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Friday, January 08, 2016

Three Painting Tips for the Aspiring Artist


It's finally Friday...whooohoo!  Actually, I don't know about you but this week has gone by pretty quickly in my book.  I spent most of the week knee deep in the final editing process of my upcoming online class, Dirty Flirty Birds, which opens up on January 20th.  The class is filling up nicely but we still have room for YOU....join us if you can and you'll enjoy 3 major projects, tons of tips, and hours of video content that you can access for an open ended period of time. The videos are not downloadable but there is no end date so you'll have plenty of time to enjoy the workshop!  

Today's inspiration and tips come from my online class--so you get a little sneak preview:

1.  If you are creating a collection of paintings, repeat colors in each of the pieces to different degrees so that each piece will coordinate together in cohesive way.  I try to start several paintings all at once so this is possible, especially if I am making my own custom colors.  




2.  Brushes are so important to an artist.  Finding ones you love is not easy but as you can see here, these are all well loved and used frequently.  My advice to you if you are an acrylic painter is to keep at least one large flat brush (and perhaps round brush) in your tool box at all times as well as a couple of flats, a small and medium angled, and a few small round for details.  You'll find that if you have the right sized brush for the painting you are working on or the part of the painting you are working on, you will be less frustrated and get the work done more efficiently. I stay away from the really cheap synthetic brushes. If they come in a pack of 20 for 10 bucks...run!!! The large brush in the picture was about 14.00 on sale.   It was well worth it.



3.  Don't be afraid to pursue a series as long as it makes you happy.  Even if the subject matter is similar throughout the series, stretch yourself to find ways to differentiate each piece in new and unique ways.  The benefit of repeating subjects is that you will enhance your skills as an artist along the way AND if you sell your work, you will be offering a variety of work your patrons can keep coming back for to add to their own personal collection.

Creating work with personality is just one of the many things we will be learning in my online class along with these three top tips!

Join Dirty Flirty Birds now and you'll get 15.00 off the regular price. Offer is good only through January 20th.

Have a great weekend all, get out those paints and have fun!!

Jodi


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15 comments :

Kathy Cawthon said...

Good advice! I need to build my collection of good brushes. Have been guilty of buying the 20-brushes-for-10-dollars thing and been disappointed every time as they fell apart :/

Jean said...

Love your work and advice. I also need better brushes!

Anne said...

I've been afraid to work on a series. Your comments about a united paint theme might have given me just the incentive I needed to give it a try. You are THE BEST Jodi!

Unknown said...

Hi Jodi. Great tips, thank you. I believe to keep myself motivated I have to have my own work space where I see my progression. I feel I am most motivated when I paint what I am passionate about. Where the ME comes out in my painting. Than I just can't stop. :)

Gloria j Zucaro said...

Very good idea to keep the series in a similar color range. I never thought of that before! I also am looking forward to learning how to add individual personality to my paintings.

Mary C said...

Do not be afraid to continue a series if you like what you area creating. It tend to want to stop and start over less than perfect projects. Continuation will allow me to make changes and progress with my work.

betsy said...

Love your classes! And you have great tips and I appreciate your feedback on projects. I'll see you this weekend in Charlotte-woohoo

Emily said...

My tip for getting motivated is to being a member of several groups that either have prompts or a specific techinique. Even if I don't get my paint out to do a mixed media piece, I may just do a drawing that fits the prompt. I had to give myself permission to do something different than a typical mixed media page.

Cindy said...

Great suggestion to use several of the same colors through out a series. Great tip to make sure pictures coordinate. I also like having the right tool. Great info on what brushes and on the quality to have. Having tools ready to go really help me stay motivated on starting a project.

JackieW said...

I like your tip to try working on more than one piesce at a time and use the same colors to coordinate but in different amounts. I want to try this. Thanks for giving us a chance to win a scholarship to your class! I sure hope I get it! SMIlE!

Mary C said...

I have also enjoyed learning new techniques and inspiration by participating in Creative Jumpstart 2016. I enjoyed Jodi's video today!

Casey said...

I've recently moved to a new state 13 hours from my wonderful art community back home. I've been finding it difficult to make connections in the art arena or find workshops to attend locally. This has left me a little depleted creatively and missing my art community/friends. So, I got motivated by asking my friends to set up Skype dates with me where we have a set time we work on creating whatever we want to try, we get to catch up on each others lives, get suggestions on our artwork, turn on some music and relax and create. When we are finished and share our work I'm feeling uplifted, inspired to continue to create, and so happy I got to spend some time with my friends.

crj said...

Love your work! Love your colors! Totally appreciate all your tips...especially the ones about brushes.

cincat said...

My tip that I've found to be very helpful to me is to just do a little bit of art each day...trying to do more and to actually finish a piece in one day always overwhelms me and I just get frustrated and stop altogether. Thanks for the opportunity to join you in your class Jodi. Your work definitely is an inspiration. :)

Cathe P. said...

Jodi, Always love your tips. I really like the idea of repeating colors when working on a collection of paintings. People always know it is your work by the colors you use. I would like to find that in my own work. I would love to win the class. Thanks for the opportunity.