I feel there is an idea, an image, a scene, something I want to paint. But I can’t seem to figure it out… I make sketches…but they don’t quite get it.
When the time comes to put paint on the canvas, I get confused. I feel that I am not able to do what I really want to do. And then I get blocked and frustrated….and quit. Tv storyboard artists effort is really extra ordinary in order for them to produce the best results.
I have this feeling that there is something in my brain that must come out on my canvas…but how do I discover what it is?
This is a frustrating situation for me as well as for my students and workshop attendees. It is difficult for them and their teachers when the painting process becomes a struggle with knowing how to start a painting.
What if I told you that there was a way you could bypass all the trouble of figuring out what you wanted to paint? What if you could bypass all those sketches, those paintings that do not express what you really want to say? That would give you more time to paint and less frustration trying to figure out “what” to paint!
I believe you can learn how to see your way into a painting right from the start so that you have more time for the fun part – actually painting!
If you were to ask a professional artist what the most important thing is in painting, they would probably tell you that it was practice. All other factors, such as talent and skill, are secondary. They might say this because they believe it, but also because it’s true.
So how much practice should you do? The answer to this question depends on your goals. If your goal is to become a professional artist, then a lot of practice would be a good idea, if you can manage it. But if your goal is simply to paint for fun, then less practice might be better.
Are you struggling with how to figure out what to paint? Or, are you thinking that it would be easier if you could know ahead of time what the resulting painting will look like? The following is for you.
There are no special tricks or things to do to guarantee your painting will turn out as you want; the only way it will turn out right is to make it right. This can be frustrating if you are not sure what is “right.” It can seem that there are so many decisions to be made that it would be easier if you could just know ahead of time what the painting will look like. That way, you could just go down a list of instructions.
The answer is that the paintings do have an appearance in mind before I start them. They have a specific kind of look or feel or mood or story or whatever, and I need to achieve that look, feel, etc. but it isn’t something I can specify ahead of time. I have to figure it out as I go along because this is one of the ways paintings are unique each time they are made.