One of the commonest reasons I hear for non painting is a lack of time. Indeed, painting is a hobby that can eat your time if you let it, whereas serious painters have it sussed.
It is important to have an area, even if it is a bag or case with your painting gear organised, so it is simply a question of getting going. If you have to scurry around getting your paints from here your paper from there your resource material from somewhere else, well yes, the physical act of painting is already fourth on the priority list... as you search for brushes get your mediums organised the task itself has slipped down the slope of non starting into oblivion. It's already lunch time and you haven't done a thing!
The above painting took me less than half an hour. It was a warm up sketch to get a feel for beady eyes, beaks and feathers as I prepped for an oil of parrot. It is a watercolour. It is far from perfect and as a sketch, I wouldn't expect it to be. It is however, a completed painting, which on the day I painted it was my habitual paint for that day.
As artists, we need to develop a habit of painting. A good way to begin is to keep in every room a sketch pad and pencil, so that in an inspired moment you can immediately begin to fashion your mark of the day. Who knows? Your spontaneous sketch could lead to you painting an award winner! Don't stop at the habitual sketch, certainly every day do something, but some days you can do more and perhaps after your warm up work on a bigger project.
Keep your paints handy, in a wrap or biscuit tin, have an 'ever ready' kit that you can use immediately. I have a cute little box in which I have a small A5 Watercolour block, a box of watercolours, 2 eggcups for water and a plastic screw top bottle for my water, and ONE brush! Yes, just the one! This is my grab and throw it in the car box should I fancy sitting on the beach or in the country and just painting for half an hour. I also have grab and go pastels, grab and go acrylics. I don't grab and go oils because of the mediums I also need to have onboard, what I will do is an acrylic sketch that I will use as a base for an oil when I return home, unless I am going for a full day painting experience in which case the oil kit is within my box easel ready to go.
Artists often suffer from intensity block. This is when an artist becomes quite intense about their hobby and mistakenly thinks they can't possible create a credible painting because they haven't got the right gear. No amount of 'gear' is going to make you a better painter. Ever. Excellent brushes will help you get good results, and some equipment can make things simpler perhaps, in the same way a bread maker will simplify bread making, but if the key ingredients are wrong, their is little hope of producing a fantastic loaf of bread! The only thing that can ever possible help is practice. And more practice. And then some more. Paint or sketch every day. DO. just pick up a brush and paint anything. The pot on the stove. Your morning cup of tea. The rose in the garden. Give yourself a time limit, say an hour max. Get into the habit of painting quickly and you are more likely to paint more frequently, simply because it is less of a faff.
Keep your daily paint pics in a separate folder or book to your other work. You can look through this from time to time and see how your are improving. You may notice you always find say, water challenging. So then have a week where you paint nothing but water in your daily paint. Use the habit of daily warm ups to serve you and your development as a painter! I would love to hear from you and how your daily paint is helping you! Please leave a comment or email me at khalo@khalo.org.
Wishing you a wonderful weekend overflowing with treasured moments.
J U S T P A I N T !
xxx As always, written and offered in the spirit of love xxx
It is important to have an area, even if it is a bag or case with your painting gear organised, so it is simply a question of getting going. If you have to scurry around getting your paints from here your paper from there your resource material from somewhere else, well yes, the physical act of painting is already fourth on the priority list... as you search for brushes get your mediums organised the task itself has slipped down the slope of non starting into oblivion. It's already lunch time and you haven't done a thing!
The above painting took me less than half an hour. It was a warm up sketch to get a feel for beady eyes, beaks and feathers as I prepped for an oil of parrot. It is a watercolour. It is far from perfect and as a sketch, I wouldn't expect it to be. It is however, a completed painting, which on the day I painted it was my habitual paint for that day.
As artists, we need to develop a habit of painting. A good way to begin is to keep in every room a sketch pad and pencil, so that in an inspired moment you can immediately begin to fashion your mark of the day. Who knows? Your spontaneous sketch could lead to you painting an award winner! Don't stop at the habitual sketch, certainly every day do something, but some days you can do more and perhaps after your warm up work on a bigger project.
Keep your paints handy, in a wrap or biscuit tin, have an 'ever ready' kit that you can use immediately. I have a cute little box in which I have a small A5 Watercolour block, a box of watercolours, 2 eggcups for water and a plastic screw top bottle for my water, and ONE brush! Yes, just the one! This is my grab and throw it in the car box should I fancy sitting on the beach or in the country and just painting for half an hour. I also have grab and go pastels, grab and go acrylics. I don't grab and go oils because of the mediums I also need to have onboard, what I will do is an acrylic sketch that I will use as a base for an oil when I return home, unless I am going for a full day painting experience in which case the oil kit is within my box easel ready to go.
Artists often suffer from intensity block. This is when an artist becomes quite intense about their hobby and mistakenly thinks they can't possible create a credible painting because they haven't got the right gear. No amount of 'gear' is going to make you a better painter. Ever. Excellent brushes will help you get good results, and some equipment can make things simpler perhaps, in the same way a bread maker will simplify bread making, but if the key ingredients are wrong, their is little hope of producing a fantastic loaf of bread! The only thing that can ever possible help is practice. And more practice. And then some more. Paint or sketch every day. DO. just pick up a brush and paint anything. The pot on the stove. Your morning cup of tea. The rose in the garden. Give yourself a time limit, say an hour max. Get into the habit of painting quickly and you are more likely to paint more frequently, simply because it is less of a faff.
Keep your daily paint pics in a separate folder or book to your other work. You can look through this from time to time and see how your are improving. You may notice you always find say, water challenging. So then have a week where you paint nothing but water in your daily paint. Use the habit of daily warm ups to serve you and your development as a painter! I would love to hear from you and how your daily paint is helping you! Please leave a comment or email me at khalo@khalo.org.
Wishing you a wonderful weekend overflowing with treasured moments.
J U S T P A I N T !
xxx As always, written and offered in the spirit of love xxx
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