More advice for young painters:
Be bold. Have conviction.
I have taken one art class in my life, a basic drawing course at a time when I thought I wanted to be an architect and was trying to figure out how to put together a portfolio to show for admission. The class was a disaster. It was an evening course and the instructor did not want to be there, often ending class early so he could hit his favorite watering hole. He barely instructed, barely mumbled anything worth hearing. I was really put off by the whole thing and it was 14 or 15 years before I really came back to art and stuck with it.
But there is one moment of redemption from that class. It was a bit of advice he offered.
Use bold lines. He wanted to see confidence in the lines, even if they weren’t absolutely perfect
To this day, that advice rings in my head. When I look at other artists’ work that is the first thing I notice. How much did this person care about this piece and what they were trying to say with it? I would rather see something done by a lesser talent with great conviction in what they’re trying to express than a more talented individual trying to convey something in which they have no interest.
To put it musically, I’d rather see a garage band thrash out three chords and mean it.
So however you choose to express yourself, have conviction. Mean it.
Redtree Times 