How to Have Fun With Art

here is my setup…it’s not very clean or organized, but it’s mine! All the art on the wall is Allison’s work! Go follow softpeachart on Instagram to see more of her stuff!

Hello everyone! My love for art goes way back; after all, both my parents have artistic talent, and my sister is literally a professional artist. Out of all of us, I’d say I have the least amount of talent when it comes to the visual arts. That doesn’t mean I don’t love creating art myself! In fact, I’ve noticed that during the warmer months, I paint more. During the cooler months is when writing comes easy to me.

So, as the summer comes to an end, I find myself looking back on the art I’ve created these past months and thinking to myself: What was different about this painting bug? How did I improve my artistic ability, and how can I share that knowledge with other casual artists like myself? Today, I want to share what I’ve learned throughout the past several months and how that can inspire you to create your own art!

Don’t Overthink

Some of my art! Featuring my slipper lol

One thing I’m really terrible at is simplifying an idea down to the basics. I’ll have a picture in my head that I want to translate onto the canvas, but when it comes time to actually paint, I end up getting frustrated with how many moving parts are truly in my vision.

Boiling things down to simple shapes and layers is something I’ve been teaching myself this summer. For example, I wanted to paint a forest and sky from the perspective of someone laying down and looking up. The first thing I painted was the sky and the sun. After that, I outlined a circle to give myself a guideline of how the trees would be growing. Once I started painting the trees, I realized they were too dark compared to the rest of the photo, but I continued on.

I ended up really liking the painting I did, but I know I could do better. Overthinking will create road blocks in your art, but trying to simplify the process and doing things one at a time can help get your ideas onto paper. If you catch yourself overthinking, or end up disliking the end result, simplify the process even further! Next time I paint this idea, I’m going to paint the sky as I did before. Once I start painting the trees, however, I’m going to do them one at a time to really make sure they don’t look muddy or too dark.

Get Over Yourself

Some more art! I painted little paintings!

Admittedly, I get upset when I can’t create a perfect painting the first time. As someone who loves instant gratification, the long process of painting only to dislike what you’ve created is very disheartening. I have to constantly tell myself that I’m not going to be perfect the first time…and that’s okay!!

Practice makes perfect, as they say, but even with all the practice in the world, your paintings can still come out like shit. Luckily, there is no time limit on the learning process. You owe it to yourself to take your time and really learn how to paint something great. I have found that I appreciate the end result more when I don’t get too in my head about my technique. Even if I absolutely hate the end result, I’m still happy that I gave myself the chance to at least create something.

Please, Don’t be Afraid to Fail

A little bit of my “failure” collection. Most of the time I mess up, then I make something new out of it. Sometimes I just get mad and scribble with paint. It be like that.

Failure is a part of life. We all have failed at least once at something. For me, painting has been a journey. A long, frustrating, but beautiful journey. I’ve taught myself how to paint from scratch (if you ignore the fuzzy memories of being taught the basics as a child), and honestly it’s been such a fun experience. Over the years, I’ve watched myself get better with my techniques and grow as a casual artist. I’ve also been frustrated and angry when I can’t get a painting right, or when I work hard and mess up at the very end.

The biggest thing I’ve learned in art, which translates to real life quite well, is that failure is okay. It’s a natural, normal part of learning and growing. If I got everything right the first time, life would be a breeze! It would also be boring. Failure is not the end, so clean your brushes, get another canvas, and try again.

Make Art!

“Couldn’t clean the top of the medicine cabinet to take the picture, Mary?” No, I am Lazy. Besides, look at my painting I did a long time ago! The best part about making visual art is that I get to put it all over my house!

When it comes to art, it’s okay not to be perfect. The best part of making art is that it can be whatever you want it to be, imperfections and all. What matters most is feeling good about whatever way you choose to spend your free time. If that means experimenting with paint and canvas, then do it! Anything that makes you feel good to do is worth doing, even if you’re not good at it.

So that’s what I’ve learned this summer, art wise! I hope you liked my thoughts, and let me know if they help you create something new! If you liked my blog post, consider donating to the “Mary Is Writing a Novel Fund” on ko-fi! Follow me on Twitter as well to stay up to date about when I post next, as well as following my day to day shenanigans. Thanks for reading, and I’ll see you here next week for a Plant Room Update!