Whether you simply want the doodles on your math notebook to look better or you’re striving to become the next Picasso, here are five things anyone can do to improve their art:
Find Your Style(s)
The first step to improving your artwork is to establish a style that you like best. By experimenting with different styles and techniques, you will find one that you enjoy working with the most and that gives you the best results. Some people are particularly good at Hyperrealism, while others may find their strong points in cartoons and doodles. That being said, no two art styles are the same; each artist has their own unique way of interpreting different styles into their art. The sooner you find your own art style, the more time you can spend polishing it. Once you’ve become accustomed to one art style, it’s easier to try other ones, since you have more experience with shading and perspective.
Practice Every Day
This may sound intimidating, but practicing your art every day can be as easy as doing a quick sketch of the plant on your windowsill. This is the fastest way to improve your art and become familiar with your art style. By just doing quick sketches of objects around you before class, you become more accustomed to the lines and shapes that make up real objects. By paying attention to the contrast between light and dark areas, it’ll be easier to capture depth with shading in your artwork. Repetitive practice of your art can help you define your style more clearly and help you become more confident in your lines and shading.
Look at Other Pieces of Art
By surrounding yourself with other artists’ works, you can observe how they use different techniques in their styles of art and get ideas of your own. I enjoy going to museums and looking at other art online to see how some artists incorporate certain techniques into their art to convey their ideas. Artists are inspired by other artists all the time, and looking at professional art for ideas is a great way to improve your art overall.
Use Professional-Grade Art Supplies
Crayola is a fine brand to use while you’re still experimenting with your preferred style/medium, but you will notice a significant improvement in your art by switching to a higher-end brand. Professional artists will typically use brands such as Prismacolor Colored Pencils and Liquitex Acrylic Paints as they apply and blend better than the cheaper brands. Spending a little extra on better brands will make a large difference in your art, and proper research of certain brands can help you find the perfect products for your art type.
Don’t be Afraid of Failure!
As an artist you cannot be afraid of failing, or let the fear of a piece not turning out right discourage you from trying. Every artist who has ever lived has made mistakes and ruined hundreds of papers and canvases. Sometimes you’ll try to work on a piece, and it just won’t turn out the way you expected it to. The best thing you can do in these situations is step away, have a cup of tea, and come back later to try to figure out what went wrong. Sometimes, a fresh set of eyes can identify a fault in perspective or a mistake in your line-work. The thing you should NOT do when you’re having trouble with a piece is give up. There’s nothing wrong with putting a piece on hold and working on another to clear your mind, but go back and learn from your mistakes and never get discouraged if a piece isn’t turning out quite right. It’s when things get difficult that we are the most prone to improving because like everything else, art is a never-ending process of messing up and trying again until you’re happy with the result. Keep in mind that creating art isn’t about receiving approval from others; it’s about expressing yourself in your own ways, and you shouldn’t let anyone discourage you from doing what you love. Your own satisfaction with the result is the most important thing.
“Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” – Confucius