and imaginable tools and references in order to get started. That is an issue I have observed during my very long teaching career. It was the same when I was teaching German language and literature, English or Latvian, design, drawing and art.

Information flood can affect our readiness to get started

We are flooded with huge amounts of information. When we turn on TV, when we are scrolling through computer screen, and when we are checking out our phone, there is huge amount of information. This information can be related or totally unrelated, true or false, meaningless or crucial to whatever we are doing, and we are normally absorbing at least some of it. Should we? To some extent, we obviously should be aware of what’s going on and do research when we are exploring matters that are important for us, However, with so many sources and with such infinite amounts of advice, we most likely will feel rather lost.

We don’t ever know everything

This refers very directly to drawing, painting and any other creative activity. I know people who would not start drawing or painting because they assume they don’t know everything about it. They are trying to get ready for this activity by exploring techniques, mediums, tools, paint characteristics, types of brushes and features of colors and any other related matters. Many of them never get to any drawing or painting because they don’t feel they know enough and they don’t believe they have all necessary art supplies.

Choose smartly

There are millions of different techniques, styles and ways to create art. Since internet has controversial advice and sometimes even misleading suggestions, it is very hard to distinct between true help and silly recommendations. How is it possible to find out whether painting is what you want to do? It is extremely simple: just give it a try. Nobody knows everything about everything. We can follow hundreds of websites, we can watch thousands of “how to” videos and read endless articles or books about painting. There’s plenty of advice out there, and some of that is useful for us, but most of it will not help one starting out in art. Why not? We have to start doing things before we can decide if we like them or not. Only these, who dare to try, can hope to get something done.

Jumping on it without any fear

Other good thing about students who don’t have too much knowledge is that they have no fear. They are not afraid to damage paper or canvas, and they fearlessly apply courageous brushstrokes  or put down lines on paper. That results in a good or satisfactory first painting. They do not think it is some kind of superb masterpiece, but realistically evaluate it. Therefore, they can keep improving their abilities when doing the next painting. The knowledge comes through doing, and that is the only way to gain experience.

Experience is an excellent building block of mastery

This is how hands-on activities are contributing to fast development of any skill: you see it happening and you try it immediately. If something went wrong, try it again. Watching other people can give us an idea about how we should proceed, but until we haven’t tried it out for ourselves, we will never know how exactly it is done. We can learn all kinds of compositions and color theories, but when the paint dries out fast and when the brush is moving quickly, there’s no time to recall all of it.

Our personal color theory

The way we can create our own color theory is to mix colors, to use color swatches, to test multiple colors in a mix and to apply paint accordingly to how we feel about it. This might take some time until the brain remembers what hands were doing and how this was suiting our creative intentions. Eventually, we will have our own color and painting theory. That will become the base of your personal style.

Never stop at the first failure

The first steps are the most difficult. These, who are afraid to get wet, won’t ever learn swimming. It is interesting to compare the first art you ever created with the most recent drawings or paintings. There is always a progress. Improvement is visible immediately. Every piece of art we create allows seeing better where we want to go with our creations and what we eventually want to achieve.

Good luck and check out links for inspiration!

Art classes: Art classes

Flower paintings: FAA flower paintings