Well, the school year’s beginning and parents around the globe are breathing a collective sigh of relief.
As much as you love your little darlings, it’s great to have them safely off for the day so you can get back to your routine and the things you haven’t had time for.
If your art has sat on the back burner for the past three months while keeping the kids occupied and out of trouble, it’s time to give yourself a little refresher course.
Pick Your Problem Area
Give me flowers or buildings and I’m comfortable and confident. However, when it comes to things like eyes, lips and noses, I’m sorely lacking.
If realistic trees have you stumped, or if your buildings somehow always lean into the wind, spend some time with those things that give you the most trouble and work to get inside these vexing problem areas.
Google Is Your Artistic Friend
I’ve been doing some internet searches and have found a ton of examples and instructions for drawing and painting facial features. I’ve printed out my favorites or collected the web pages in a folder. I’m using them to build my proficiency in the fine art of portraiture.
So many artists out there have taken the time to write blogs with detailed illustrations or recorded videos to post on places like YouTube. Whether or not they are recognizable names, plenty of ‘unknown’ artists are offering free help to those of us who can use a little instruction or inspiration.
If you don’t like the first artist’s style or instruction, just keep looking. You’re sure to find someone whose methods and approach match your vision.
It’s Not A Waste – It’s The Cost Of Learning
Right now, I’m working with watercolor, so paper and paint are relatively inexpensive. In addition, I’m using the backside of reject paintings that I’ve deemed un-recoverable. I also have inexpensive, 90-pound watercolor paper pads that I’ve had for years. I won’t run out of paper for a long, long time. For drawing, I’ve loads of sketch paper I bought at great sale prices over the years, so drawing paper is no issue either.
If you’re working in oil or acrylics, you don’t need to waste precious and expensive canvases. You can buy pads of canvas paper that’s inexpensive and perfect for practice or student work.
If sketch paper isn’t in your budget, you can purchase a roll of white craft paper very inexpensively. It ranges in width from 12 inches and up to 36 inches, and in lengths from 10 yards to 1000 feet.
As I’ve been painting for years, I’ve acquired a large assortment of paints of all kinds. I have both student and professional grade watercolors, so I’m using the student grade for the bulk of my practice work.
Unless you’re trying to master color blending for your problem area, go ahead and use whatever colors you want. You can work on color selection as your skill becomes more refined. For myself, I’m using fun paint colors for blue noses and green lips and then go on to repeat them using flesh tone combinations as I get a little better. Alternatively, you can always go with a grisaille method and add color later on as glazing.
Ease Yourself Back Into The Swing Of Things
For me, this has been a great way to get back into painting. After several months of inactivity, my brain cells, as well as my skills, are a bit rusty. This is a good way for me to start painting again without the added pressure of worrying about composition, color theory, mood or message. I can just paint and be. I’m not doing these to be seen or critiqued at this point, so there’s no anxiety or stress.
This is a chance to have fun and just enjoy the exercise of observation and the act of putting paint to paper. I’ll worry about creating my next masterpiece later.
