Happiness in Art: Drawing and Painting

The beauty of a blog like this is that while we explore what makes a quality life, at the end of the day, it's still about my journey to a quality life. This blog will jump around, but you know what? That is life.

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Today's subject is art. Art, in its many forms is therapeutic, and for many, it's their happiness. I, too, enjoy art in its many forms from writing, to song, to drawing, to sculpture, I mean the list is practically endless!

(Above: Serene Great White Shark done in oil pastels)

Let's focus on the drawing/painting forms today. Like many things in life, it takes practice to get good at a particular skill. I am always seeking to improve my work, and I always will be. The biggest thing is remembering to keep that little nagging voice in check. If you are an artist, you know that voice all to well. It's the one that nitpicks your art until you see it as nothing of worth. Don't let that little voice dominate. Yes, it's good to critique yourself so that you can improve, and if you stop hearing that little voice, you may want to make sure you haven't gotten too big for your britches! There is always improvement to be made. Sorry, but it's the truth.

(Above: Digital Drawing of a horse in a field using only three colors)

When drawing, one must decide how accurate one's piece is going to be. Is it a fantasy piece, where your imagination can rule? Is it a drawing of a animal or human? How accurate do you want to be? How much "artistic leeway" do you want to take? Even asking this, I feel it's important to know the anatomy of your subject. Of course, many things will not be spot on. We have photographs/pictures for things like that, but if you do go for hyper-realism than anatomy books on your subject of interest is a must.

(Above: Night Flying done in pastels)

Sketches are an important step in the art process (and one I tend to skip...so to each there own?). If stumped, or simply in the planning stages, sketches can make the difference between an okay piece, and a great piece. Are they absolutely necessary? Heck, no! (see my comment above). There is truly no set process, which is what makes art so wonderful. However, there are prominent artists who speak about their process (YouTube, magazines, events, etc.). And they all tend to have a process, even if they're not all the same.

(Above: Twisting Turning Spots done in acrylics)

Tools of choice then come into play. Will you dabble in as much as possible? Acrylics? Watercolors? Pencils? Markers? Ink? Pastels? Oils? Or will you focus on one medium? Each is unique in their techniques, textures and blendability. It's up to you, the artist to find what you like. Me? I like to dabble. It's fun to see how different mediums work and how that can affect a piece.

(Above: Bring the Dawn done in watercolors)

Then comes the moment of adding your color, or even your paint! Your color palette is very important, and it's strongly advised to stay away from pure white and pure black. I personally, still use them slightly when called for, but otherwise, my palette will include various colors. For instance, if you look at my Poland China Boar, below, you will notice that I used black to mute the colors of the pig's body, but in that body are browns, purples, and oranges. Even on the white areas, you will see orange and red that got muted with a white colored pencil.

(Above: My recent Year of the Pig piece-more on that another day-Poland China Boar in colored pencil)

The most important thing with art is to have fun. Draw, paint, create what makes YOU happy. Do not worry about your audience. That's a surefire way to kill your creativity. Do you. Draw for you and most importantly: have fun and be happy.

Till the next time!