3 ways to get better at painting
If your paintings aren’t turning out the way you’d like, or if you find watercolor hard to paint with, these 3 tips will help you to take your painting to another level.
1) Learn the “4 rules of realistic watercolor”
Beginner artists are often advised to steer clear of watercolor, because it has a reputation as being difficult to use.
But that reputation isn’t really fair, because when you follow 4 simple rules, you can stay in control of the paint the whole time.
Once you’ve learned this easy watercolor method, you can apply it to any subject.
2) Practice painting what you REALLY see
Learning how to paint what you see is one of the best ways you can improve your artistic skills.
Aiming for realism in your artwork is a great way to do this. If you can spend a few hours a week doing this with instruction, you can train your artistic eye in just a few weeks.
3) Train your eye to see colors like an artist
There’s a difference between seeing colors and observing colors like an artist. In general when we describe colors, we refer to their hue, e.g. “green”. But that’s only half of what makes up their color.
The other aspect of color is tone (also called value). As an artist, tone is more important than hue to get right in your artwork. Understanding color and knowing the difference between value and hue can really help you to improve your artistic skills. It’s possible to train your eye to observe color in a different way. When you do, you’ll start seeing more colors in everything.
Have you tried any of these painting tips? Have they helped you to improve your painting? Do you have any tips to share with other artists? Please leave a comment below.
And if you haven’t tried them yet, sign up for a selection of free full-length classes which will help you to improve your skills.
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Thanks for the Great advice !
Dear Anna .,
thank you for the great free advice.
I really appreciate your help.
All best.
You do beautiful art,and are a good instructor.
Thank you Anna. I found the videos interesting and particularly liked the clean and easy on the text pages here – they’re artistic in their own right. Truth is, I haven’t painted in years but I may yet get back to it. I was pleased to get drawn to watching the vids. Thanks.
Thank you Anna for the clear explanation of how to achieve realistic paintings. I’ve watched many of your brilliant tutorials and attempted quite a few. I first did the pear which I was so pleased how it turned out, I just need to practice and practice to be able to do the technique without following you step by step.. Love your book too by the way.
I learnt so much about painting with my 2 years subscriptions with Anna!
Thank you so much. Your two books are a pleasure to study. It is hard to keep one focus and not try to rush on to the next step. I tell myself – relax, don’t rush (but I do!), enjoy the moment.
Thank you so much your comments really help, I am a beginner with water colours but l8ve the soft finish in the painting 💝
I got so many compliments on my pear. Thank you for the great instructions
thanks for the reminder Anna. I loved learning with you, and it’s great to catch up again
Wonderful 3 explanatory w/c videos
Thank you so much
I love watercolor painting so much and every time I see your name in my email inbox I know I’m in for a treat! Your paintings are amazing. I paint wet on dry for the most part, and I love realism. Your technics have helped me to “see” so much better. After painting for about a year I had people tell me that I picked the hardest painting technic there is. I’m glad I didn’t know that in the beginning or I might not have started at all. I find I’m drawn to painting realistic dogs – I painted my Jack Russell Terrier and she turned out lovely for my first one. Thank you for these 3 shorty videos – so much information packed in a short time!
Anna, Gracias por tu dedicación creando este material es espectacular. con su método he logrado poder obtener buenos resultados en mis pinturas,
Gracias
Anna,
Love these mini inspirational video’s. They are quick and to the point. I really enjoyed them.
Thank you 🌸 Sharon
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