Whenever I’m stuck with my art, I look back at the progress photos from a past painting.
Most of the time, my character looks nothing like it did when I started. It takes lots of beautiful mistakes and so many ugly stages before I can even begin to figure out the best posture, profile and facial gestures.
Yet as I create, my mind tells me I should get it right on the first try (but that never happens).
Sometimes I’ll get to a point in my painting where I just want to paint over the entire thing. This especially happens when I’m pushing myself to try something new.
But I try and remember, it’s not about getting that one painting to be perfect. If I let go, it might just lead me to trying something else or making a beautiful mistake. It doesn’t mean I can’t paint or that I’ll never paint anything I love again.
Oftentimes just returning to my favorite colors and techniques whenever I get stuck, helps me to overcome these creative blocks, so I can be brave and paint with freedom again.
This new painting is an inspiration to feel free to follow your hopes and dreams. She’s called ‘Messenger Of Dreams’ 11” x 14” on stretched canvas (original available). I hope she inspires you too!
I’m so enjoying painting this new collection of portraits… I’ll share more with you soon.
In this video you’ll see how I use some of these ideas and techniques.
I love mixing inks together to get unusual colors that I then repeat throughout a painting collection.
If you’re looking to paint more freely and make your paintings look more organic, don’t cover everything up in your painting. Instead, when you don’t like something, add a thin layer of oil paintstick on top to redefine your painting, but keep the underneath layers showing through.
Happy Painting!
xo Juliette Crane
P.S. If you’ve been wanting to paint together, but don’t have a lot of time, I’ve put together my Happy Painting Mini Course, which has five-instant-access projects to get you started.
Click here to Learn More About My Happy Painting Mini Course.