5 Tips for Beginner Artists

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5 Article Roundup for Beginner Artists

Beginning an art adventure that requires some skill-building is a lot easier with instruction.

Practical, step by step painting tips can be found in library texts, blogs, youtube videos and online courses. Many of them focus on methods, techniques and broad-stroke approaches to making finished art that appears the way the artist imagined it would.

Here are some tips on basic tools for beginner artists, and some mindset reminders and practice suggestions for more fun, and less angst with your art supplies.

Over-Studying How to be an Artist

• When I first started painting, I studied everything about being a full-time artist to find out how to be one. And then I realized I was doing it all backwards. Here’s that story, and I hope it resonates with you.

11 Reasons to Make Small Art

• Here are 11 reasons beginners should try making small art, detailed with specifics like how and why, with links to resources and encouragement.

Tools for Beginner Artists

• This post is an overview of drawing tools like sight-size and grid-drawing methods for more accurate rendering underneath your watercolor paintings. Drawing skills can be such a barrier to painting, so it’s a good idea to reach for all the tools available to hurdle that obstacle and build your skillset.

Finish Your Art

• Many paintings go through an ugly stage before they’re finished. It’s easy to feel discouraged and quit before you get over that hill towards something beautiful. But don’t quit. We need to keep going and see the art through to a finish, so let’s all cheer each other on. Read this.

Charting the Course to Become an Artist

• If your artistic journey is plagued with second guesses, uncertainty, procrastination, or overwhelm when you look at your art supplies, grab a beverage and read this post about the foundational ingredients to building a life as an artist.

Shine a Light on a Broader Perspective

I hope the beginner artist posts gathered here work as a bit of grout to bridge tiles in your creative adventures. Being an artist – especially a beginner artist – doesn’t have the risks associated with learning to perform heart surgery, but it can be daunting if we fall down the rabbit hole of self-doubt and How-to-Start.

We have the good luck to be alive in an era of instant communication, global research abilities at our fingertips, and worldwide community with other artists on social media and blogs. There’s no reason (anymore) to agonize over how to become an artist all alone.

Dismantle your naysayer with a bit of research on ways to tape its mouth shut, build your community, and make haste to your art supplies to get some work done. Use what you have, and do what you can.

I’m rooting for you.

Thanks for your visit, and I’ll see you in the next post –

Belinda

P.S. American Watercolor published an inspiring essay on painter-explorer Tony Foster’s approach to coping with Lockdown during the Covid19 pandemic. Read his inspiring exploration into nature with watercolors.

Art Quote

Be patient and persistent, and don’t make the mistake of thinking good paintings always lead to sales. Money is only one measure of achievement.
 
There are many great artists who do not sell, and conversely, many who sell, who aren’t great artists.
 
Until the collecting public responds, be encouraged by feedback from friends, relatives and fellow artists.
It takes time to market artwork.
 
Ask yourself; What can a gallery do for me that I can’t do for myself?

Frank Webb

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