I’ve always wanted to be an artist. I never cared what medium, but I wanted to be the kind of person who could express emotions, thoughts, and experiences in a way that had some permanence. It took me a long time to realize that creativity comes in a lot of different packages. Some cook and bake, some draw and paint, some garden, some sew, some design, some decorate, some repurpose, some write, some dance. Some of these things are easy to learn, some take a lot more practice, and sometimes we need a little coaching along the way.
I knew I wanted to learn to paint with oils. But I didn’t know how to even begin – could I use paper? Did it have to be a special canvas? I didn’t have time to attend classes, and those I could find were geared to already experienced artists. But when one of my favorite bloggers offered to host some live painting videos that were specifically designed for very beginners, I was giddy. I ordered all the supplies she said we’d need (much fewer than I thought), and waited with anticipation for that first video class.
Since then I’ve tried to paint at least once a week. Sometimes I get more time, often I get less. Consistency is definitely important though, especially for a beginner, because you forget too much in between sessions. I am still absolutely a beginner, but I have painted a few things I’m really proud of (you can see some in the shop here).
I thought I’d share some of the resources I’ve used for learning. I have watched a lot of other videos as well, but I can’t remember them all to list here.
- Miss Mustard Seed (Marian Parsons) has some great videos to learn oil painting. This is where I started. You can find the links to her free videos here. You don’t have to start at number 1, but I think it makes the most sense to start there because she explains a lot along the way.
- Beth Cole is a wonderful artist. The first class of hers that I took was her Earth, Water, Sky course. I enjoyed the class but I felt it was a little fast paced for my very much beginner status. I also took her Painted Prairie class, which I enjoyed even more. It may be that I learned enough to be able to enjoy the second class more, or maybe the pace was a little slower. Either way, both are very good and I look forward to more from Beth.
- Jeanne Oliver has an incredible number of courses on her website. There are courses for so many different skill levels and ways of making that just browsing is a lesson in creativity.
- Jessica Henry has workshops on her website (I haven’t taken any of them yet, but I hope to someday soon) and a YouTube channel with tons of painting videos.
Painting has opened a whole new world to me, and I’ve found that I see things differently now. When I see cloud formations on my drives, I see the colors more clearly and try to figure out how I’d illustrate the depth of the clouds with paint. I see texture in landscapes that I hadn’t noticed before. I’m noticing shadows and light sources and color value. I’m learning how brush strokes change the feeling of a completed piece, creating energy or movement. I’ve had a few of my paintings turn out better than I’d hoped, and I’ve had a few that I was pretty happy to tuck away into a back corner of the hutch, hoping they’ll never see the light of day again. But the point is that I tried something new. You never know what kind of discoveries await until you start opening new doors, and it’s never too late to learn something.
You’ll never know what you’re capable of if you never try. And cultivating creativity is always a worthwhile effort.