If you’ve ever daydreamed of what it’s like to be an artist, there is probably a studio with a wall of windows, several easels with projects in various forms of completion, a comfortable seating area to ponder the great questions of art, and you diligently poring over your next heroic masterpiece.
However, the real world doesn’t quite work that way.
Your studio may be the kitchen table, which will be cleared away before suppertime arrives. Your heroic masterpiece may be delayed as you build a frame, stretch and prime your next canvas. The paintings stacked in the corner won’t be on view any time soon, as you just haven’t gotten around to varnishing them, matting them or framing them.
Daily Reality
When you’re in the moment, being a painter can be one of the most satisfying feelings a person can experience. You’re creating a little piece of your soul for the world to see. It’s a gratifying, uplifting and rewarding event that every artist cherishes.
Unfortunately, every moment isn’t quite that satisfying. There are always the daily chores with which every artist must contend. These tasks may not be mind-numbing drudgery, but they are certainly not those one conjures when contemplating the life of an artist. Here are a few of the less-glamorous responsibilities you’ll encounter as you move along your artistic life
Cleaning Brushes
This little chore is easier for some, but imperative for all. If you’re a watercolorist, a quick swish in fresh water is enough to have you ready for your next painting session. For acrylic painters, water and perhaps a little soap and rubbing between your fingertips will leave your brushes clean and residue free.
Oil painters get the short stick when it comes to brush cleaning duty. First, you clean the brush with mineral spirits, turpentine or paint thinner. Then they should be washed with soap and water and dried before starting a new painting session.
Cleaning Palettes
Acrylic painters have it the worst for this chore. Acrylic paint dries quickly, and the resulting mess is a solid mass of rubbery or hard plastic that adheres firmly to almost any surface. Watercolor paint rinses away easily, and oil painters can just scrape away unwanted paint.
An easy way to avoid this problem for oil and acrylic is a palette pad of waxed paper. When you’re done with a session, simply tear off the paint-filled sheet and toss in the garbage.
Transferring A Composition To The Support
If you always work directly on your canvas or paper, you don’t contend with this problem, but many times an artist works out his or her composition on sketch paper. Then, the resulting drawing must be transferred in scale to the support. Preparing a grid for both the sketch and support and then drawing the composition is tedious. If you’re sketching full-size, you’ll then need to trace your composition with tracing paper. You can also mount your support on the wall and use a projector to show the image. Then you can trace your sketch in detail.
Stretching, Matting And Framing
These types of labor-intensive tasks require specialized skills, as well as some specific tools. Purchasing ready-made canvases and using the services of a framing shop can be very costly; so many starving artists prefer to do it themselves.
If you’ve mastered the skills of stretching canvases, cutting mats and building frames, you know these are time-consuming jobs. If you’re still bound and determined to take these chores on, try to create them in batches. Decide on a few standard sizes you’ll use regularly, and make up a bunch of mats, frames and canvases. If you stick with traditional, unobtrusive colors for your mats and conservative, moderate frames, you’ll have a ready supply when it comes time to get a piece ready to show or sell.
Setting Up A Temporary Work Area
If you don’t have a room to devote to your painting, the drudgery of setting everything up and then the necessity of putting it all away can be rather daunting. You may tend not to bother if you can’t devote a good chunk of time to your craft, knowing you’ll just need to stow it all away in a short while.
If you really, really can’t devote a space to your artwork, then rethink your medium or the size on which you typically work. Keep your supplies minimal and petite. Maybe you’d be better off working with pastels or colored pencils for a while. Alternatively, perhaps watercolor paint with a plein air all-in-one easel and paint box may more appropriate for your confined space.
Every job has fun parts as well as grunt work. Unfortunately, most artists don’t have the luxury of minions to handle the day-to-day chores. Try to keep your drudgery to a minimum and your creativity at its maximum. Work smarter, not harder and spend your time being creative whenever and wherever you can.
