If you’re not a natural when it comes to painting, you’re not alone. Thousands of people struggle with it every year, trying to create artistic renditions that meet their expectations – and failing.
Struggling With Painting
If that sounds like you, then this post will help. We run through some of the things you can try if you are struggling with painting and improving your technique. By the end of it, you should have the knowledge you need to do a better job of it next time and avoid outright disaster.Â
So what do you need to do?
Find Inspiration
The first step is to find inspiration. If you see something that excites you, then you are much more likely to bring your emotions into your painting work and come up with something that speaks to your audience more clearly.
For example, you might try going to a museum or flicking through a scrapbook from one of your favourite artists. These strategies help you find items that catch your eye and make you feel excited about painting again.
Do It In Miniature
Another tactic when you are struggling to paint or get the proportions right is to do it in miniature. Instead of starting with a six-foot canvas, you scale back to something much smaller – perhaps an A5 pad.
Smaller sketches are faster and let you throw away concepts you don’t like. You’re not having to replace large canvases every few minutes at tremendous expense.
Stop Believing It Has To Be Perfect
Another trick is to stop believing that your painting has to be perfect. No artist ever did things perfectly, even though many practised their skills throughout their lives.
This approach is similar to how master tutors teach the piano. Instead of getting students to get all the notes right, they tell them to ignore the sound completely and move with the music. This approach creates a space that accepts errors and makes it more straightforward for students to proceed with challenging pieces, even if they can’t hit all the notes. The same principle applies to painting. Over time, the brain improves naturally and the painting gets better without being stunted early on.
Grab A Boost
You can also try boosting your painting by using paint-by-numbers or similar techniques. These won’t necessarily increase your skill, but they will give you some satisfaction, knowing that you can produce something beautiful if you want to.
You can view details of various kits online. Painting these gives you the confidence to tackle more challenging projects in the future.
Experiment More
You don’t have to paint in exactly the same way as everyone else. Instead, you can tinker at the edges and develop your style.
For example, instead of going with the conventional palette, try mixing up your colour combinations and see what it brings to an image. You could also try using a different painting technique rather than conventional brush strokes. You may find that this approach lets you bring new emotionality to your work that you couldn’t achieve before.
