There will be times on your journey through art where you’ll feel like you’ve hit a plateau. When this happens, it can sometimes seem like you’ve hit a limit on your capabilities, and you might start questioning whether this is as good as you’ll ever be. You can see what you want to do, but try as you might, you can’t get it done.
Firstly, don’t panic. Frustrating as it is, this is something that happens to everyone, even the greats. The truth is that if you stick to it, you will get better. Often, all you need is a new approach, something that will foster your creative thinking and problem-solving. Here we’ll look over some ways for you to do just that and improve your painting skills.
1. Try a New Tool or Medium
Whether it means trying a new brush type or using a palette knife for the first time, trying a different tool can result in new and unique ways of applying paint. Furthermore, there’s also something liberating about trying something fresh that can inspire new ideas and working methods.
Working with a new medium can have much the same effect. For example, if you’re used to working with acrylic, try oil painting for a change. Not only will you learn more about the new method, but you’ll get a feel for how the different materials and oils work and gain a greater understanding of your own chosen medium.
2. Study the Experts
You can practice all day, but you’ll need to put in some study time if you want to learn anything. Thankfully its never been easier to find resources about painting techniques.
Join workshops, read art books, magazines, and biographies, watch how-to videos, explore art movements, and trace the classics. But, most of all, look at artworks you like. Like, really look. What brushstrokes did the artist use? What color combinations? How do they make use of light and dark? Note where your eyes go; how did the artist lead you?
Unsurprisingly, visiting art galleries is a must. Not only might you learn a few things, but you’ll likely find inspiration there too.
3. Nurture Your Creativity
Film director Jim Jarmusch once advised people to “Steal from anywhere that resonates with inspiration or fuels your imagination,” adding that “If you do this, your work (and theft) will be authentic.” Despite how it may sound, Jim was not advocating for plagiarism. Instead, he’s talking about how, when we surround ourselves with things that inspire us, we feed the “muse” and thus our creativity.
We’ve already discussed art galleries, but if you want to be a great artist, you should look for inspiration everywhere. Take a walk in nature, read great works of literature, visit museums, listen to great music, and fill your home with aesthetically pleasing things. Do this, and chances are, you’ll never be uninspired again.
4. Don’t Skip Out on Planning
The great masters of art did not simply step up to a blank canvas and let raw talent or divine intervention take its course. Instead, many spent hours extensively and often meticulously planning their compositions.
Colour and brushwork studies, preliminary sketches, and breaking down objects into simplified forms can all help you better prepare for your undertaking. Furthermore, before you start any painting, ask yourself what elements of the work might prove difficult. Figuring out your answers before you start will increase your chances of success.
5. Teach What You Know
You’ve probably heard before that teaching is a brilliant method for learning. Well, there are, in fact, many studies that back this idea up.
Pass on methods and techniques whenever the opportunity arises and share critiques (in a friendly and consensual manner) with your peers. Not only will you reaffirm what you know, but the process will likely help motivate your work too.
6. Identify Your Weaknesses
You can’t improve on your weaknesses if you don’t know what they are. But unfortunately, identifying them can sometimes be trickier than you may think. That’s why having a tutor can be a great help. Even if you can’t afford a tutor, asking advice from a fellow painter can help if you’re open to critique.
Once you’ve identified your weakness, it’s simply a matter of using whatever resources you have at hand to work on it, whether that means watching youtube videos, taking classes, reading articles online, or studying theory.
7. Do at Least a Little Every Day
Yes, practice makes perfect. But it’s not always about how much practice, but how often you practice.
Painting for eight hours straight won’t do much good if you don’t pick up a paintbrush for another two weeks. Expecting results this way is like a musician learning a scale in one sitting or an athlete completing their marathon training in one day. On the other hand, if you commit yourself to just 10 minutes every day, you should soon see a drastic change.
Final Thoughts
As with anything worth doing, learning to paint well isn’t easy, but that’s part of what makes it so rewarding. Ultimately, staying committed to your art, even when progress feels slow, is the best thing you can do if you want to improve. Practice every day, stay humble to critique, and try new approaches whenever you get stuck in a rut, and success will follow in due time.