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The 35 Mile Pencil Problem

learning how to draw

I read an article that said a pencil can write 35 miles.

35 miles! I’m sure that can’t be true. 

But the idea got me thinking about how keen we are to judge our drawing efforts before we’ve had time to develop our skills.

Many people give up on drawing after just a few attempts, declaring, “I can’t draw” or “I have no natural talent.” way too early on in the actual drawing practice.

That’s like judging your fitness level after a week of walking around the block, so it’d be easy to do a couple of drawings that don’t quite work out.

Drawing, like any skill, takes time and practice to develop.

A method that can help is to look at a non-emotional record of progress. It can help you keep calm and not critically self-assess your work until you’ve done a much larger body of work.

In the beginner’s drawing course, I recommend hiding your first attempts in an envelope to look back on in the future. 

When progress in developing any skill is incremental, it can be helpful to have clear times to have a check-in on how things are going and to look back and see what has improved.

35 miles is a lot of shading; that’s 1,000s of contours and a bucket load of erasers!

My proposal in the last post was to try a personal New Year creative experiment.

Just one format, one medium, one subject.

I’ve been focusing on portrait structure, and anatomy with pencil on paper.

Morning Sketches from Jan 2025

Morning Sketches from Jan 2025

Morning Sketches from Jan 2025

There’s a whole story and a whole journey that would have come out of one pencil.

Not only do I remember the sketches that went well, but lots of smudging, erasing and relooking. I also remember how the sun was streaming in through the studio window when I sat down to do the third sketch and the croissant I was going to buy after my practice.

If you’re drawing with pen and ink, put a little pot on the side for empty ink cartridges. 

Keep a bin for used-up paint tubes – not to judge the work but to celebrate a dedication to practice. I think it’s a nice idea just to think in terms of evidence; every artist’s journey is made up of these small records.

Ready to start your own artistic journey? My Absolute Beginners Drawing Course is designed specifically for people who think they “can’t draw.” Through proven techniques, you’ll discover that anyone can learn to draw – including you.

You can learn more about the course here:  Absolute Beginners Drawing Course

Continue ReadingThe 35 Mile Pencil Problem

How to actually achieve your painting goals in 2025

The Importance of Choosing

True freedom lies in consciously choosing what matters most and letting go of the rest. For overthinkers, this can feel impossible.

The Reality Check

Eight days into the new year, my paints and sketchpad are still on the shelf.

Things have been “busy.”

You know how it goes: catching up on YouTube videos, checking my macros, meeting friends. But in the back of my mind, I’ve been thinking about what I want to make next… a lot.

Some would call it overthinking.

The list of things I want to do grows endless: Sargent-inspired portraits, still life studies with just a biro, square landscape paintings of Cornwall, epic wide-angle views of Scotland, and a new watercolour course.

I procrastinate, and before I’ve even begun, I have lost some momentum in executing these ‘amazing’ ideas.

Understanding Resistance

In Steven Pressfield’s “The War of Art,” he talks about ‘resistance’ – that mysterious force that stops us from doing what we should be doing. Every creative experiences it. As Pressfield writes:

“Fear tells us what we have to do. Remember our rule of thumb: The more scared we are of a work or calling, the more sure we can be that we have to do it. Resistance is experienced as fear; the degree of fear equates to the strength of Resistance.” – Steven Pressfield, the War of Art

Understanding that happiness, contentment, and calm come from overcoming resistance helps you take steps to work through it.

The Overthinking Trap

I tend to get stuck in the weeds – I analyse framing options before drawing the first line, think about international shipping fees before getting my first order, and research every camera and printer option on the market before deciding which painting to turn into a print.

These tendencies can be fantastic for idea generation or interdisciplinary thinking, but what they’re not so good at is a focus.

The (self-inflicted) pressure to ‘specialize’ can mean it’s easier not to paint anything for fear of painting the wrong thing.

A Solution: Pick One

Here’s my proposal for a personal New Year creative experiment, and I invite you to try it yourself:

Pick one.

Just one format, one medium, one subject.

The key is knowing that you’re not abandoning all other ideas – they’re just waiting their turn. This might feel a little uncomfortable as your ego jumps in to say, ‘You could do more’.

When you’re painting, the goal is an appreciation for those fleeting moments of pure creation.

Sometimes, the bravest thing we can do is to simply begin.

If you’re looking for a course that has one image, one path, you might enjoy the following single project courses:

Modern Still Life
Cornish Seascape
How to Paint a Monet Landscape

Continue ReadingHow to actually achieve your painting goals in 2025

How to Paint Looser: Mastering Brushwork Techniques for Impressionist Art

One of the most common messages I receive, is from beginners, asking if they ‘need to loosen up.’

Sometimes they do, sometimes they don’t.

Painting in a loose, impressionistic style has the allure of freedom and artistic and personal expression. But when you’re thinking about your drawing, composition, and colour mixing, achieving fluid and expressive brushwork feels elusive.

So, what can you do to practice? How can you keep a balance between realism and looseness?

The key to looser brushwork lies in mastering the subtleties of your tools and learning how to let go of unnecessary precision.

The 1 Reason Most People Fail at Brushwork

Continue ReadingHow to Paint Looser: Mastering Brushwork Techniques for Impressionist Art

How to Price Your Art: A Beginner’s Guide to Selling Your First Painting

how to price your art in gallery frame

There is nothing more daunting to a beginner artist than the question, “How much do you charge?”

Putting a price on your artwork can make your stomach drop, trigger imposter syndrome, and cause you to get flustered.

The idea of selling your work can sometimes lead to giving your paintings away for free, convincing yourself that the ‘exposure’ will bring future commissions.

With this in mind, I wanted to share my experiences with the emotions that can hold you back, the factors that influence the value of your art, and how to develop a pricing strategy. Hopefully, this will give you the clarity and confidence you need so you’ll be prepared the next time someone asks about your prices!

Continue ReadingHow to Price Your Art: A Beginner’s Guide to Selling Your First Painting

How to Make a Better Stay-Wet Palette

acrylic stay-wet palette

Morning Class,

This week, I came across an interesting article on ‘Just Paint’ (Golden Paints Blog), which I thought I’d share with you.

It looks at the common problem of acrylic paints becoming over-diluted when stored in a stay-wet palette and tests the Masterson’s Sta-wet Palette, it’s absorbent sponge, with Golden Wetting Agent.

(The Wetting Agent was previously called ‘Acrylic Flow Release’)

I find using a stay-wet palette really helpful when my acrylics dry too quickly in the studio.

I’ll often premix colours on a tear-off palette and transfer the paint piles into a stay-wet palette. It acts as a loading bay where I can keep my acrylic mixes workable for a few days.

Continue ReadingHow to Make a Better Stay-Wet Palette

NEW Acrylic Peony Course is Live!

Morning Class,

I’ve just finished making my NEW acrylic still life painting course, whoo hoo!

This time, the subject is a single-stem peony inspired by its layers of ruffled petals and delicate colour palette. I’m running a launch-week offer!

You might feel intimidated by the complexity of painting peonies, struggle with basic drawing techniques, lack confidence in your colour-mixing skills, or are unsure of how to start.

Don’t worry; I’ve got you covered!

This is a self-paced, downloadable video course. I’m excited to guide you through creating the delicate details of a peony in an impressionist style.

I demonstrate this with acrylics, but you can easily follow along with water-mixable oils or traditional oils.

  • Simple drawing
  • Clear instructions
  • A limited colour palette – 5 main colours
  • Reference Images with Drawing Guide
  • Materials List
  • Lifetime Access
  • One-time payment

Click here for details on How to Paint a Peony 

Have a fantastic week,

Cheers,
Will

Continue ReadingNEW Acrylic Peony Course is Live!

How to Paint a Realistic Landscape (With Only 4 Colours)

Morning Class,

Last week, we explored Carlson’s theory on angles, and I received an interesting comment from a reader asking how complicated it would be to apply the principles to colour.

“I especially love black and white painting.  I’m looking forward to trying this.  How does it work then with colour?  Seems it could get quite complicated.” – Laura

Well, it’s simpler than you might think!

I thought it would be handy to demonstrate painting trees using just four colour mixes. I’m using water-mixable oils, but you can follow along with acrylics or traditional oils too.

Continue ReadingHow to Paint a Realistic Landscape (With Only 4 Colours)

Acrylic Landscape Painting Techniques – Carlson’s Theory of Angles

As a beginner landscape painter, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the vastness of nature and the complexity of capturing it on canvas. But when you break down the scene into shapes, values and planes, you can instantly improve the sense of depth and realism.

In last week’s post, we looked at the theory of angles and how they relate to a landscape.

This week, we’re going to put the theory into practice.

By stripping away the colour, it will be easier to see how the value relationships work in our subject.

Materials you will need:

  • 4 x 4-inch or 6 x 6-inch square canvas board or canvas paper
  • Neutral Grey Acrylics (Golden Paints)
  • Titanium White Acrylic
  • Palette Knife
  • Round Brush. Rosemary & Co, Size 4, Series 344
  • Square brush. Rosemary & Co,  Size 12, Series 302
  • Pencil or Acrylic marker to draw out.
Continue ReadingAcrylic Landscape Painting Techniques – Carlson’s Theory of Angles

Beginner Landscape Painting Concepts – The Theory of Angles

In this lesson, I want to show you how to start recognising light and dark relationships in a landscape.

Once you ‘see’ how the light falls on the main masses, such as the ground, trees, and mountains, painting the values accurately will be much easier.

I first encountered this simplification of the Four Planes of Landscape Painting in Carlson’s 1929 book ‘Carlson’s Guide to Landscape Painting’.

Continue ReadingBeginner Landscape Painting Concepts – The Theory of Angles

Hue, Value, Chroma – The 3 Keys to Colour Mixing

I’ve found most people overcomplicate colour mixing.

Especially warm and cool colours.

So, here’s a super handy chart from Golden Paints I thought might help.

Download the chart here: https://goldenhub.goldenpaints.com/storage/uploads/cool-to-warm-order-for-golden-heavy-body-acrylics.pdf

This chart helps with ‘HUE’

One of the 3 keys to colour mixing.

1.Hue

Hue refers to the base pigment of a colour, which is what most people think of when they hear the word “colour.”

Let’s say we’re trying to mix this colour:

Step One: Make your first best guess from the tube colours you’ve already got. Select a tube to try. I’m going to try Cadmium Red Medium.

Step Two: Add white to reveal its undertone and colour bias.

Then, you can focus on whether you need to go warmer or cooler.

Step Three: Look at the colour chart and find the pigment you started with.

I need to go cooler.

I don’t have any Cadmium Medium Hue, so I’ve gone for Naphthol Red Medium.

napthol-red-medium

Step Four: Check your new mix. It’s better, but it’s still not there. Let’s go cooler.

I don’t have any Primary Magenta, so I’ve jumped to Quinacridone Red.

Getting much closer, but I’ve noticed there are some cooler tones in the shadows.

I’ve got a Quinacridone Magenta from Winsor & Newton. Let’s try that.

Too far.

It’s gone to cool and needs to be warmed up.

Step five: Combine your colours.

By mixing the Quinocridone Magenta with the Quinocridone Red, I can create a colour that better matches the range of hues in the flowers.

The key to success?

With every mix you make, think about the warmth and coolness of the colour in relation to other colours in its family. Then, you will be much closer with your mixes.

If you don’t have as many colours, you can still learn about your different pigments by making swatch scales and adding white to your pigments.

Bonus: You can check your ability to judge HUE with this Colour Challenge and Hue Test

You have to rearrange the squares as the HUE changes.

Zero is the best score you’re after.

2. Value

VALUE is sometimes also called TONE, and it refers to the lightness or darkness of a colour.

Observing value is one of the core elements in creating depth, mood, and visual interest. It gives your drawing form and solidity and plays an integral part in your paintings.

Not recognising the importance of the value structure will unintentionally create a struggle in your art. It will make colour mixing harder, your compositions won’t work, and your paintings can look amateurish.

value-scale

The great thing is you already know what you’re looking for.

When you draw, you think in value

When you draw, you’re already thinking in value. Drawing is making sense of a coloured image and turning it black and white.
The problem is, colour lures you in.

How light is this yellow? (Detail of Wheatfield by Vincent Van Gogh)

Because it’s bright, you’d think it is light.

Say whaaat? Why is it so dark?

All Colours have a Base Value

Each yellow pigment will have an inherent lightness.

In this range of yellows, Cadmium Yellow Primrose is the lightest.

Cadmium Yellow Primrose
Cadmium Yellow Light
Cadmium Yellow Medium
Cadmium Yellow Dark

In black and white, they still appear relatively close in value.

In this range of yellows, the inherent value is darker.

You can see the difference most clearly when you compare the Raw Sienna to the Cadmium Yellow Primrose.

Wheatfield, Vincent Van Gogh

Here’s the whole painting. Notice how Van Gogh has created different varieties and focus throughout the piece just by utilising the different values of the yellows, from the darker Raw Sienna yellows on the right-hand side to the lighter Primrose yellows in the centre.

When we focus on the value, it’s easier to see how the majority of the colours are within the darker end of the value scale.

All Values are Relative

Just as with one colour appearing warmer or cooler depending on what colour it is placed next to, the same is true with value.

And that’s why it can be so hard to judge.

In this Wheatfield painting by Van Gogh, the yellows appears bright and light. However, when viewed in isolation, they are a darker value.

This doesn’t seem right. Why do the central yellows appear brighter?
They appear brighter because they are surrounded by darker colours.

This is called ‘simultaneous lightness contrast.’

The two central squares above are the same colour. And the same value.

But the square surrounded by black appears lighter, just like the yellows in the Van Gogh painting.

How can you start to develop your ‘value vision’?

Closing your eyes can help.

If you look at your subject/reference and painting so they are within the same frame. Then close your eyes.
Slowly open your eyes until you identify the first lightest shape.

Does it match what you’re painting?

Does the hazy image look the same lightness and shape?

You’re trying to see the most basic value structure of your subject into tonal masses. These simple masses with hold the structure of your painting together.

Once you get accustomed to this technique you can then practice ‘squinting down’ from when your eyes are open.

You don’t always need a wide value range

When you’re composing a painting, it doesn’t always have to be high contrast (wide value range)

Here’s a second Wheatfield painting by Van Gogh.

Wheatfield with a Reaper, Vincent Van Gogh

You can see the figure in the wheatfield due to the difference in colour.

Notice how the figure practically disappears when I’ve turned the painting black and white.

The values of the yellows within this painting are mostly a mid value.

Here are 3 yellow swatches.

To mix the darkest swatch, we can look for a yellow pigment with a similar value.
I’m using Yellow Ochre.

Then add a touch of Raw Umber to darken it. (If you have Raw Sienna that will be very close straight from the tube)

Then I lighten the mix by adding some Hansa Yellow Light.

For the lightest mix I add a touch of Titanium White and a little more Hansa Yellow Light.

The key to success?

With every mix you make, think about the lightness and darkness. How would you approach it if drawing in black and white?

I use a grey scale value strip also called a tonal strip, to help me.

It goes from black to white, with each ‘step’ having a number for easy reference. I print it out and make hole punches through each value square.

I can use those as a viewfinder to judge tonal values in a reference image.

When that colour just about ‘disappears’ into one of the grey values on my strip, I know that would be the closest value to check my paint mix against.

Notice how numbers 4, 5 and 7 match the swatches.

When you’re aware of HUE and VALUE, there is one missing piece to the puzzle.

3. Chroma

Chroma originates from the Greek word “khrōma,” which means “colour”.

It describes the saturation, or purity of a colour, how dull or intense it is.

In the series of swatches above, Green 1 has the highest chroma. The chroma reduces as the ratio of grey increases, with 10 being a neutral grey.

3 shades of grey

When I talk about ‘neutral grey’, I’m describing a grey that doesn’t shift towards warm or cool.

You don’t need to always add grey to lower the Chroma.

If you think of chroma as a purity of colour, Cadmium Yellow Light, straight from the tube, has a high chroma.

If you mix in any another lower chroma pigment, you will reduce the chroma.

By adding a lower chroma red (Cadmium Red Medium) to the higher Chroma Yellow (Cadmium Yellow Light) we have lowered the chroma by using colour, rather than a neutral grey.

Are you still with me? it’s a lot of Chroma’s

All pigments have a Chroma Value

Just like colours have different tonal values, they also have different chroma values.

Here’s a range of colours on a scale of light to dark.

But which one has the highest chroma?


When in grayscale, it doesn’t show us the chroma intensity, just the lightness or darkness (value)

This colour has the highest chroma in the range.

How do I know? I look for which colour had the most pure intensity, the richest more purest pigment. All the white based colours or the earth colours take away the purity.

How does this help you in your painting?

If you can judge the chroma of the scene, you can select appropriate pigments that have a matching chromatic range.

Here’s a painting by Anton Mauve.

Morning Ride along the Beach, Anton Mauve, 1876

It reads as a bright morning at the beach, with clear blue skies.

That should be vivid and high chroma?

But when we take colour swatches from the painting, look how dull they are.

Actually, all low chroma colours.

What would happen if you boosted the saturation of the colours?

You can see in the swatches, all of the colours now have more saturation, but the painting has a completely different feel.

You might love, super intense, vivid colours or prefer subdued, subtle mixes. There is no right or wrong answer, it’s more of a case of looking at the style of paintings that you’re trying to create and matching the chromatic qualities.

4 methods for lowering chroma

There are 4 main ways to reduce chroma (apart from adding white)

  1. Add a lower chromatic version of the colour
  2. Add a complementary colour
  3. Add a neutral grey
  4. Add a black

Each method will give you slightly different results depending on the pigments you use.

In the example above, I’ve started with high chroma Cadmium Orange on the top row, and added different ratios of colours to reduce the intensity.

I’ve added Burnt Umber as a lower chromatic version of the colour.
I’ve added Ultramarine Blue as a complementary colour
I’ve added Neutral Grey as a Grey
I’ve added Mars Black for a Black

Note how the different mixes all look very similar in the low chroma oranges, even with different pigments.

Each method has pros and cons. The main thing to be aware of is the colour bias of the particular pigment you are going to use, how it shifts, and how it affects other colours.

The key to success?

Observing and experimenting.

You won’t truly understand how a pigment behaves until you try it with paint.

Find a painting you like and experiment with choosing a colour palette.

If you only have a few colours, see how far you can push them, or try to find a subject that already fits with the colours you have.

Note how colours change under different lighting conditions and how the highest chroma isn’t always in the lights.

Start to look at objects and try to guess the highest chroma areas. When you’re aware of it you’ll start to train your eyes to notice more.

I really hope you found this helpful; if you’d like to learn more about colour mixing and how to put the theory into practice, you might enjoy the simple colour mixing course.

I demonstrate this with acrylics, but the same principles apply to oils.

Here is a PDF Download of the Hue, Value Chroma Article.

Continue ReadingHue, Value, Chroma – The 3 Keys to Colour Mixing

How to Paint a Still Life in Water-Mixable Oils (Step-by-Step Tutorial)

Oil on Board, 10 x 8 Inch, Will Kemp

I love cake.

I love paint.

Lets’s paint some cake!

This epic coffee and walnut cake is from Tate Britain café I sampled after the Singer Sargent Exhibition. Painted with the equally buttery cobra oil paint water-mixable oil paint, but the techniques would equally apply to painting with acrylics or traditional oils.

I hope it brings as much warmth to your day as the cake brought to mine!

Continue ReadingHow to Paint a Still Life in Water-Mixable Oils (Step-by-Step Tutorial)

Woven Stories – Singer Sargent and Fashion Exhibition review

sargent and fashion exhibition london

Thursday was a day of art & indulgence.

Walking through Chelsea, I kicked off the adventure at Birley Bakery with a delectable almond croissant, crispy golden-brown pastry, toasty warm out the oven and the sweet almond paste within.

Baked goods in hand, I was on the search for John Singer Sargent’s former home and studio.

Outside Birley Bakery in Chelsea.

Sargent (1856–1925) is known for his fabulous brushwork.

He painted portraits of society families, powerful art collectors or theatrical performers draped in satin, lace and rich velvets. He contrasted bolder, impressionist brushstrokes on the fabrics with a lightness of touch on the features.

Born in Florence in 1856 to American parents, he lived in several European countries as a child before shaping his artistic reputation in Paris. (You can see a portrait of his tutor in the article: Singer Sargent & Friends)

In 1886, Sargent settled in London at the centre of society with an accomplished circle of friends that included Henry James, Claude Monet and James Abbott McNeil Whistler.

Continue ReadingWoven Stories – Singer Sargent and Fashion Exhibition review

How to Draw a 10 Minute Seascape Sketch

Morning class,

I thought I’d share with you a little seascape sketch that I did the other day.

It’s filmed in real-time, so you can actually see how long I take and how my decision process works when drawing.

You’ll see moments when I pause and reconsider what pens to start with and what pens I end up finishing with. You also see me having a cup of tea throughout the sketch because sometimes, just having a brew will give you that little bit of contemplation time to decide what to focus on next.

If you haven’t got 10 minutes to watch it all, I’ve also made a shorter 60 seconds edited version on YouTube shorts (and a 90-second one on Instagram)

Watch along in real-time as I sketch the shoreline of Porthminster beach, St Ives, Cornwall

60-second version below:

Sketching Pens, from Left to Right: Pentel Aquash Pen, Lamy Safari Fountain Pen, Liquitex paint marker, Pentel brush pen, Muji 0.5mm gel pen.

Continue ReadingHow to Draw a 10 Minute Seascape Sketch

5 Books That Helped Me See More Opportunities With My Art, Gain Control Over Procrastination, and Live a More Creative Life.

“Making art is dangerous and revealing. Making art precipitates self-doubt, stirring deep waters that lay between what you know you should be, and what you fear you might be.”- Art & Fear

Yesterday afternoon, I found myself lost in a maze of handwritten notes about books I’d enjoyed and was excited to recommend.

Twenty minutes in, an article about Da Vinci piqued my interest, so I moved to the comfy sofa to fully concentrate. An endeavour that culminated in me falling asleep.

Ironically, I’d sat down to share the secrets of avoiding procrastination, mastering time management, boosting art sales, and living a more creative life – but I had gotten distracted.

That said, reading about Leonardo was not only fascinating but enlightening.

Architect, engineer, scientist, sculptor and painter. His first job was as a theatrical producer and set designer, teaching him tricks with perspective that he carried on through into his paintings.

The Last Supper, Leonardo Da Vinci, Tempera on Gesso, c.1495-1498

Notice the viewpoint and how the angle or perspective of the table top has been shifted very slighlty towards us to reveal more of the surface but still sits comfortably within the composition, I’d never really noticed this before.

If you wanted ideas, he was your man.

Leonardo’s interests were broad, and new subjects compelled him so intensely that he usually left projects unfinished, which meant working with him was a nightmare. Clients would avoid relying on him because he couldn’t be trusted to finish.

“to urge Leonardo the Florentine to finish the work on the Refectory of the Grazie, which he has begun, in order to attend afterwards to the other wall of the Refectory of the Grazie; and that agreements to which he has subscribed by his hand be fulfilled, which shall oblige him to finish the work within the time that shall be agreed upon with him.” From Leonardo by Martin Kemp

He spent most of his time observing nature or pondering on scientific theories. In his defence, he was just getting interested in other more captivating subjects, like how to fly or understanding human anatomy.

Really, he was just being curious, which is making me feel a lot more soothed about my limited attention span.

“In addition to his instinct for discerning patterns across disciplines, Leonardo honed two other traits that aided his scientific pursuits: an omnivorous curiosity, which bordered on the fanatical, and an acute power of observation, which was eerily intense.” –  Walter Isaacson, Leonardo Da Vinci

So, after reading (or revisiting) over 20 books in 2023, here is a list of 5 books that have sparked my curiosity and given me some ideas and principles I’ve tried to adopt in my daily routines.

Live a More Creative Life

  1. The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity by Julia Cameron

“But do you know how old I will be by the time I learn to really play the piano / act / paint / write a decent play?” Yes . . . the same age you will be if you don’t.”
Julia Cameron, The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity

The Artist’s Way is laid out as a 12-week program to get back in touch with your creative self, with exercises, activities, and insights that help you overcome creative blocks and discover your true potential as an artist. Ever heard of ‘morning pages’? This book will show you how this simple practice can revolutionize your creativity and bring clarity to your life.

I read this book as an art student and can’t remember finishing the whole 12-week course, but I adopted two key practices that I use to this day.

  • Morning Pages
  • Artists’ Dates

Morning pages are so handy to stop your mind whirring over issues. The practice is to write freehand using a pen and paper, three pages of a train of thought. No editing, no re-reading, no punctuation. Just pure free-flowing words. If you’ve been tied to your keyboard, writing longhand for three pages can seem to take ages.

Your handwriting might not be able to keep up with the speed of your thoughts, but it can be very beneficial. Just getting any ideas, worries, or frustrations down on a page has a really therapeutic effect.

You’re not looking for solutions; you don’t re-read to try and discover your problems; you just write. The process is the cure.

I also love the concept of ‘Artist Dates’.

If you want to feel inspired, you need to book a date with yourself to go to an event, a museum, or a show. Preferably on your own (although I often bend the rules a bit and go with Vanessa)

So check your calendar for the next month. Where are you going to get inspired?

Making a date, actually going to a museum, going to a bookshop, going to these things on your own rather than with friends is the key; otherwise, you tend to end up just going for a coffee….( erm…I can confirm that is mostly true but we still had fun)

Face the fear of creating your art

2. Art & Fear: Observations on the Perils (And Rewards of Artmaking) By David Bayles and Ted Orland

“What separates artists from ex-artists is that those who challenge their fears, continue; those who don’t, quit. In large measure becoming an artist consists of learning to accept yourself, which makes your work personal, and in following your own voice, which makes your work distinctive.” – David Bayles & Ted Orland, Art & Fear

This book is particularly helpful if you went to art college but haven’t quite fulfilled that potential that you dreamed about whilst quaffing ale in the student union. It looks into the fears we all face – fear of failure, not being good enough, or not being understood. The authors, both artists themselves, share personal stories and advice on their own art journeys.

One key thing that beginners often get hung up on is their own style. If you’re searching for your style and have trouble thinking you’ll never find a unique voice. The exciting thing is that your unique voice is just by being you! Yay.

It’s a short read with motivational insights. The Artist Way is a slower-burn 12-week program; this feels like a little motivational boost when you need it.

“To all viewers but yourself, what matters is the product: the finished artwork. To you, and you alone, what matters is the process.” – David Bayles & Ted Orland, Art & Fear

Make Time for Your Art

How do you control your attention to focus on what matters in a world that’s trying to distract you from living the creative life you dream about?

These next books help you to make time, appreciate the dedication needed for deep artistic work and prevent yourself from becoming distracted from the task at hand.

3. Make Time: How to Focus on What Matters Every Day By Jake Knapp & John Zeratsky

“What Will Be the Highlight of Your Day?
We want you to begin each day by thinking about what you hope will be the bright spot. If, at the end of the day, someone asks you, “What was the highlight of your day?” what do you want your answer to be? When you look back on your day, what activity or accomplishment or moment do you want to savor? That’s your Highlight.

Your Highlight is not the only thing you’ll do each day. After all, most of us can’t ignore our inboxes or say no to our bosses. But choosing a Highlight gives you a chance to be proactive about how you spend your time, instead of letting technology, office defaults, and other people set your agenda.” – Make Time by Jake Knapp & John Zeratsky

‘Make Time’ is helpful if you’re struggling with finding time for your art. Juggling your schedule with your passions and everything else can roll into one. The authors both used to work at Google, and they have some great frameworks on how to prioritize your day. They also talk about social media and ‘infinity pools’. Apps that can continue to show you an exorbitant amount of things to distract you from what you want to get done.

The two main methods I use from the book are:

  • Daily Highlight
  • Time Timer

Illustration from: Make Time by Jake Knapp & John Zeratsky

I’ve found the daily highlight is a great way to be able to set a focus for the day that you’re excited about, but you know you can achieve without getiing into the minutiae of the to-do list. It’s also a great way to remember what happens on a daily basis, especially if things are super busy. (Another good method for this is ‘homework for life‘ by Matthew Dicks from the book Storyworthy)

My brothers and sisters often laugh at the other method I use.

It’s a timer.

Meant for and used by kids.

And I love it!

You turn the dial, and the red wedge gets progressively smaller as the timer runs down.

I have it on my desk, and I can quickly glance at how long I’ve been working rather than checking an app on my phone and getting drawn down another path! If you want to draw for 10 minutes, set a timer. See if you can answer your emails in 20 minutes and still have time for painting in the hour; set a timer.

It’s not for everyone; Vanessa often tidied it away when it first arrived because, for her, there was no conceivable reason why anyone would need it. And apart from anything else, it was ruining the look of the new coffee table.

But if you find yourself jumping from task to task and not fully concentrating on what you set out to do, it might be worth a go!

Beat Procrastination

4. Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life by Nir Eyal

You can start to see a theme with my procrastination!

‘Ten-minute rule’. If I find myself wanting to check my phone as a pacification device when I can’t think of anything better to do, I tell myself it’s fine to give in, but not right now, I have to wait just ten minutes.” – Nir Eyal, Indistractable

What I find interesting about Indistractable is the author, Nir Eyal, had previously written a book called ‘Hooked’. In Hooked, Eyal goes through the mechanics of what makes tech and social media apps so irresistible. Indistractable is like the antidote! Giving strategies on how to maintain our focus and achieve what we set out to do.

The biggest takeaway from the book was that it’s actually not usually the external triggers and influences that stop of from doing the things we want to do but internal emotional triggers.

“As is the case with all human behaviour, distraction is just another way our brains attempt to deal with pain. If we accept this fact, it makes sense that the only way to handle distraction is by learning to handle discomfort. If distraction costs us time, then time management is pain management.” – Nir Eyal, Indistractable

How to stay focused, not get distracted and do the hard (uncomfortable) work.

Make More Money with Your Art

5. Good Art Does Not Sell Itself: The Artist’s Definitive Guide to Visibility and Opportunites by Shirley-Ann O’Neill & Laura O’Hare

“Emma explained how she traced the success of her art career back to taking a mentor’s advice in her early career; to actively seek opportunities to share her work no matter how small. An art prize led to an exhibition, which created more exhibitions, and collectors, art critics and media began to notice here work.“- Good Art Does Not Sell Itself – In relation to the work of sculptor Emma Rodgers  

This was my most highlighted book of 2023.

It takes courage to show your art and make the decision to come out from your studio into the realm of criticism. This is an amazing book to have by your side.

It’s packed with practical strategies for marketing, building a brand, and finding the right opportunities to showcase your work.

It’s split into 4 sections and each page is like a mini-blog post that you can take advice from.

  • Mindset & Habits
  • Getting Artwork Ready
  • Opportunities to get visible
  • Implementation: artist visibility path

The different sections are good for different stages of your work. Some of the ideas on increasing the visibility of your works can help you to stay focused on the long game of creating.

One painting hung in a cafe or posted online can lead to a group show, which can lead to a solo exhibition. Every step is a stepping stone that’s hard to see at the start but builds over time.

Notes on the Quotes: Good Art Does Not Sell Itself

This book is relatable, informative and incredibly useful.

Their insights and recommendations are not only easy to understand but also applicable to real-life situations you find yourself in as an artist. You’ll find yourself nodding along and saying, I can do this! Highly recommended!

I really hope you find one of the ideas or books of interest, because even as a relentless pursuer of new shiny interests and ideas, some of the practices have really stayed with me and helped.

But as with everything, it’s unrealistic to say I’m a changed man, so at this moment, I’m sitting comfortably on the sofa nursing a hot brew, saying it’s ok to go down the odd rabbit hole and fully committing to a few creative ponderings.

Continue Reading5 Books That Helped Me See More Opportunities With My Art, Gain Control Over Procrastination, and Live a More Creative Life.