Examples of Batching for Beginner Artists (As Requested)

Ever feel like there’s never enough time to create? Or that the blank canvas stares back at you, daring you to figure out what’s next? Batching might just be the solution you need.

Batching is a strategy artists can employ to make more art more quickly and to help develop ideas and ultimately, our voice.

In today’s video, I’m creating a follow-up to one of my most popular videos: “Why is Batching Important? (And what is Batching?)” that I’ve linked here. I suggest you visit this video first because I’ve created this one in response to requests for more concrete and visual examples of the practice.

Hey there! 👋 I’m Carrie. Here on Artist Strong, I help self-taught artists with home studios who feel stuck with their art move from wondering what’s next to confidently expressing themselves through unique, original art. To date, thousands have joined the community.

👉🏽👉🏽👉🏽 If you feel like gaps in your learning hold you back from making your best art, sign up and watch my workshop, “How to Create Art from Your Imagination.” It’s completely free, and the link is in the description below.

Today, I want to give you two different ways you might consider this strategy in terms of big-picture goals for your art, then dive into examples of how you might use this in your practice.

Two Overall Approaches to Batching

There are two overall approaches I’m talking about today with regard to batching: (1) batching in learning and skill development and (2) batching in the production of artwork.

1. Learning and Skill Development

I heavily encourage students to practice in short, very focused chunks of time and to be specific in what they study. So, for example, I might encourage a student to focus on negative space studies. At the beginning of every studio session, said student shows up and works on negative space studies for 15 minutes before jumping into her actual art. So where is batching involved here?

First off, I would either use a sketchbook or cut a pile of paper all the same size so I waste no time deciding what substrate (another word for surface) to use.

I would decide and collect the materials I wish to explore and apply to this negative space study so they are ready.

And finally, I’d arrange several still lifes, decide which environments I wish to study, or print out a bunch of images I wish to use to practice my still life studies.

All of these individual acts are a form of batching. They set you up to focus on the true task at hand: negative space studies!

By preparing your materials and environment in advance, you can eliminate distractions, save time, and focus purely on your creativity—without getting bogged down by decisions that can disrupt your flow.

And then each time I show up to work on the studies, I have all the tools and paper to just show up and start working rather than motivating myself to set up, deciding what to draw, what to work on, etc.

Now, you can really be focused, and your act of studying this one thing—possibly filling several pages with studies for that time period—is also batching. You get to do more of the same thing with your focused study time, which hopefully builds your observational skills even more quickly.

👉🏽👉🏽👉🏽 I’d love to know how you might incorporate this idea of batching into your skill development and study. Tell me in the comments below, and of course, if you have any questions, please share those too!

I strongly encourage you to look at the research by Anders Ericsson that speaks about skill development to help you thrive and see results more quickly in your practice.

How This Applies to Style

When you have piles of studies and practice sessions documented, this is not only evidence of your effort, but it is filled with information. This is a great opportunity to get feedback from trusted peers or mentors to help you study them.

Do you observe any similarities across your studies? Is there a quality of line or a kind of brushstroke you enjoy and want to consciously use in future work?

You can do this kind of reflection on your own, but it’s much easier with an extra set of eyes on the work.

This is the kind of thing I do inside Self-Taught to Self-Confident, where I guide people through filling in any gaps in their skill so they confidently express themselves through unique, original art.

We regularly look at practice studies and use them to begin to discuss style while you are training your eyes to “see” like an artist.

👉🏽👉🏽👉🏽 If that sounds exciting to you, you can learn more when you sign up for my workshop “How to Create Art from Your Imagination” for free. You’ll enjoy a taste of my teaching, learn more about the program, and get a special 7-day enrollment offer when you sign up. Use the link here or in the comments below.

Ultimately, the only reason I harp on and on about skill development is because for the people I serve best, they want to be confident in their skill so they feel greater permission to show up, take risks, and own the fact they are, indeed, artists. Batching can be a useful tool that helps you make the most of small practice periods I suggest.

This section is for those, too, who felt like batching is only for people who wish to sell or exhibit their art. Batching has many applications, and you get to decide where it works for you and how you might apply it to your art and life.

You don’t have to have long, boring study periods to see results for your art. And batching isn’t only about creating finished art. Batching is one way to help you keep learning quick, fun, and motivating.

2. Production

Another art experience where batching can prove useful is in the production of your art, especially when you are preparing for an art exhibition or sale of work.

In 2019, I prepared for a solo exhibition of my work. It was a series entitled Anonymous Woman, and its goal was to celebrate a group of women documented in the U.S. National Archives for the novelty of their professions—women becoming cabbies and photographers in the 1940s while men were at war. Not a single photograph included their names. So I painted and drew them and gave them names.

I created work of multiple sizes and in multiple media. But here are two examples of me using the concept of batching to help me prepare work for the show. Each individual step is a kind of batching.

First, I would choose my substrates and compositions from the photographs I collected.

Then, I gridded my canvas and images for all of the canvases that were the same size.

Next, I drew my portraits for all of those works:

Then it was time to get out my paint. For these, I created a monochrome underpainting in raw umber and white acrylic. I started by filling in each background of each portrait:

After the canvas was mostly covered with a general layout of my values, I’d go back in and focus on getting all the details correct.

Here is where my batching stops a bit. Once they reach this stage, I let my interest and enthusiasm direct which piece I worked on. Here is where I added color and 23-karat gold leaf.

Once the works were finished, I batched varnishing, mounting, and photographing the finished works, as needed.

In my drawn group of portraits, you can see here I drew them first on bristol board, which I had cut to the same size in a previous batching session. At the end, I mounted them on canvas, and this process was batched as well. (Just for clarity—batching here means mounting all of the drawings at the same time).

Some comments in the previous batching video made batching sound dull or that it takes away your creativity. I beg to differ.

Batching allowed me to realize my vision and finish a group of artworks about a specific topic for presentation by my deadline. And I could still incorporate flexibility by choosing when I worked on specific pieces, how much I worked on one before jumping into another, and so much more.

Even if you only use batching for prepping canvases, photographing, or varnishing your works, this will still help you have more time for the part you really enjoy: making your art!

👉🏽👉🏽👉🏽 How do you already use batching as part of your process? And where might you incorporate batching that you haven’t yet tried? Tell me more in the comments below.

How This Applies to Style

This process allowed me to really dig in and stick with a specific idea and vision for this series of artworks. I was more productive and had more time to explore even more color schemes, compositions, and scales for my Anonymous Women. This allowed me to have a variety of artworks at different price points and offered more visual variety to the exhibition.

It also forced me to keep at my idea and get curious about other ways I could present, celebrate, and give time to these unnamed women. I know it challenged me and pushed me to new levels and ideas with the work. If you are here because you want to grow, learn, and discover new things about your art (and ultimately, yourself), this process can help you lean into the concept and vision you have for your art and take your work to new levels.

While I am an A-type, pragmatic artist who might take batching to levels that don’t interest you, there is opportunity here for you to consider how a bit of structure might help you develop and grow your art.

I have heard too many creatives say something like, “I have to be in the mood to create.”

Or, “I finally have time but stare at a blank canvas, wondering what to do.”

The process of batching offers a way out of this. While creating a habit of regular, focused study, you will create a unique, original body of work. And you will become a more confident artist as a result.

Imagine showing up to your studio and feeling calm, knowing everything is ready for you to start. Batching doesn’t just save time; it can also save you from that nagging sense of overwhelm. 

Ready to take your art to the next level? Start by batching just one small part of your process this week. Whether it’s organizing your materials or planning your next study session, you’ll be amazed at how much more productive and creative you can become. Remember, the journey to mastering your art begins with a single, well-batched step!

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As always, thanks so much for watching. Remember: proudly call yourself an artist.

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