Improving skills in the field of fine arts does require passion and dedication. Whether you want to become a professional artist or just take up a new hobby, you can create good, high-quality art with a little patience and a lot of practice. You should plan a daily routine to practice and be open to learning new skills and experimenting with old ones. Train your eyesight to see the world through the eyes of an artist so you can create realistic works or create light, shadow, and composition in new, creative ways. Art should be unique. So, have fun and don't hesitate to "break the rules".
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Method 1 of 3: Learning a New Technique
Step 1. Watch free online tutorials to learn techniques, such as blending colors or creating gradients
If you want to learn how to mix certain colors or create realistic looking gradations and shadows, just watch free online tutorials. Have a sketchbook and painting kit ready so you can practice while you stop the video while the instructor explains it.
- Carefully read the comments section of the video as it is possible other artists left some tips and suggestions.
- Look for tutorials on the specific technique you want to learn. For example, you can gain interesting knowledge about composition, light, cubism, surrealism, or even creating three-dimensional effects. If it occurred to you, most likely the discussion is also on the internet.
Step 2. Take private lessons or join an art class that focuses on a particular skill
If you're a beginner, visit your local community center for a beginner's art course. If you already have intermediate or advanced skills, you can enroll in classes offered by your local college or arts institute.
- Taking art classes is a great way to meet other artists and get constructive criticism.
- Search for local teachers, classes, and workshops in your area, on the internet.
Step 3. Use the instruction booklet if you are a beginner or want to learn a special skill
Books are a good choice to start if you are a beginner or want to learn a very specific skill, such as drawing humans or cartoons. Books are a great way for people with busy schedules because you can set your own pace for learning each skill.
- You can buy instruction books online or at major bookstores.
- If you rent an instruction book from your local library, don't draw in it! Photocopy the exercise page so you can draw on it.
- If you're a beginner, look for an instruction booklet with traceable practice sheets so you can get a feel for it before practicing on a canvas or sketchbook.
- Be careful with the “paint or draw by numbers” format. This format can indeed help a beginner who is completely inexperienced. However, this can hinder your individual style. A great artist must be unique!
Step 4. Connect with other artists online for tips on styles and materials
If you want to learn how to draw or paint something (such as people, animals, or landscapes) or work with certain materials (such as oil paints, watercolors, or charcoal) join an online community of artists. Browse forums for specific styles or materials and don't be afraid to ask for advice.
- Deviant Art, Artist Daily, and Wetcanvas are great online communities of thousands of artists to connect with and learn from.
- You might visit a new artist thread and post something like, “I'm learning another technique for blending oil paints. I'm also not sure what type of brush is best for geometric styles. Any tips or suggestions?”
Step 5. Measure your weaknesses and improve them
Think about which techniques are most mastered and which ones still need improvement. Rate yourself on a scale of 1-10 for each of the following skills: realism, life drawing, portraiture, imaginative drawing or memory, proportion, composition, human anatomy, color mixing (or theory), and gradation. After that, work harder to improve the things that are at the bottom of the scale.
- For example, if you're good at drawing geometric shapes but have a hard time creating gradients, invest some time practicing gradients with a different technique.
- Set realistic targets especially to improve weak skills. For example, you might say, “I will spend at least 40 minutes in each drawing session practicing grading my face.”
Method 2 of 3: Training Skills
Step 1. Practice art skills daily and set personal goals
Schedule to practice every day, even if you only have 20 minutes! Practicing every day is essential to learning and mastering new techniques. If you're a beginner, try to practice at least 30 minutes each day, and gradually increase the time to an hour or so.
- After dinner or before bed is a good time to practice because it will help you relax at the end of the day.
- Have a calendar ready and mark an "x" on each day you practice your art. Try to collect as many days in a row as possible to form good habits.
- Set daily or weekly goals for training. For example, you might say, "I'm going to make 1 charcoal sketch every week."
Step 2. Use a human mannequin to practice drawing anatomy
Set up the wooden mannequin in the position you want to practice drawing the body. This method is very helpful for learning the right proportions.
You can buy wooden mannequins online or at an art supply store
Step 3. Imitate photos to practice creating realistic art
Use a photo you took or cut out from a magazine. Place it near the workplace and scan it as closely as possible. Or, you can include some elements in your photo (such as color schemes and composition) and let them underlie your own artistic creations.
Step 4. Arrange the placement of the inanimate objects to be drawn or painted
Find an interesting object in the house that you want to paint or draw. After that, position it in an interesting composition in front of a background that you like. For example, you could place a vase, candle, and a bowl of fruit on the table, in front of a checkered wall.
- When setting up the model, play with the composition by moving it around before starting to work on it.
- Consider creating interesting shadows by setting larger or taller objects in front of a light source. For example, you can create interesting shadows on a bowl by placing a candle high between the bowl and a light source in the room.
Step 5. Ask friends or family to be the model
If you want to practice drawing living things or portraits of people, ask someone you know to draw or paint. Just make sure they don't mind sitting still for as long as you need them to.
When using a live model, don't forget to add a light source. Use a small table lamp to illuminate the model from the side to create an interesting shadow
Step 6. Purchase quality art supplies
Good quality paint, tools, and other materials will often create better, more durable work. Investing money in good art equipment will also make you more serious and keep practicing. Don't buy cheap ingredients. Try to work with the best quality materials for the work you will be working on.
- Experiment with the same medium from different brands at different price ranges.
- Tools that are sold individually (such as paint, pencils, and markers) are usually cheaper than those sold in packages.
- Don't buy art supplies for kids! The brands out there usually don't have the same ingredients as the more professional or artist-level versions.
Step 7. Get out of your comfort zone by trying out new media and styles
Experiment with different media and styles to develop your general skills. For example, if you always use regular pencils and colored pencils to create classic art, try colored chalk for a new perspective. Or if you enjoy drawing anime, try practicing surreal or cubism art.
- If you don't mind spending a little extra, buy a graphics tablet to take your art to a new (digital) level.
- Learning about different media will also help you create unique mixed media work.
Step 8. Look for inspiration from your favorite artists
Observe the work of some of your favorite artists and consider learning how they perform certain techniques. For example, if you want to learn to use shapes in an interesting way, just study Guernica from Picasso and try to emulate a similar sense of urgency through geometry in your work.
- As another example, if you want to get better at blending colors, focus on imitating a specific part of one of Van Gogh's works. After that, use that skill and apply it to personal work.
- Visit local art galleries and museums for inspiration. Don't forget to read the artist's notes and statements next to their work to find out what materials they used. If the artist is present, ask about their technique.
Step 9. Don't be afraid to experiment and break the rules
Some of the greatest artists have strong opinions and unique points of view. So, free yourself to break artistic norms. Remember how Picasso rebelled against traditional perspective modes or how Edgar Degas rejected classical compositional methods. As Picasso said, “Learn the rules like a pro so they can be broken like an artist!”
Art is about making mistakes and how to outsmart them. So if you're experimenting and you don't like the results, find a way to make something new out of it
Method 3 of 3: Training Your Artistic Eye
Step 1. Take time to express your curiosity about your surroundings
Learn the colors, shapes, textures, and sizes of the objects you find throughout the day. Observe the face of the person you are chatting with. Notice how the light affects the shadow and forms its character. Carefully investigate how light appears in certain textures, such as clothing and leather.
- Paying attention to things like this will help you better understand how real objects look to the eye with different types of lighting hitting them.
- For fun practice, try describing an object without saying its name to help you visualize and capture shapes. For example, if you were looking at a tree, perhaps the trunk could be described as an upright cylinder and the leaves shaped like small lemons.
Step 2. Identify the various colors so you can make them accurately
When observing something, pay attention to variations in color and how it makes the eye want to keep looking at it or even look away in another direction. Look for subtle hues in certain colors (such as various shades of red in an apple).
If you're gazing at a brightly colored tulip, notice how the fiery pink petals contrast against the soft green hue of the stems and how your eyes are drawn to the lighter tips of the crown
Step 3. Squint at the object to see the composition of its shape and color
Take time to squint at a specific object, landscape, or scene. Squinting will minimize the eye's ability to see color and detail, and blur the differences between them. This method is especially useful if you want to paint a group of individual objects that are far away, such as a landscape or dense forest.
Squinting will also help the eye distinguish between shadows and light
Step 4. Use negative space to create balance or tension
When you observe a particular object or scene, pay attention to the background space (such as a wall, table, or screen). Negative space in a painting will give the impression of balance or tension, depending on the scene and the overall aesthetic.
Pay attention to the color, shadow, and texture of the objects behind the main object that you want to paint. For example, a burnt-orange wall with diagonal shadows can make the candles and flowers in the foreground stand out more
Step 5. Learn the composition of a particular scene or object
Notice how certain objects are put together to create shapes or lines. The geometry of a particular scene or set of objects will attract the eye in a certain pattern as well.
For example, imagine a still-scene in a bookstore. The aisle on the left creates a line that moves the eye vertically, a series of twinkling lights between the shelves perhaps pulling the eye along the top of the shelf. While other shelves actually attract views to move up or down. Vertical eye movements on each side of the painting can act as a kind of frame for works with still life
Tips
- Join local gatherings with other artists so you can share tips, give constructive criticism to each other's work, and practice together.
- Ask friends and family to critique your work-if one of them is an artist, even better!
- Everyone has an opinion about art. So try to accept criticism and be open to hearing different interpretations of your work.
- Don't be in a hurry to finish a drawing or painting. Just let the time pass and do the work in earnest.
