Where to begin..?
Often artists will struggle with starting a painting. The blank canvas before them stands brilliant stark white, so clean and simple and often beautifully crafted for your purpose. It can easily become overwhelming...what if you make a mistake? What if you can't decide what to paint? What feeling do you want to express other than the confusion of staring at that blank space? Hold on, take a deep breathe, it will be okay. Art is a journey, not just a destination. Put on some music that you enjoy, turn your focus to photos, magazines or books of images you like and grab that pencil or brush to set down your strokes. Quickly throw on a broad wash to eliminate the stark white or blend a light shade of gray over your area with charcoal. Just do it, don't think it. Our brains have a tendency to over think, over analyze and be redundant in our responses. Art is a pathway, an open door to many new exciting possibilities. Art is design. It surrounds us, from the chair you sit in to the lights over head, the roads you travel and that cellphone that constantly interrupts. It all began with a design. Art is what makes us human. Refocus, take a deep breath, breathing is important and simplify your design. Start with a single color or line, just simplify your basic shapes. It's fine to be a bit blurry and out of focus on the canvas. Keep it loose, make it flow and then build upon your foundation. Once your images are blocked in, you can go back and refine them. Push in your shadows, pull out and define your images. Whether by brush or pencil it doesn't matter, surely add in more color or texture, build up your painting, gradually getting up into the details. Art is a journey, your mind is the navigator, your hand (or foot or mouth) is the story teller, your surface is the map. The best part about it is with every new canvas, it's a fresh start a new beginning another world of possibilities.
Here is the beginning of a watercolor painting, notice the light fresh pencil marks, no harsh lines, keep it loose, you will define it later on in your progress
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