Hi, I'm Paul. If you're learning to draw and paint, I've got some good news for you: You can do it.
You don't need to spend a small fortune on books.
You don't need to spend thousands on academic training.
You don't need a box full of esoteric materials.
You can teach yourself. I'm doing it, and I want to help you to do it too.
You do have to be prepared to practice, regularly, and in the right way. Positive, effective practice. That's what this site is about.
The Only Composition Rule You'll Ever Need to Learn
Composition makes or breaks a picture, so we often hear.
I wouldn't disagree. The more I practice composition and the more I become sensitive to it, the more I realise the truth of that.
But frankly, if you want to go about improving your compositions, you'll probably struggle to find an effective way forwards.
Why?
Designing Nature: A Series of Composition Exercises - Part Two
When we learn something new, our brains change. They physically change.
Every time we practice, new connections are formed between neurons. Existing connections are strengthened.
So we want to make sure we're building and strengthening connections that are useful to us; positive connections that will help us progress and improve.
Designing Nature: A Series of Composition Exercises - Part One
Regular, consistent practice is the only way to build any skill. That's as true for design and composition as it is anything else.
That's not news to musicians, who happily spend the majority of their time at their instrument practising. Most of what they produce, an audience never hears.
Why is that approach so rare for visual artists?
Perhaps you think that design is one of those skills that you're just born with. If you do, then frankly, you may as well stop reading. I write for people who believe they can get better with practice, and who are willing to commit their time to that belief.
If that's you, then I think I've got something for you
How to Improve Your Compositions in 1,366 Easy Steps
For a long time now, I've been publishing the results of my drawing and painting practice here.
People sometimes tell me I'm very hard working. They tell me I have a strong work ethic. Sometimes they say I must have a lot of will power.
But words like 'will power' and 'work ethic' suggest that you have to force yourself to do something, to make yourself keep going, and force is a form of violence.
In my experience, that's not the best way to make a hole in the stone.
Read MoreThree Reasons Taking an Art Course Might be a Good Idea After All
Have you done an art course you thought was really worth-while?.
My last post, Why You Don't Need Another Art Course, ruffled a feather or two.
I make no secret of the fact that I'm self-taught. In fact I'm proud of it.
But perhaps I should have realised that some people might be a bit put out by my suggestion that there might be a better way to learn - particularly people who offer courses themselves!
Read MoreWhy You Don't Need Another Art Course
I get quite a lot of emails from people who want to learn to draw and paint better, but just don't know where to start.
It's a problem I identify with, one I've had to overcome myself.
The obvious answer is "go and do a course". But that's not always the right one. Truth be told, I think it's rarely the right one. I'd like to offer you another option, one that might well be much more useful to you in the long run.
Read MoreHow to Practise Every Day, Effortlessly
If you struggle to keep up with practising your drawing and painting, this post is for you.
Regular practice will improve your work far more than any book, famous artist's demo DVD or course. We all know that.
But let's face it, it's not easy, not for any of us. That said, there are more and less effective ways to approach practice. With the right approach, you can take the pain out practising regularly and make it much, much easier to sustain it. This post will tell you how.
Read MoreAn Effective Practice Exercise to Develop Your Composition Skills
According to Carol Dweck (who's book Mindset I heartily recommend), there are two basic mind sets with which people approach their lives: The fixed mind set and the growth mind set.
People with the fixed mind set think that you have a natural set of abilities that you start with, and you can't do much about them either way.
People with the growth mind set believe that you can improve through applied effort. You can develop your skills in just about any area of life through practice... Read More
Why Perfectionism is Holding You Back (And What To Do About It)
Is too much perfectionism stopping you from making progress?
And if it were, how would you know?
Perfectionism is one of the most pervasive problems that budding artists suffer from. I know because I get a lot of emails from people who single it out as an issue for them. If you think you might be affected by too much perfectionism, rest assured: You're not alone.
A Powerful Way To Improve Your Compositions You (Probably) Haven't Tried
What do planets, fractals and migrating birds all have in common?
They all follow patterns.
We know they do because we notice patterns in the world around us. In fact, our predilection for finding patterns seems so strong that we find them even where none exist.
What does that have to do with composition?
I've been practising with pattern in order to improve my compositions, and I think it's working.
I think it can improve your compositions too... Read More
Principles of Composition: Opposition and Transition
"Fine Art, by its very name, implies fine relations. Art study is the attempt to perceive and to create fine relations of line, mass and colour."
So begins chapter three of Composition by Arthur Wesley Dow, and it couldn't be clearer: For Dow, visual art and its study is purely about creating harmony and beauty through design.
This post is the third in a series on the book Composition, which I'm using for my regular composition practice... Read More
