Do you love art but don't know where to start? Or do you feel like you've given your all yet sometimes your creations are not up to your expectations? Don't give up yet! Here are ten ways to improve your art.
1. Practice Makes Perfect
As cliché as this might sound, there are no shortcuts to improve your skills. Don’t expect to be a portrait master
by doing just one portrait drawing. Keep practicing. You might not reach
perfection, but you’ll acquire an indescribable satisfaction at the end of the
day when you realize that your skills have improved.
2. Create Your Own Style
Everyone has a unique personality and
finding your own style is not that difficult if you truly understand yourself.
Sometimes, you just know it by heart. Sometimes, it takes time to discover.
Remember, taking bits and pieces of other people’s original style and putting
it together is not your own style. Be bold enough to find your own. If you
haven’t found it, keep searching and you will find it soon.
3. Be Inspired, Don't Steal
Once in a while, you see something nice
out there and it makes you go ‘wow!’ And it makes you want to come up with
something of your own. This is called inspiration. Recreating the exact same thing? That’s
STEALING! Big No-no!
4. Credit
If you have been inspired or if you must
STEAL (ask permission first), always remember to credit the original artist.
You would wish for the same when someone uses your artwork for similar reasons,
wouldn’t you?
5. Be True to Yourself
Remember, your artwork reflects your
inner emotions and your personality. If you are going to do things just to
please others or to get positive feedback, what you do might not appear as
genuine as you wish it to be. Satisfaction wise, you will feel that something is lacking. Always be true to yourself. Trust me, it shows.
6. Don't Get Too Comfy
Most of the time, the people around us,
especially friends and family members would give us positive and encouraging
comments. This is not a bad thing
because positive feedback can be a great boost to your confidence and after
all, they are proud of us! But learn not
to get too comfortable and drown in them.
This can cause your creative journey to be stagnant. Always get feedback
from people who are from the same creative background and most importantly
listen to yourself. If you think a piece is not finished, then you’re probably
right!
7. Transitions
All of us go through an emotional cycle and
along the way, we grow and learn many new things. What amused you a year back might not bring
you the same excitement now. Just because you enjoy doing detailed work before
doesn’t mean you have to continue doing the same. Follow what your heart says
and create what you feel. Embrace the change and watch the magic happen!
8. Moods
Moods play a very important part in an
artist’s life. Some abandon their work when they lose their mood. Being an
artist doesn’t mean that you have paint all the time. Sometimes, taking some
time away from your work helps. Don’t feel guilty if you don’t feel like
painting. Instead, spend your time doing other things, like watching others at
work or listening to some good music. You will feel inspired again in no time!
9. Learn How to Handle Criticism
Let’s admit, not everyone is going to love
what you do but that’s the real challenge. Keep going and do what satisfies
you. When you get positive feedback, keep them close to your heart and push
yourself to go further. When you get negative feedback, don’t get dampened.
Instead, ask yourself why did you receive such feedback? Hide the work and come
back to it a few days later and ask yourself if the feedback made sense. We tend to miss a thing or two when we are too
engrossed in our work. Always use criticism as a tool for improvement. Kind
comments don’t necessarily have to be true and nasty comments are not
necessarily wrong.
10. Artist Block
This is probably a sign that you have
exhausted and squeezed the last drop of your creative juice. Don’t be too hard
on yourself when this happens. All you need is a small break from things and a
little bit of inspiration. Sometimes, talking to a friend helps generate ideas.
Free style doodling helps to relax the mind and inspire you with new ideas. And
also, it’s a perfect excuse for a little holiday or getaway! :)
Hope you find these tips helpful. So what are you waiting for? Pick your brushes up and paint away. Good luck!
*All images and photos belong to Mona KV.
