Welcome aboard future artists! Now that you have entered this colourful, imaginative and creative world you must be very happy, excited but confused at the same time. What painting medium to choose? Should I stick to only one style? How to begin? Do I need to take classes? Would I be a great artist? And whatnot! When we take on something new, we feel all the emotions, altogether. If you are feeling something like this, keep reading!
Let’s begin with a quote by Kurt Vonnegut to give this guide a kick-start- "To practice any art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow. So do it." Now that you have embraced your creative side, you have begun to paint, just keep going and doing. Don’t criticize or judge your work, just let it flow. Draw whatever your mind thinks of, follow wherever your imagination takes you. Don’t confine yourself, let your creativity run wild! On that note here are a few tips that will make your journey more happening:
· Explore every medium
Remember the more you explore, the more you realise what you like to do most. Don’t rush to decide anything without trying everything. Try oils, acrylics and watercolours and once you have tried them all, find out which you enjoyed most, which made you feel creative and at ease. Also, don’t be influenced by the popularity of any medium. Be rational in your choice. Now that you have selected your medium, practice it, enjoy it, and make your niche! But also don’t forget to experiment and try other mediums once in a while ;)
· Practice the 7 elements
There is no art without elements! You'll be able to express your feelings and thoughts more easily if you are familiar with the elements! The seven most common elements include line, shape, texture, form, space, colour and value. These are the core of a painting. In order to create art, you must utilize at least some of them. Furthermore, by understanding these elements, we can easily communicate our thoughts and ideas into the painting. Work on building a strong connection with the elements!
· Stock up art supplies
Creating your own space for art is as important as setting up your own home. You never know when creativity would strike you, so you gotta be prepared for everything. What you would need majorly depends upon the medium you choose but here are the basic items an artist must have:
a. Colours (Obviously)
Buy colours based on the medium of your choice but also stock up other colours too, remember you need to try every medium once in a while!
b. Canvas
The world might be a canvas, but you really need a canvas of your own to transform your thoughts into painting. Canvas is available in various shapes and sizes, go what you like more!
c. Palette
For the mixing of colours, making your own colour of choice, you will need a palette. Again, there are different palettes available in the market, go what you like!
d. Easel
Just like you, your canvas also need someone to lean on! And for your canvas, that is an easel. Not only an easel helps in holding your artwork but also facilitates painting easily from different angles.
e. Brushes
Available in various shapes, sizes and materials, paintbrushes are very important and choosing the right one for different purposes is more important. For example, a thinner brush is used for nice details.
f. Artist Apron
An apron not only saves your clothes from getting coloured but also helps in keeping the brushes handy.
g. Brush Holder
Nobody likes missing brushes! Get a brush holder to keep your brushes and art space organised.
· Enjoy
This is the most important part of the painting. You must enjoy the process, every bit of it, even the flaws! Aim for perfection but don’t force yourself to be perfect all the time. Get inspired by others, don’t compare yourself or your art to other artists and their work. Follow a style but don’t hesitate in developing one of your own. Remember you are one of a kind, unique in your own way!
