More advice for New Painters and Anyone Else Who wants to be a Better Painter

'Roadside Treasure'          8x10         pastel        ©Karen Margulis
available $145

Becoming a good painter is simple. All it takes is some good pastels and paper and knowing how to use them. Right? Not exactly. Yesterday I shared some advice for new painters. Advice I wish I had heard when I was new to painting. But there is more to it than just having good materials. Read on for more advice.

Just a few of my favorite art books. I have three shelves FULL of books

• Make time to study the basic concepts of painting. Whether you take classes, watch dvds or read books,  find a way to learn more about what makes a good painting. Understanding the concepts of composition, value, color, edges, perspective are all important to making good paintings.  Pick one per month. Study all you can. You won't be able to master it all right away but you need to make time to study.  Some concepts elude us until we are truly ready to understand, process and use them. I didn't really 'get' value until I had been painting for three years. Then I had an AHA moment and value became simple. Be patient. You will have the AHA moments when you are ready but you must expose yourself to these concepts.

A few of my hundreds of daily painting....many many miles of paper!

A good friend of mine would often say "I can talk the talk but not walk the walk" She was often frustrated with her paintings. She had all of the best materials and a deep and solid understanding of what makes a successful painting. She had great technical skill with her pastels....but yet she was still frustrated and unhappy with her paintings.

Good materials won't make you a good painter. Having good technique is a start but not enough to create paintings that are compelling or interesting or successful. Study and knowing and understanding art concepts is important. But it isn't enough to talk the talk....you want to be able to walk the walk.

"A Painting a Day Keeps Frustration at Bay" 

• PRACTICE is the key that unlocks the mystery behind successful painters.  I often hear a common complaint ..... "I can't paint like you. How come mine doesn't look like yours? How do you just seem to know what to do? You make it look so easy!"   My answer is PRACTICE! Painting is like any other discipline. It takes time and commitment to improve.  Even if it is a short amount of time done with frequency...time at the easel is key to feeling confident and at ease. Practice (if done right which is a topic for another day) unites your knowledge, skills and materials  so that you see progress and experience improvement.  To become an intuitive confident painter you need to partner study with practice.

Some parting advice. Be patient with yourself. It takes time and effort but getting to the place where you can paint with passion and intuition without overwhelming struggle is well worth it.

Painting notes: Today's painting was a demo for yesterday's private class. It is 8x10 on Canson Mi-Teintes unsanded paper.