Looking for ways to see your art with fresh eyes?
Hi my name is Carrie. I want you to proudly call yourself Artist. Here on Artist Strong I help artists like you build your skill and develop your unique artist voice. Today I am sharing 3 easy ways to assess your art.
Value
My first tip is a quick one if you have a smartphone or tablet. Take a photo of your art in black and white.
Value is not only an important property of color, it is a major element of art. I find a lot of artists who identify as self-taught or beginner are not as conscious about their use of value as they’d like to be and value is something relatively easy for us to adjust for our art.
It can be difficult to observe the values in our color choices, which can create limited contrast in the work. Less contrast generally means less drama in the work. This can be something we want, I only want your decision to be a conscious one!
Mirrors
My second tip today comes from my lovely friend Nikki Galloway, who has an amazing way with stories. She writes and paints and her layering techniques are truly unique to her work. Be sure to visit her website, linked below, to learn more about this Edinburgh-based artist.
Anyway, Nikki told me when she’s struggling to see her work with fresh eyes, or can’t quite capture someone’s likeness, she looks at her work through a mirror. Since that conversation, I’ve now observed several artists use this approach on the TV program Sky Portrait Artist of the Year.
You know how you can stare at a word long enough you can literally lose its meaning. We deal with this too! We can stop seeing the work as it truly is. So lug that painting to yours to a bathroom, or better yet, get a hand mirror to hold and look through to really see your art again.
Feedback
My last one of the three is the most challenging for people when they start out and eventually becomes a “go-to” once they feel more confident in the process. What am I talking about? Any guesses yet? Our third strategy is to ask for feedback from a trusted peer or mentor.
Finding that trusted peer or mentor can be hard and its part of why I created The Artist Strong Studio, our patreon community. I host monthly studio hours, and we have a private community space where you can post your art and get feedback. If you’re struggling finding that trusted feedback space lets build it together here. Visit www.Patreon.com/artiststrong to learn more.
I also have several valuable articles on ensuring you have the best feedback experience possible, which I have linked below.
How an artist navigates feedback
How to use feedback to create your best art
3 criteria for high quality feedback for your art
Today’s video is brought to you by, you guessed it, our patreon community The Artist Strong Studio. Your microdonations make a huge difference in my ability to run Artist Strong AND give us an opportunity to build a unique community space for artists seeking to build their skill and develop their unique artist voice.
Join the Artist Strong for a small monthly commitment as low as 1 dollar a month. To learn more visit https://www.patreon.com/ArtistStrong.
A special thank you to current patrons, I couldn’t do this work without your support.
Now it’s your turn:
What helps you assess your art and see it with fresh eyes?
Please like this video and subscribe to our channel and then share your thoughts in the comments below.
Remember: Proudly call yourself artist. We are Artist Strong!
Thanks for watching and see you next time.
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