If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!
Here’s my latest sunflower painting. This is a small painting that I had a lot of fun with.
I poured bright yellows, golds and greens and then brushed in the darks.
Hope you enjoy this as much as I did painting it!
This was painted on 300 lb. Arches watercolor paper. I love the rough texture of this heavy paper.
The image size is 6 1/2″ x 6 1/2″.
It’s pretty well known in the business world that speaking and writing are great ways to build your business or enhance your image. So what does that have to do with being an artist? Everything!
As artists we need to learn how to present ourselves and our work in ways that help people understand what we are all about. I have found that learning these skills has helped me present my art to the world.
So how do you get started? It’s easy . . .
You just start. Speaking. Writing. It’s that easy . . . and that hard.
Why is it that whenever something is important it is more difficult to get started? Many would-be writers or speakers get sidetracked before they even begin. Which is a shame – they will never know what these skills could have done for their life or business. Don’t let that be you!
You start small with both speaking and writing. Let’s look at them separately.
The best way to get started with speaking is to join your local Toastmasters club. Toastmasters International has been helping people learn speaking skills for 85 years. It’s how I learned the basics of public speaking, and I recommend it to everyone I meet. There are 11,000 clubs in 90 countries, so I am sure there is at least one club in your area. Go to www.toastmasters.org . . . enter your zip code in their search engine and you will see a list of the clubs in your neck of woods. Go for it – there is no better way to get started speaking.
What about writing? The best way to get started is to just begin writing about your favorite subject. It doesn’t have to be for publication or for anyone else to see – just sit down at the computer and key in your thoughts about any subject. Let the creative thoughts flow. Don’t worry about editing your work at this point. Just have fun with your favorite subject. Enjoy the process. At its essence that’s what writing is all about.
I hope I have inspired you to begin speaking and writing. Once you see how rewarding both of these are, you will want to learn more. And then you will continue to grow.
How does an artist really make a piece of art? What goes through his or her mind? What kind of preparation is required? These are questions that I am asked, as people wonder how a piece of art is actually created.
The creative process varies in great measure from artist to artist – I guess that’s why there are millions of artists around the world doing their own thing. All in their own way. That’s what makes art exciting – you have a chance to create something different any time you begin!
I can only give you some insights into how I create my art. I work in watermedia. This means anything that is water-based (versus oil-based mediums). For me that includes watercolors, acrylics, gouache and sometimes collage. These mediums are luminous, versatile and easy to set up and clean up.
I work in many different ways – from pouring the paint on in a very free-flowing manner, to drybrush techniques that are very detailed. I try to begin each painting with a solid plan, or “intent” for that painting. It works best for me to have some idea where I am going with each piece, although that might vary from painting to painting. This is especially useful in watercolor. In this medium you don’t get many chances to correct mistakes, so a good bit of planning can really help bring about a successful painting.
If you want to see how I paint a very free-flowing watercolor painting, stop by my teaching site www.learnwatercolors.com. I have some great resources there about painting in watercolor using a pouring method I’ve developed over the years.
In my acrylic and mixed medium paintings I am more apt to let things happen as they may and adjust them later. Since acrylic is a more opaque medium it is easy to come back and add paint to change an area, or even go down a different path. With this medium I have fun and try to be more daring with my subject and the entire painting process.
Having two somewhat different ways to paint allows me to free up my creativity into arenas that I might not otherwise get into. This helps my paintings stay fresh and keeps me out of a painting rut – an area every artist tries to avoid. I am always looking to open up new avenues in my painting adventure. That’s what keeps me coming back to paint every day.
Hello and welcome to my new blog, where I will be talking about a lot of things that are important to me. Things like . . .
My work as a watermedia artist.
Marketing my artwork.
Building my small business.
My spiritual path.
Speaking and Writing – two of my passions.
And many other things. I will be featuring some of my artwork on this site, and talking about how I make it and get the word out about it.
We are all on a different path. Maybe something I say will help you in your art or business or spiritual path.
Stay tuned for more.
Stephen Blackburn is a watermedia artist from Mishawaka, Indiana, USA. He is widely known for his free-flowing paintings and teaches workshops in many areas around the country.