How to Become a Better Artist: Your Step-By-Step Guide
Making art is good for your health. In other words, creativity isn’t only fun. It improves our lives in beautiful ways.
Drawing and painting are worthy endeavors that can be difficult like anything else. Being a beginner is frustrating.
But art is a skill that requires practice and dedication. Like learning a new language or becoming a great cook, you can also become a good artist.
There are so many ways to evolve your skills and push yourself.
Here’s your complete guide on how to become a better artist.
Get Good Art Supplies
To make great art, you need the right supplies.
There’s a wide selection of drawing pencils, paper, paint, and other materials. The best supplies for you will depend on your interests.
There are art sets for beginners that come with everything you’ll need to start. These sets are also cheaper in price. Once you become more skilled and invested, it’s easier to justify buying more expensive products.
Date Your Art
As you start out on your art journey, try dating your drawings and paintings. This will be useful in the future when you want to look back on your progress.
Sometimes when you’re learning a new skill, it’s hard to have perspective. But dating your work will make it easier to see how far you’ve come. You can look back a drawing from a year ago and see more clearly how you’ve improved.
Make What You See
If you don’t know what to draw or paint, you can’t go wrong with making what you see. Observation is just as effective as imagination. It will also get you out of any creative slumps.
Observe what’s happening around you. This might be in a public, outdoor space or in your own home. Try to sketch or paint people and things that interest you.
Making what you see is as simple as drawing your dog or the house across the street. Drawing real life will help you learn dimension, perspective, and texture.
Try to focus on the small details of a subject, such as light. This will help you visualize similar subjects in the future. Building a visual library will make you more adept at drawing things with realism.
This is great practice and might inspire you to come up your own designs.
Look at Other People’s Art
If you’re an artist, you most likely love art. One way to become a better artist is to observe the masters. Don’t be afraid to channel the art fan within you.
Going to museums is a fun way to get inspired. You will also see the full range of art styles and mediums that are possible. Other art can reveal ways to approach your own art that you hadn’t considered.
Also, check out some great artists online that are doing the same thing you want to do. Some of them even have blogs and websites that tell you about their creative process.
There is so much useful information and beautiful art online to discover and let fuel you.
Learn Composition Techniques
Learning composition and technique is one of the hardest parts of doing art. Depending on what you like to do, there are many rules and strategies for composition.
How-to art books can help you. Many guides focus on one skill or medium.
If you want to learn watercolor painting, find a book on watercolors. It can teach you the specifics of light and paint strokes. It will show you how to approach certain subjects such as flowers or landscapes.
Hone in on the specific skill you want to learn and research its related techniques. Focusing in on one skill like sketching will make the process simpler.
Understanding the concepts of design will benefit you in the long run as an artist.
Practice Mindfulness
Mindfulness is like an executive stress-ball. It clears your mind and focuses your thoughts. Meditating can be a great way of getting into a “flow” and becoming introspective.
The science of meditation says it helps the brain access creativity. In general, meditating boosts brain function. As an artist, you’ll want your mind to be open to all possibilities.
Mindfulness is also a stress reliever. If you find it hard to get rid of anxiety before painting, meditating may benefit you.
Take Lessons or Classes
One obvious way to take your art to the next level is to take a class.
Most major cities and communities offer local art lessons. These might be individual or in groups. This costs money, but it’s helpful to learn from the experts.
Art initiatives are getting more and more creative. A new approach called “Art Jamming” puts artists into groups to create a fun and relaxing environment. If this sounds like something that would inspire you, check it out!
There are also lessons and videos online. Some art forums offer instructional one-on-one help from a teacher.
Another great way to continue learning is to subscribe to art magazines. Examples include The Artist’s Magazine, Pastel Journal, and Watercolor Artist. These publications give great advice on how to draw and paint and will keep you engaged with new strategies.
More on How to Become a Better Artist
The most important thing to keep in mind when trying to learn how to become a better artist is that you need to practice.
Making art a habit or a part of your day is the best way to get better. With dedication, you’re bound to see results and have fun along the way.
To read more on how to improve your skills, check out our blog.