Art has enriched my life in many ways. Surprisingly, I learnt patience to do my art as it should be done.
Patience. Making art takes time and contrary to popular belief, it is not a one-step process. One of my students told me: ‘I want it done right away and I want it to look good right away.’ This does not happen 99.9% of the time. In painting, you need to layer colors, experiment with what color goes well with another, reposition shapes and even start over. Building your image slowly with many layers gives the subject more subtle variations in color and a more interesting look. It is well worth the time to layer colors just for the beauty of the nuances. Sculpture is much the same. You build slowly, making small adjustments to the shapes in order to have just the right angle or look.
It takes time to develop as an artist and patience is a very important trait for an artist to have. Who wants to wait for this to happen? It goes beyond that. We learn perseverance and fortitude with patience. Discipline in doing our work to helps move us in a positive direction. Concentration shows strength of mind. Patience enables us to develop, grow, and mature in our work as an artist. Without patience, none of this could happen. For more help, check out this blog: https://sandyaskeyadams.com/blog/57607/patience-a-most-esssential-tool-in-the-art-studio
At times it may seem like you are not improving with your work, like nothing is happening, but there really is something happening. You are making decisions. Taking little steps towards finishing brings greater rewards. Working through the process takes patience and time. Those who don’t want to bother with making that commitment to persevere through these difficult stages will not easily have productive results, if any. Check out my class on Udemy.com ‘A creative lifestyle’ for ideas. I include time saving ideas in the class.
Art can be learnt at any age. Unlike music, there is no statute of limitations related to your age. If you are ten or if you are ninety, it is never too late to start. Once you have started, you need not ever retire from making art. Sound like something you like?
Art making is also a great stress release. Like meditation, you focus on doing one thing (your art) and forget about the rest of the world. There is no room for worries or life problems. Often hours go by when I am making my art and I even forget about food. My husband will have to remind me that it’s supper time. Then, I just groan and wish he had learnt to cook.
Creating art is also good for the brain. Art is all about problem solving and this is very good to keep our synapses alive and growing. Recommendations from experts say that we should learn new skills to keep your neuron pathways alive and even growing. There is always something new to learn in art so this is another reason art is good for you.
Art need not be physically demanding. If you are not as mobile as you would like to be, there are types of art making that don’t need mobility. One of these is drawing or even some types of painting. Artwork does not need to be big. You can work small. Many small works put together can create a larger piece or show. Small works are often coveted by collectors who no longer have any room on their walls.
Art doesn’t have to be expensive, if you are on a tight budget. Pencils are very inexpensive and so is plain, ordinary paper. If you like painting, you don’t have to have every color in the book. Many successful painters, like watercolourist Tony Onely or Agnes Martin, use less than a half a dozen colours in their work. This is called a limited palette and it takes great skill to be able to paint what you see and distill it into a few shapes and colours.
I teach art to young and old. My oldest student was ninety-four. I helped her discover chalk pastels. A box of chalk pastels costing $12 and some paper brought her hours of entertainment and challenge. She continued using her pastels for two years, until her passing. Her friend said that the art brought her great joy.
Finding materials is not difficult anymore. You can get supplies at any office supply store or even a dollar store. Art supply stores offer more variety but if you want to start, go to your local store. Hours of enjoyment await you.
Mémère, was a great influence and it is not until now that I realize how she shaped my attitude in life. She was unfailingly optimistic and these are some of her suggestions. Keep in mind that when my grandmother moved to Alberta, she had to live in a tent for the winter. There were two adults and eight children in that tent. If you can survive that, you cannot help but be positives.
Smile a lot. Decide to think positively. Every time life places obstacles in your path, give life a big grin, accept the challenge and overcome it. Make the decision to be happy, stand by your decisions and do whatever is in your power to keep them. This is the true secret to happiness.
***As an artist, you will have plenty of obstacles. Often people find it easy to criticize people with a creative lifestyle. Instead of getting angry, just point out how much you love what you do. There is nothing else like it. Point out the positive parts of your choices. Skip over the negative parts. Turn their negative into a positive. This also teaches ‘them’ that there are real big positives to being and artist. They may even start envying you.
Look into people’s eyes when you talk to them. Ask them about their day, and how they feel. Care enough about people to look at them and listen to them. They will remember you and they will care back.
As an artist, you create a bond with people when you look them in the eye. They feel you are really listening to them. They will listen back and gradually become a friend or even a client.
Friends come and go. They help us become better people. Keep the good friends that help you and let go the friends that bring you down. Learn to tell which are the good friends and which are not.
As an artist, friends are important to share ideas with and help you out. You help each other to find opportunities. However, some people are not as good at sharing. Some will take your ideas and use them as their own. Those people are not your friends. Dump them now. If you cannot, create space between you and them. Don’t share with them.
Success comes with work. There is no secret to success. Wake up earlier than everyone else. Go to bed later. Work, work, work. That’s what it takes, and there is no shortcut.
As an artist, it is best to learn this early. Artists often have to work harder than most. Being an artist means being your own boss and running a business -your business. There is no way to get around a lot of work.
Looking back is not good for you. You need to look forward to the good things.Memories are beautiful and they define who we become, but forward is always the right direction. Keep your eyes towards the new good events coming your way.
As an artist, there will be lots of ups and downs in your ‘art business’. Focus on the positives. Focusing on the negatives will only lead you to abandon your artistic endeavors for a job you may not like. Trade a ‘happy’ job like art for a negative one? No way! Your positive attitude will be reflected in your work. Your attitude will show. Stay positive.
Bad days happen. Take a shower and go to bed. Whatever happened that day will pass and it will get better. Learn from the ‘issue’ and move on.
As an artist, you will have days where you wreck you painting because you go too far, make a bad cut in your sculpture or spill a bottle of ink on your 20 hour drawing. This is normal. Everyone has bad days. What is important is how you handle the problem. Like Mémère says, go to bed. Your brain will find a solution while you sleep. You were probably tired anyways. That is why the accident happened.
Creativity in everyday life -Tips from Grandma #2
Six more tips from my grandmother
6 More Tips That I Got From My Grandmother
Mémère, was a great influence and it is not until now that I realize how she shaped my attitude in life. She was unfailingly optimistic and these are some of her suggestions. Keep in mind that when my grandmother moved to Alberta, she had to live in a tent for the winter. There were two adults and eight children in that tent. If you can survive that, you cannot help but be positives.
1. Smile a lot. Decide to think positively. Every time life places obstacles in your path, give life a big grin, accept the challenge and overcome it. Make the decision to be happy, stand by your decisions and do whatever is in your power to keep them. This is the true secret to happiness.
As an artist, you will have plenty of obstacles. Often people find it easy to criticize people with a creative lifestyle. Instead of getting angry, just point out how much you love what you do. There is nothing else like it. Point out the positive parts of your choices. Skip over the negative parts. Turn their negative into a positive. This also teaches ‘them’ that there are real big positives to being and artist. They may even start envying you.
2. Look into people’s eyes when you talk to them. Ask them about their day, and how they feel. Care enough about people to look at them and listen to them. They will remember you and they will care back.
As an artist, you create a bond with people when you look them in the eye. They feel you are really listening to them. They will listen back and gradually become a friend or even a client.
3. Friends come and go. They help us become better people. Keep the good friends that help you and let go the friends that bring you down. Learn to tell which are the good friends and which are not.
As an artist, friends are important to share ideas with and help you out. You help each other to find opportunities. However, some people are not as good at sharing. Some will take your ideas and use them as their own. Those people are not your friends. Dump them now. If you cannot, create space between you and them. Don’t share with them.
4. Success comes with work. There is no secret to success. Wake up earlier than everyone else. Go to bed later. Work, work, work. That’s what it takes, and there is no shortcut.
As an artist, it is best to learn this early. Artists often have to work harder than most. Being an artist means being your own boss and running a business -your business. There is no way to get around a lot of work.
5. Looking back is not good for you. You need to look forward to the good things.Memories are beautiful and they define who we become, but forward is always the right direction. Keep your eyes towards the new good events coming your way.
As an artist, there will be lots of ups and downs in your ‘art business’. Focus on the positives. Focusing on the negatives will only lead you to abandon your artistic endeavors for a job you may not like. Trade a ‘happy’ job like art for a negative one? No way! Your positive attitude will be reflected in your work. Your attitude will show. Stay positive.
6. Bad days happen. Take a shower and go to bed. Whatever happened that day will pass and it will get better. Learn from the ‘issue’ and move on.
As an artist, you will have days where you wreck you painting because you go too far, make a bad cut in your sculpture or spill a bottle of ink on your 20 hour drawing. This is normal. Everyone has bad days. What is important is how you handle the problem. Like Mémère says, go to bed. Your brain will find a solution while you sleep. You were probably tired anyways. That is why the accident happened.
The Butterfly effect is a theory that originated with a scientist named Johann Gottlieb Fichtein The Vocation of Man (1800). He says “you could not remove a single grain of sand from its place without thereby … changing something throughout all parts of the immeasurable whole”(Wikepedia). The theory was examined by other scientists primarily in relation to the weather over the following years and into recent times.
Ray Bradbury explored the concept in his fiction book “A Sound of Thunder”, a 1952 short story about time travel.The whole concept was further investigated by E. N. Lorenz, who proposed a mathematical model for how tiny motions in the atmosphere scale up to effect larger systems.
People have loved this idea and have let their imaginations run wild. For example, can the flapping of the wings of a bird in Canada affect the weather in Texas? The theory became known as the Butterfly Effect. The butterfly has become more of a metaphor for small gestures affecting change. Will recycling at your own house affect the environment? Will walking more and using the car less affect the air quality over time?
Recent applications of this theory have been in relation to people and their behaviour. If you do a kindness to someone today, will it affect tomorrow? There is much debate about this whole theory and it has been relabelled as a ‘Pay it forward’ concept. Be nice now because it will affect your future.
Do you believe this theory? Opinions vary but I tend to agree with the Butterfly Effect. For example, imagine that you are stuck in traffic. You are in the right lane and this lane has to merge to the left because there is construction on the side of the road. You wait patiently for the car on the left to let you in. Not a single car lets you in for about ten minutes. How do you feel? Will you go home and tell this story with a twist on how people are so unkind? Your kids will hear this and pick it up. The world is unkind. Another scenario shows you waiting in line to merge but you only wait one minute or so. The driver that lets you in smiles and waves. How do you feel? You go home and tell this story. Your kids pick up the message that people are nice and helpful. Your world is looking better and so is theirs. These examples point out that small every day events lead affect not only you but everyone around you.
Imagine the effects happening to hundreds of people and changing attitudes. Am I exaggerating? Change does start with you. How can you apply this to your art practice?
According to Fichte, dynamics, even small ones can affect long term change. What long term change to you want? Do you want to earn more money? Do you want more painting time? Do you want your reputation as an art instructor to grow? Step 1 is for you to decide what you really want. Write down three items that you really want for your art practice.
Make four columns for each item. Column one is what you want to do. For example, do you want to have more shows for your work? Under column 2 is where you want to show. Column 3 is the date when they take proposals. Column 4 is when you get the application form and fill it out. Making columns like this leads you to take actions that will lead to you achieving your goal.
This is your Butterfly Effect. The small action of making a series of columns listing your goals is like the small butterfly wings making enough wind to eventually create a tornado down the line. Your small actions towards your goal will lead to you showing in the galleries that you want down the line. Belief in yourself is essential but more important than that is the willingness to take action. No matter how good you are as an artist, if you never pick up a brush or show your work to anyone, nothing will happen. You will never be known as an artist if you do not start with actions that lead to others knowing about you.
Action speaks louder than words. Are you willing to bat your wings like the butterfly? That is the question. If the answer is yes, you will achieve great results. But, it will take time. Persistence is also the key to success. Consistently flapping your wings will lead you to achieve your goals. Are you willing to try? I hope this helps you .
Creativity in everyday life — 7 Habits of highly effective artists
There are a lot of opinions on how some artists are better than others. The question is always; Why? I came upon this talk on how artists can become better by following seven specific habits. Andrew Price, the speaker, is a digital artist that discusses how these seven points helped his career.
The talk caught my attention because, as artists, we are always looking for information about other artists and how they create their work. Most artists work in isolation and this is a way of connecting to other artists. This article is a review of the talk:7 habits of highly effective artists : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vM39qhXle4g1.5 million views -Andrew Price, artist, digital
I agree. You cannot be an artist unless you create art. Showing up to your studio is a must. Wether your studio space is in the corner of the den or outside your house, you need to go there every day you can. Do the bare minimum and you will soon find that you stay a little longer to finish what you started and soon it is an hour or two later. The time has flown by and you didn’t even notice.
2. Volume not perfection- a lot of work leads to closing the gap ie Picasso 1800 paintings 1200 sculptures, 12,00 drawings an even more prints, rugs, tapestries, ceramics -learn most from first 90%. I have had instructors that said the same thing. Get out there and learn how to be fast. In the quantity, you will develop skills and refinement that will make you good. There is a note of caution there, however. You still need to work with some care and focus on what you are creating. You will only get better if you choose to get better with every work. Don’t just copy the last painting. Try to add something new and better with every painting but do it quickly.
3. Steal. He said that if you steal ideas from one artist then that is plagarism but if you steal from many artists, you are blending ideas and that is acceptable. Steal from many so people can’t tell. Price says: find your idols; and steal from them. He quotes Steve Jobs and Banksky as being master ‘stealers’. He said to read the book: Steal like an artist by Austin Kleon: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steal_Like_an_Artist. This is a great book. He highlights many of the issues artists face, uses a lot of humour and has good ideas too.
4. Conscious learning; this is learning with a purpose. When you sit down to work, don’t just idly work. Work with a goal of doing certain skills better. He says that Malcolm Gladwell’s theory in his book Outliers (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outliers) that it takes 10,000 hours to master a skill is not true- what you need to do is work with a purpose/consciously — learning as you practice, then you get better faster.
This is a lesson that I have learned too. When I work on a project, I eliminate as many distractions as I can. I shut off my cell phone; I work in a studio that has no internet; I even put up a sign on my door to say that I don’t want to be interrupted and I put on music that suits the project — usually music that I won’t sing along with or start following the beat. The trick is to find what works for you. I have a friend that puts on classical music while another puts on country music. This is music that relaxes them and allows the creative juices to flow.
5. Rest. Price insists that you need to stop work after a certain point on a project and do something different. You need to put it aside and go back to it later. Leave it alone for a while and you will feel detached so you can work on it objectively again.
This advice is particularly pertinent when you are stuck on a project. Some paintings paint themselves but many do not. When you cannot solve the problem of ‘what is wrong’, it is a good idea to put your work in spot where you won’t see it for a while. You will see it with fresh eyes when you look at it again and usually, the problem is easy to solve.
6. Get feedback. All good artists seek feedback, Price tells us. He quotes Pixar as saying that making sure artists get feedback is their secret success. Listening to criticism and acting on it is the key to success.
Most artists seek critiques. The key to giving criticism is to keep it short. Be careful of the words you use. Select only a few points that stand out. Verbalize these points in positive manner. Never start with a negative. When you are recieving criticism select two key points that stand out for you and note those down. You can put the ten other points on ‘stand-by’. Chances are that those two points will change your painting so much, it will be a totally different painting, leaving those extra suggestions null and void.
7. Create what you love because motivation is a big factor. Price quotes Brian Eno, a musician, as working only on music he wanted to hear and this was the secret to his success. Andrew Price, himself, found that he did girl figures because that is what he loved doing. Tried drawing men and did not like it so he did not do well. He says that when he worked on men, they were terrible.
We are all like this. We do what we love well because it comes easily. We notice more details, we are willing to spend more time on what we like and we treat our favourite topics with more love and care. I love landscape but treat it in a more abstract manner. When I have to work on more realistic topics, I have to really ‘make’ myself pay attention to the work. I feel like running away or doing my regular work.
Here is an article that supports this theory and adds more: 12 Habits of Highly Effective Artists, From Creative Exercise to Living in Airplane Mode by Rachel Corbett. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/artist-work-habits-1052036. She adds even more ideas that can help you. Basically, she says the same things as Price but adds that you have be able to work in all kinds of conditions and you should get used to it. Artists have to be resilient and work despite the conditions. You will never get the perfect environment or feel ‘perfect’ every morning so just get out there and do your art!
My Grandmother, whom we called ‘Mémère’, was a big influence on me but I did not realize it until later. Going to my grandmother’s was my ‘zen’ moment. She liked or loved me as I was and in the moment.. In hindsight, I was probably better behaved at her house than elsewhere because she allowed me to be the person I was. These are the things my grandmother taught me before she passed away…From her, I learned:
1. I am a person worthy of being listened to. She listened to everything I said. She never interrupted. She would smile and give me positive feedback on my questions. She always slanted life towards the positive. I learnt that the glass is always half-full.No matter where you are, or what you’re doing, always believe that there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. Do the best you can to control your circumstances. Learn to accept that you can’t always control everything. Once you’ve done all that is in your power, if it’s meant to happen — it will.
As an artist, I take the time to be like my grandmother and listen. Clients like it because they feel special. They listen back, most of the time. Just listening and adding positive comments changes people’s attitudes towards your creative practice. They see you as a nice person and therefore your creative practice is a positive.
2. Focus on one thing at a time. Invest energy into that activity. Don’t get distracted. You don’t have to do it all, and you don’t have to do it right now. Be present, be active, do the best that you can.
As an artist, this took me a long time to learn. I tended to work on painting and sculpture at the same time. A little bit here and a little bit there until it was done. As time went on, this became more and more difficult. I learned to do less and focus on what I was doing. This did not mean that I stopped doing sculpture. I did sculpture in blocks of time and painting in other blocks. I focussed on one media at a time.
3. Don’t change yourself to suit others. Be true to your own personality. Always say what you really think, even if it’s not the popular opinion. Be gentle when you say it. Don’t hurt people if you can help it.
As an artist, you will be asked to create artwork that is not in ‘your style’. Be careful with this temptation. You do not want to loose your reputation for your own style. I am not saying that you should not do these commissions but be careful that you do not get known as the artist who will paint in any style and then your clients will forget that you have a style.
4. Everybody changes. You travel, get a new job, learn new information and therefore change. Every day we learn something new which changes us in some way or another. Sometimes we realize we’re not who we used to be, but that’s perfectly normal.
As an artist, your style will change. Your style will evolve at the same time that you experience new things. This is also normal. Rarely do artists keep with the same style. Some gallery owners will ask that you stick to a style. You can stick to a style and still change. You can incorporate new elements into your existing style. For example, add a new color or a bit of collage to your paintings.
5. Being happy is important. Don’t accept a job just because it will pay you big bucks. Make sure you like this job. In this way, when you’ve reached old age, you’ll understand that the best things in life are things that money can’t buy — love and friendship. Take the time to be nice.
As an artist, you need to balance your creative side with your personal life. Relationships are important so try not to work marathon type hours too often. Don’t forget your family. Learning to balance home and career is one of the hardest parts of having your own business as an artist.
6. There are happy moments in life but not ‘happy forever after’ endings. You will always have challenges to surmount. Never be afraid to leave everything and start anew, no matter how old you are.
As an artist, you will get great commissions or sales that make great happy moments. These will come and go. If ever, your work is not making you happy, don’t be afraid to change. If making sculpture in plaster is no longer selling or you are no longer inspired by it, change to something else. If you are not inspired, it will show in your work. The work will begin to stop selling. Change now while you can.
Creativity in everyday life — 5 Tips for Better Abstract Paintings
Abtract painting is hard. People are often surprised how hard it is to create a great abstract painting. You can maximize your chances of creating great paintings by following your these steps;
1. Plan and plan so more. Decide what materials you will use, what size the final product will be and what style you will use. Abstract painters, I find, love to work on large canvases. I am one of those artists and because the canvas can cost several hundred dollars to actually buy the canvas and supplies to create this work, planning is essential to endure success and to make the whole experience affordable.
The next step is deciding what style you will use. Will you pour paint? Will you work using pointillism? Will you use only a big 6 inch (15 cm) brush? Will the work be detailed or have large areas of bold colours that are brushed on?
Will you use acrylics? Oils? Collage? Decide on your materials. Buy what you need to buy for the project. For the moment, put it all in the corner and get to your desk to plan the next step.
2. Choose your colours before you start. Your main goal should be to limit the amount of colours you use. Simplicity is best. Ten colours in a painting, all competing with each other, can be overwhelming to the viewer. Three main colours with small amounts of other colours is easier on the viewer.
4. Do a practice run on paper. This is where you decide where the colours go. Is the red for the background? Is gold an accent?
One important detail is that your practice paper should be the same shape as the final canvas. There is no sense in practicing on a different shape. When you work on a paper of the same shape, you can work out proportions of where the lines or colours go.
5. Chances are that you will want to make some changes to your practice run. Re-evaluate your practice run. Feel free to do more than one practice run. Work out the basic shapes until you are happy. When you are happy with the basic shapes, you are ready to work bigger.
A great way to ‘sketch’ the basic shapes in on your larger canvas is to use a watercolour pencil. A blue or a yellow are nice and pale. You can block in where the shapes go, paint then take a wet cloth and wipe the pencil line away. This is a wonderfully easy way to ensure that you have a guide when you start painting.
Creativity in everyday life — Artist and Studio CEO
When you start in artist business, you have no one to guide you and decide what you will do every day. Some artists end up unable to get themselves going. What you need to do is to think like a boss. Be your own CEO.
First thing in the morning, put on your ‘boss’ hat and decide what your workers (you -the artist; you -the social media expert; you -the marketing agent and you -the framer) will do. Make a list and give each of your workers a job to do for the day or the week.
Often what I do is take out my journal on Monday morning and sort out what needs to be done that week. Some artists insist that this should be done on Sunday night so that you get a head start on your week but personally, Sunday is a day off for me. There are times you need to rest so that you get those good ideas when you do get working and Sunday is my day.
Being a boss means making a plan for your business. There are all kinds of advice columns that you can search out. There are even free guides on the internet but my personal favorite is to just take out my journal, open it up to two blank pages and write down absolutely everything that I think I would like to do that year (or six months, if you prefer). I write down everything that comes to my mind. I also write down what I no longer want to do. This takes a while. I write until my brain can’t any more, go make art, write some more, make art and write some more. If need be, I give myself two days. Then, I put the journal away for a week.
The next week, I open up my journal and sort out what I wrote down. Sometimes, I am surprized what I did jot down. I take all the information and make lists. There is an art production list, a social media list, a list for applying to shows, a list for marketing, a list for activities that I want to eliminate or downsize and a list for whatever topic came up.
Some years there are new topics. Last year, I decided that I wanted to create an installation. I had a separate list for that one. Then, I break down each list into what I will do first, second and last. Prioritising is important. You cannot do it all at once. For the first month, I take all the number ones and they become my list of the month. Even that is overwhelming sometimes so I break down all the #1s into smaller steps that I can take.
All the items that are first on your list are the most important to you so don’t set a time limit on them. Chances are that you will be doing these activities a little bit all year long. Just because you start them on month #1 doesn’t mean you have to finish them before month #2. I find that the important items tend to be longer commitments. For example, one of mine was to blog more regularly. This is an activity that I have to do all year long.
I also find that the last items on my list rarely get done. They are the ‘nice’ ideas or ‘should do’ ideas that you really don’t want to do or you are not ready to do. For example, two years ago, my goal to create an installation was at the bottom of my list. I didn’t work on it but I thought about it a lot. I wanted a good idea, not just a ‘get it done even if it is not good idea’, so it stayed on the back burner. By the next year, I was ready. The same thing will happen to you.
Be your own CEO and get yourself organized. Start now. You can start planning now and don’t wait for the ‘right’ moment.
Creativity in everyday life — 3 Things that you didn’t know about abstract art
Creating abstract work is more difficult than you think. Abstract work is emotional, intellectual and conceptual. These are elements that touch our basic, primal emotions. Here are some basic points about abstract work to think about:
1. Abstract art can be about emotions. With abstract art, you are trying to create an impact. You want people to notice your work and react to it. This means touching their feelings. In contemporary work, the goal is not always to make a pleasing painting; it is about creating a reaction. This reaction can be positive or negative. If someone reacts and says ‘That makes me feel frustrated’ or ‘That makes me feel happy’ or ‘That makes me feel like…’, you have achieved your goal. You want people to react and comment. You want them to feel the emotion that you put into that painting.
You can create that painting by expressing your inner feelings or you can totally plan that feeling. When you make certain kinds of marks on a canvas like bold black calligraphic strokes, that provokes a kind of feeling that is different from marks made with soft pastel colours. Think about what you want to express. Do you want a relaxing feeling or an edgy one?
2. Abstract art can be about color and how colours react when near each other. There are artists that have spent their lives working on this theme. If you look at the work of Jack Bush and …., you will see that their work is about color. When one sits next to another color, a certain vibration is created. Try it. Put yellow next to purple then put yellow next to orange. You get a whole different feeling with each of these.
The impressionists were the first to experiment with color. Monet, placed dabs of color next to each other on his painting and expected the eye to do the blending. If you look at his water and garden series, you will see how he did this. Rather than put down a green, he would put down a yellow and a blue next to each other. The eye would read it as a green. Since his works a large and meant to be seen from far, this works really well.
3. Abstract art can be about the materials. Some artists like texture. Some artists like the way paint drips, blends and semi-covers other paint. The whole experience is about what the materials will do. Elements of composition are important too but what happens when thick paint goes over thin or vice versa is what is really interesting to some artists.
One artist to look at is Willem de Kooning. He was a Dutch abstract expressionist artist. He was born in Rotterdam, in the Netherlands. He moved to the United States in 1926, and became an American citizen in 1962. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willem_de_Kooning He loved the paint and the way he could layer different colours, cause it to drip and layer some more.
20 tips or tricks that can make you a better artist
Being a good artist is not just talent or luck. There are a lot of to do if you want to become a better artist. Here are just a few points to consider.
1. Choose a topic you love. You will produce good work only if you love what you do. So produce good work.
2.Work on your topic as often as you can. If you can only work on your art 15 minutes a day, do it. Set the timer and go!
3.Have a special spot where you can work on your art. Creating work is easier if you don’t have to set up and clean up every time. Find a spot you can leave your work so that when you are free, you can work on it right away.
4.Buy your supplies on sale and in bulk to save money. This way when you are working, you will not be as stressed at the cost of the art supplies. Most art supply stores have annual sales where they have supplies at a greatly reduced rate. Find out when that is at your local shop.
5.Find art friends or other artists to share your work with. Start creating a network of artists where you can help each other.
6.Attend art galleries. You can see new work and meet people who love art just like you do.
7.Set time aside to do work where you just play. This can be experimenting with new materials that you will add to your repertoire or this can be experimenting with style techniques that you may add to your own work.
8.Buy the best materials you can afford. Good materials really help. Like any other professional, good tools help you create work more easily.
9.If you are a beginner, stick to one style until you have mastered all the skills needed to create that work. If you decide this is not your style, change. But, master your skills first.
10.Studies show that 10,000 hours is needed to master a skill. Be willing to put in the hours.
11.When you are working, focus only on what you are doing. Concentrate. This will shorten the time needed to learn a skill.
12.Limit the amount of colors that you use. A limited palette will lead to more success for you.
13.Get yourself into ‘Google my business’ There are a surprisingly large amount of people that will find you and your website this way.
14. Get a website. This is your visual business card. People will look at your work here and then come to your art shows.
15.Invite as many people to your art shows as you can. Statistics say that only 10% of invitees actually come.
16. Don’t have too many shows in a year. People are more likely to come if it is an annual event as opposed to 4–5 times a year.
17.Apply to group shows. They bring in different people (ones that have never seen your work) that will end up seeing your artwork and possibly purchasing it.
18.Learn to use social media. That is the way of the times and most people use social media now for advertising and marketing.
19.Plan your art projects before you actually start creating. Plan a whole series of works. This will lead to you creating a series of works that give your audience a lot to look at.
20. Enjoy the process. Creating has to be fun for us to continue doing it.
