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| Some of my favorites. |
I have a confession to make, it used to take me several years to fill up a sketchbook because frankly, I didn’t use it that often.
Having a sketchbook was a requirement back in my art school-college days, so of course I had one, but after college, I might sketch out a few ideas, but I was more likely to draw something directly on the canvas or paper and get straight to painting.
Early in 2019, I bought my first Canson Mix Media sketchbook and that little change helped shift my whole approach. The paper is sturdy enough to handle wet media like acrylic paint and sketch-wash pencils, so figuring out a value drawing felt more like painting than using regular pencils and I liked that, a lot.
I didn't realize the type of sketchbook I had was part of what was holding me back from the valuable skill of practicing!
Learning that I can make several small paintings in the same time it would take me to do one large painting, with very little risk, means less stress and more practice, and more practice is the best way to ease anxiety and gain confidence in making art. Plus, I can see which of my painting ideas are successful before attempting to paint them larger.
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| "Indian Paintbrush" - for Fred |
I have wanted to do a series of paintings based around the flowers that are blooming in my garden, but it always took too long to do a full size painting, keep up with the season and everything else in my life that I need to do too.
My solution this year, think small and practice in my sketchbook and don’t worry about larger paintings right now.
The crocus and miniature yellow daffodils are always the first to arrive in my little garden and so far I am pleased with these little 2.50 x 3.50 inch paintings that I can get done in around an hour and a half total time each. I often sketch out the design one day and paint the next. Hopefully, this time I will be able to keep up with the blooms this year.
If you find yourself stuck on a creative project that isn’t moving forward, perhaps try changing one small part of your usual way of doing things and get those wheels rolling again.
Happy creating!
>^-^<
Tina
p.s. No, I'm not getting any perks or money for mentioning Canson brand, it's just the type of sketchbook that suits me best right now. I was genuinely surprised how that one small change made such a difference for me.
