by Annie O'Brien Gonzales
Annie's words of wisdom can be found in her new book, Bold, Expressive Painting: Painting Techniques for Still Lifes, Florals and Landscapes in Mixed Media. Read this list, and see which piece of advice hits home for you.
1. Create a schedule and paint a lot.
2. Stop repeating negative messages in your head, now.
3. Take risks--keep trying something new, look for subject matter that is meaningful to you.
4. Don't be afraid to show your true colors--literally.
5. Strive for fresh, not repeating what everyone else is doing.
6. Paint to your favorite music. Music keeps a certain part of your brain engaged, releases endorphins, and creates a sense of rhythm.
7. Forget the rules you learned in grade school, art school or any school. Art doesn't have rules, only guides.
8. Decide what emotion you want to convey in each painting and repeat this to yourself as a mantra while you paint.
9. Try painting faster than you normally would, especially at the beginning.
10. Don't mentally trash each painting and quit. Critique it, learn at least one thing from it, and do another.
11. Acknowledge that you will be making hundreds of paintings, so this one doesn't have to be perfect. Think of each one as practicing scales on the piano--you need to do it a lot.
12. Trust the process; you will learn from each painting, you will improve and you will develop your own style. ~Annie
Imagine an entire book filled with great information, including 22 mixed-media art techniques and 10 projects for you to try out. It can be yours when you get your copy of Bold, Expressive Painting.
ClothPaperScissors.com
8. Decide what emotion you want to convey in each painting and repeat this to yourself as a mantra while you paint.
9. Try painting faster than you normally would, especially at the beginning.
10. Don't mentally trash each painting and quit. Critique it, learn at least one thing from it, and do another.
11. Acknowledge that you will be making hundreds of paintings, so this one doesn't have to be perfect. Think of each one as practicing scales on the piano--you need to do it a lot.
12. Trust the process; you will learn from each painting, you will improve and you will develop your own style. ~Annie
Imagine an entire book filled with great information, including 22 mixed-media art techniques and 10 projects for you to try out. It can be yours when you get your copy of Bold, Expressive Painting.
ClothPaperScissors.com
