Learning to See

Inspiration and practical advice for aspiring realist artists

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Why We’re Forgetting How to See – And What To Do About It

January 14, 2015 By: Paul20 Comments

The Internet scares me. Through it, I’ve reached and connected with a larger group of people like me, of artists working to improve their skills, than I could have ever thought possible. I’ve learned a huge amount about art and approaches to practice that I would have struggled to learn otherwise. But the Internet still

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On Fresh Starts – and Learning to Ride a Bike

January 1, 2015 By: Paul5 Comments

I’m teaching our five-year old son, Luc, to ride his new bike (a Christmas present from his grandma and granddad). Here’s how we approach it: We begin at the top of a steep hill. He climbs on, and I give him a hard push. He has to hang on and try not to fall off.

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Habit Change for Artists – Leo Babauta of Zen Habits

November 27, 2014 By: Paul4 Comments

A few days ago I had the priviledge of firing a few questions at Leo Babauta of Zen Habits. For several years, Leo has been writing one of the most useful blogs on the Internet (for my money) about habit change. In this interview, Leo talks about habit change with specific reference to artists and

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Six Simple Drawing Projects to Help You Learn The Right Things

September 25, 2014 By: Paul9 Comments

Photo by Maura One of the most common things I hear from people is that they feel the need of a structure to their practice. They feel that they’re just thrashing around aimlessly without learning anything. It’s a good question: Which building blocks do you need? And how do you need to combine them to

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Why Drawing is a Kind of Meditation

August 26, 2014 By: Paul28 Comments

Japanese calligraphy (called Shodo) exists somewhere between art and meditation. The lines between drawing and writing are equally blurred. The word Sho can mean to write, to draw or to paint. There is perhaps little real difference between them, for us too. The part of the word Shodo that interests me most, though, is the

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Perfect Imperfection

July 6, 2014 By: Paul14 Comments

This morning, drawing jasmine leaves, I noticed my attention following all the beautiful little imperfections of their outlines. Two of the leaves don’t seem to join properly to the stem. The outline of one leaf is disturbed by a crease. My drawing of it, too, is full of imperfections. Earlier this morning, I drew my

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How To Take the Frustration out of Drawing Practice

June 22, 2014 By: Paul41 Comments

For a lot of people, practice is frustrating. After all, you know where you want to be; you want to be drawing and painting really well. At least, better than you do now. You might even have particular artists in mind whose level of accomplishment you’d like to be able to emulate. It’s just that

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Three Ways Brain Science Can Help You Draw Better

January 15, 2014 By: Paul13 Comments

Ultimately, I believe we all teach ourselves. Taking classes can be helpful because it can help motivate you and give you a structure, removing barriers to practice. But you need to be actively engaged. Just turning up doesn’t guarantee you’ll make any progress. How effective a class is will also depend on how well it

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A Simple Guide to Drawing More in 2014

January 1, 2014 By: Paul12 Comments

It’s that time again – New Year’s resolution time. That time of year when we get to sacrifice our self esteem on the altar of failed commitments. Does that seem a little pessimistic? Or, let’s be honest with ourselves, perhaps just realistic. There are few feelings more toxic to your spirit than the disappointment that

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Five Reasons You Should Accept My Daily Drawing Challenge

October 2, 2013 By: Paul9 Comments

“Practice means to perform, over and over again in the face of all obstacles, some act of vision, of faith, of desire. Practice is a means of inviting the perfection desired.” – Martha Graham, dancer and choreographer. There’s something about sharing a struggle that makes it easier. There’s something about sharing a struggle that unites

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Hi, I’m Paul

I'm a (mostly) self-taught artist. I paint realism in oils, mostly still life. I share my work, my evolving process and what knowledge I've gained on my own learning journey here, in the hope that it might help you on yours.
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