Painting FAQ's (and a little more about my personal experience with painting!)

Recently people have been asking me a lot of questions about my artwork, and it's come to my attention that while I've posted quite a bit about some of my paintings and what they mean to me, I haven't really posted much about my actual experience with learning to paint, so I decided that it might be of interest to some of you guys if I made a little FAQ type post about my art! Hope you all enjoy and please feel free to comment with any questions or advice any of you guys may have. I am by NO means whatsoever claiming to be a master artist or that I have the skill level to be teaching anyone, just wanting to share my experience with you all, and maybe inspire some of you guys to start creating as well.

When and how did you start painting?

Dreamland

This is something I've been asked quite a few times and honestly, it was completely random. I woke up one day and thought something along the lines of; 'You know what might be fun? Painting.' Went to Michael's craft store and bought a canvas 2 pack that was on sale and the cheapest set of paints (I just happened to choose acrylics) and brushes I could find and headed home to make something. 

This was the first painting I ever made, called "Dreamland", and it was painted on February 26, 2016, although I didn't start painting often and consistently until about July. From February until July I made about 3 paintings, however from July until now I've made about 7 or more. But as far as how I originally got started, it really was just a random idea I had one day that manifested itself into something I loved doing. I never really painted growing up (save for when little kids splatter paint around and such) or had anyone in my life that was ever really pushing for me or encouraging me to start. I like to stress this because I think so many people get intimidated away from dabbling in art because they 'don't know what they're doing', but I want to show people that you don't have to be an expert to create something beautiful! 

What materials do you use?

Untitled

I get asked this all the time, and the best answer I can give is "Whatever I can afford to buy at the time." I started off with a pack of brushes made by Artist Loft (they're really cheap brushes and shed bristles in my paintings often. It's quite frustrating, and I wouldn't recommend them just because of that reason) and a pack of small acrylic tubes of paint, also made by Artist Loft. After I had been painting for a little while, Kyle bought me my first good set of paints, Golden's Heavy Body Acrylics. He bought me the "Color Mixing- Modern Theory" set which had enough paints to make basically any color and came with a mixing guide, which I found incredibly helpful. I would definitely recommend this set of paints to anyone who is getting started up and really wanting to take it a little more seriously. The Golden paints are on the more expensive side so I really try to use them sparingly but you really can tell a difference between the quality of the 'good' paints and the 'cheap' paints. The reason for this being that the cheaper paints are made with more latex so as they dry, the colors can become more dull. I prefer to use acrylic paints but I also really enjoy watercolors, and have recently found that I really enjoy mixing the two mediums together. I'm not a big fan of oils, although it's possible that I just haven't given them a very fair shot. Something else I use quite often are natural sponges, palate knives, and something called "modeling paste" which helps thicken up your paint. I also very recently was gifted my first set of good paint brushes and they're made by Master's Touch and again, you really can tell a difference in the quality. It's incredible. As far as what I like to paint ON, I prefer to paint on canvases, but I will also use canvas panels as well. I really like to paint on canvases because when I first started, I felt as if only "good" paintings could go on a canvas, and it was really a big deal to me to just pick one up and start painting. To seal my paintings, I've been using an automotive clear coat that I had left over from when I spray painted the bumper of my car, but that has almost run out and I'm going to need to bite the bullet and purchase a good acrylic sealer from the craft store. 

Child of the Universe

How do you decide what you want to paint? 

Most of my paintings are very emotional and come from feelings I have, or from mental images that pop up while I'm listening to music. A few times I've also painted things I've imagined while daydreaming or meditating or seen in dreams. Something else I've done to try and gain inspiration for my work, and something I would recommend everyone who wants to do any sort of art, is to Google random things such as "lotus flower drawing" or "yoga pose drawing" and I'll take screen shots of things I might be able to use or paint in my own way. I have an entire folder on my phone called "art inspiration" that has over 100 photos to try and help get me going when I need a little push. Plus, it's a nice creative exercise to try and put your own personal spin on the images you find.

What is your creative process like?

A gift bag I painted for Kyle's mother's birthday

I don't really have a set or specific process. I live in a rather small all of my various paints, brushes, knives, paint trays, and all of my other materials and lay them out all around me. I usually turn on some vibey music that makes me feel good, or if I'm painting something inspired by a particular song usually I'll have it playing on repeat. I rarely sketch out what I'm going to paint beforehand, but if I do I usually use a really light charcoal pencil, and set to work! I'll paint until I can feel myself starting to rush or my focus starting to shift, and that's usually how I know it's time to either take a break or call it quits for the day. Recently, as I've been painting I've been posting updates to SnapChat so anyone who follows me can see my paintings come to life. Once I've finished a painting I typically seal it, and then sign date and number the back. Sometimes I have a title in mind that guides my painting and other times I title it at the end.
apartment, so I typically paint sitting on the floor in my living room. This does tend to take a toll on my back/legs, but I make do. I usually set out a plastic mat to avoid any paint getting on the carpet, and I'll bring over

Lucy, I'm Home

What is the biggest challenge you face?

I am my own biggest challenge when it comes to making art. From the 'mean' voices that live in my head, telling me that nothing I create is ever 'good enough' or constantly making me feel guilty for putting my art out there so much because there are tons of other artists much more knowledgeable and skilled than I am, to struggling to feel confident enough to attempt to create the vision I see inside my head. I'll often times have ideas that I feel passionate and excited about, but when it comes to creating them sometimes I can feel paralyzed- as if I don't have enough skill. I'm my own worst critic. I always find things wrong with my creations. 

Where can I see more of your art?

A failed attempt at
a 2 minute speed painting

This is something that I get asked quite often by people, and as time goes on I've been dedicating more and more time to getting my artwork more out in the open. Originally, posting my paintings was something that made me feel really vulnerable because I know how much room for improvement there is with my work, and I know how many artists out there that are much more skilled than myself. I was worried that people would look at them and scoff or wonder why I was trying to put myself out there so much. Or that other artists would see my paintings and think I'm just trying to get attention, or think they could definitely paint my painting, better than I painted it. I know how many artists are out there that don't sell their stuff on Etsy or post about their art, and I got self conscious because I felt like 'if all these better people don't put themselves out there, why should I?' But those are all thoughts that I had to get over. I first began just posting crappily taken photos of my artwork into my personal Facebook account so friends and family could see them. They're mixed in with my other albums but I recently made an album dedicated exclusively to my art, so it's easier and more concentrated for people to be able to look at. After posting on my personal Facebook for a while, I then moved to sharing them on this blog and discussing a little more of the meaning behind them. I also recently created an Instagram account that is going to be specifically dedicated to my creative process and my artwork, that you are all more than welcome to follow. The account is named after my Etsy shop, and is called "Rorschachchild", and that is probably the best place for you guys to be able to see my art.

Do you sell your artwork?

The Things Inside

You guys probably caught on to the answer of this one already, but yes! I sell on Etsy, there is a link on my blog's lefthand column if you're looking at it on the computer that you can click on and be taken to my shop. You can also read about my shop's grand opening here or just click here to be taken to the home page of my shop. Right now I have several original paintings up for sale as well as prints of varying sizes of canvases that I'm not willing to part with yet.  Every sale means the world to me. You guys should definitely check out my shop often, too, because I run sales ALL the time! 

What advice would you have for someone who wants to start painting?

Me holding one of my paintings
called "Sonder."

My advice is to just go for it! Go for it! Go for it! Go to the craft store and get some supplies that won't break your budget. You don't need the top of the line paints or canvases, it's okay to start with the cheap stuff! The more expensive things really and truly are better quality but that isn't necessary in the beginning! Find something you want to paint and just try. Try all different styles and different subjects and try your best to get out of your comfort zone and learn. Something that was really difficult for me was battling the voice that lives in your head telling you that you art isn't good enough, that you suck, that you shouldn't be proud of your art. But all art is worth something and all art is beautiful. Just because your painting doesn't look like someone else's doesn't make it any better or any worse. If it comes authentically from your heart, then that's all that matters! Don't be afraid to try new things. Don't be afraid to put yourself out there and don't feel guilty for being proud of your work.