Whip Those Cute Little Paintings Out and Sell, Sell, Sell

At one time I thought if I could paint a bunch of cute little paintings, I could sell them fast and make money!. I found a small stuffed horse and scrunched it up in a blanket and tried to paint it........I couldn't.......It didn't have any meaning for me.  I had no special connection to the horse or blanket.  I never did complete the piece and I'll never forget that learning exercise.

adult student

adult student

I find I need to relate somehow to the subject or it will be unsuccessful. Now, if the toy was one that you'll see in my baby picture and the blanket was a quilt my mother made, THAT'S a different story!
If the mountain landscape is where my siblings and I have experienced hiking, biking or being  snowed in at the family cabin....that's what you paint.  If you notice the gorgeous shades of reds and greens in a lovely shaped pear.....that's what you paint.  The subject you choose should have meaning to you.  Now I know after much practice you may be able to paint or draw almost anything but there will be little emotion radiating from these pieces.  They won't be a part of you and the viewer will notice.

student age 11

teen student

older adult student

When you choose a subject for your next project, pick something with meaning, something you can relate to and you'll find you'll be more successful.

YES!

If you hear a voice within you say "you cannot paint" then by all means paint and the voice will be silenced.        -Vincent Van Gogh-

Iowa Storms-watercolor-by Julie Fisher

County Road 35-watercolor-by Julie Fisher

Try Something New With Your Art

Are you in a rut? Try something new.  It doesn't have to be a big change, just something different to keep the art flow going.  Is your art all the same size?  What would it be like to experiment with a larger size.  Go smaller.......smaller yet.  Take that challenge to think how to get a composition down in the new space you now have.

Try painting in a different place.  If you paint inside, try painting outside.  Prepare for outside and include a camera in case you don't get a chance to finish.  Paint in a nearby park, at a dog park, where children play, where the shadows are interesting when they hit a house or other buildings. Take a lunch and make a day of it.

Have you every tried abstract work?  Pick some of your favorite colors and experiment.  Maybe put a pile of objects down and just paint shapes, not the objects.  Cut magazine pages out, cut into different shapes and patterns, lay them down in such a way that is pleasing to you.  Now go!

Sometimes it just takes making a change with get the excitement of art going again. Give it  

Try something different and have fun!

 

"One of a Kind" (on Pastelbord) by Julie Fisher

What's Your Art Word For The New Year?

I have never done well with a list of New Year Resolutions. What I have found is that by picking a word or small phrase that can be applied not only to my art, but to everything I do, works great for me!

One year I picked PERSISTENCE.  For example; persist with having a clean house, persist in keeping the gas in the car above 1/4 of a tank.......you get the idea.  One other year I was more specific, I chose the word MARKETING because I really needed to get informed on more than one way to market my artwork.

This year my life has gone many, many directions and I've gotten overwhelmed.  I've decided to keep putting one foot in front of the other. Sooooooo  KEEP MOVING is my phrase for the year 2015.

Storm Chasers  watercolor    J.Fisher

What is your word for 2015?

How To Get The Most Out of Drawing or Any Other Art Class

If you're like me, I like to get my moneys worth!  First, I try to have all of my supplies or find out what is needed to get started. Having what I need helps my confidence.  I like to feel that I have the supplies for whatever the teacher may have us do. I like to be able to focus and access the creative part of my mind and apply it.  So Be Prepared!

When taking a class, come with An Open Mind!  Yes, something may be out of your comfort zone or gee I wasn't expecting this......  I recommend to Just Go For It!  Ask questions, observe others and just try it!  Take notes and keep handouts!  I like to take all I can from a class.  You may decide later that you'll use just part of what you learn or it may apply to your art later.  You don't want to be too judgmental and take little or nothing from the class. I can honestly say that I have found that I always have taken home little nuggets of valuable information from all classes I've taken over the years.

Listen/take notes/record during teacher lectures and demos.  Also listen to discussions between individuals and the instructor.  I always have my notebook nearby to jot something down.  My memory is poor and writing something down will allow me to continue what I'm currently doing.  If I need a clearer explanation I can ask later.

Take Notes on the critique the instructor may do on your work.  Think of it as suggestions.  Later you can go over the list, make adjustments in your art and see if the changes made a difference. I also listen to the critiques the teacher may do of other students.  I may hear something I forgot or something new......write it down!  You want to be a sponge!

When you're at home make time to go over notes and practice!  If you do this within 48 hours of the class, you're more likely to remember.  Practicing at home or while you're waiting when you're out and about and it will also help you improve and progress faster.  If you come across something you don't quite get, write it down and ask in your next class.

Adult student applying what he's learned

Keep going!  Give your art a chance.  Most times continued growth is just a step/critique a way.  You also don't want to forget to give yourself credit for how far you've come.

A student, age 12, learning watercolor techniques

Involvement in the Arts Positively Effects the Academics

In a 2010-2011 cohort study of 197,932 12th grade seniors,

data showed evidence of a strong relationship

between individuals who participated in school arts experiences

and higher academic success as demonstrated by

grade point averages, scores on the Florida Comprehensive

Assessment Test (FCAT) and math and verbal portions

of the SAT exam. The results showed the positive effect

of participation in fine arts classes on a broad base of

individuals, including students from varying races, ethnicities,

socioeconomic levels, and students with disabilities. https://cfaefl.org/dnn/Portals/cfae/advocacy/Advocacy%20Document%20No.%201.1.Jan2013.pdf

This teen started using their own photos!

I've observed many of my students grow and bloom in the last years. Many (children and adults) have grown in confidence where in the beginning these individuals were quietly observing and later were speaking out during discussions and were more at ease sharing their work. I've seen students 'stick-with-it' when they knew they could do a particular art project. New students were met with "I did that too and you get better" or "You should see what mine looked like at first" (and they share their art).

Students also get better at self-critiquing.  After listening to others or transferring what they've learned from instruction, more and more students gain confidence and therefore are able to see what they can improve on. This is so much a part of problem solving.  Students learn to look at objects/drawings differently seeing there is more than one way to get a image down on paper.  My hope would be for people to learn enough so that they can go home and continue their art independently.  I can also see how what students learn here in class can carry over to their academic and personal lives.

Here is an adult's first ever framed piece!

"I Can't Draw!"

"I can only draw stick figures."  I can tell you that I have heard this many times!  I so strongly disagree! It has been observed that many people slow and/or stop their art development once they begin noticing their peers progress. This can occur around 4th grade.  Children start looking at other's progress and become very judgmental of their own. This can change with instruction about visual tools that can help you see and look differently at what you want to draw.

With guidance and practice, you can use the tools like negative space and contour lines to help you see and record on paper the object or scene before you. Taking the visual tools one at a time and practicing what you learn your halfway there!  In the end you can apply what you've learned all together and you'll be amazed at the outcome. 

This adult student is applying what she has learned to drawing a ceramic cream carton, an egg and a ribbon.

This child (aged 10) applied her skills to this snake in the grass drawing.


Learning different ways to look at something can take away the uncertainty and provide you with more confidence which transfers to your work.