Monday, June 19, 2023

Post 361: Art Tips 1

Art Tips, Tricks, and More...1

You never know when you might hear an art tip about something that is just the suggestion that will solve an issue for you or help you and your work in some way. This will hopefully be an ongoing series of tips and I would LOVE to have your suggestions as well!

Photo by sydney Rae on Unsplash 

Art Tips, Advice, Suggestions

  1. Rules are made to be broken, then sketch the broken box they were carried in on.
  2. As Bob Ross put it, there are no "art accidents", you can make "happy little trees" or whatever is logical to your art. I've made lady bugs or birds out of paint splatters.
  3. A sketch a day, makes a better apple. A better doodle, a better face. Skill sets are ALWAYS improved with practice. If you played guitar you would need to practice, right? Become a better artist by DOING.
  4. Take a lot of time "seeing" your art. Take a picture of it, view it from different angles.  Turn it up-side-down, sideways. Check the balance, feel and intensity of whatever is on the canvas. Stand back from the work as you would if it was hanging in someone's living room. You will "see" the overall effect better and see where improvements are needed.
  5. You are your own worst critic. A family member is often just a cheerleader. 
  6. Don't compare your work to another person's artwork. Everyone is different.
  7. Watch, learn, inspire and admire, how could you make it your own, make it better, do it differently? What twist can you put on something so that you are not copying someone else?
  8. Don't mess up your art admirer viewer's Chi by pointing out where you think your mistakes are. 
  9. Begin by staining your canvas in a dull tone to do away with the glaring white of the canvas to better determine your color values. 
  10. Use an inexpensive 12x12 picture glass-front frame as your pallet. Put a neutral gray paper under the glass as the background. To clean the dry acrylic paint off of it, spray with water, let sit, then wipe or scrap it off. 
  11. Dried paint on a brush? Misshaped brushes? Don't toss - try Murphy's Oil Soap and water! Let soak for a couple of hours then try working that paint out, rinse, then let dry flat - or better yet with the brush side slightly lower than the handle. You can also use fabric softener to help clean brushes, rinse well.
  12. Use an old cookie sheet with the edges to dry your brushes. Put paper towels in the center and lean the brush handles on the edges so that the brush tips are in the center of the cookie sheet. This will help to drain the water from the ferrule (the metal part).

15 Genius Sketching Hacks You Wish You Knew

What art tips, art advice or suggestions do you have to add? Money saving tips, new art tools, art "hacks" - using every day objects in usual ways - what ideas have you used?

Art Tips 2 and 3 are coming up soon... 

 See the Art Tips Series on this page for more tidbits of advice: https://artistryspin.blogspot.com/p/art.html

Send me YOUR art tips too or drop them in the comments below. AND let me know if you find an art tip here that you LOVE!


Author: Donna Liguria
An artist member of PWAS in Woodbridge, VA and Artistry Spin Blog Admin, specializing in acrylic painting. She paints landscapes, seascapes, animals and many subjects. Visit her Website at DonnaLiguriaArt.com, Donna's Etsy site and her Blog at Donna’s Cave Paintings.


Local Art: Visit us at any of our local art shows and our monthly meetings.
The Prince William Art Society is a 50+-year-old non-profit art group in PWC for the appreciation of fine art throughout the county and Northern Virginia.

Want to join PWAS? Go to https://www.princewilliamartsociety.com/membership

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