Last week, I sat down to write new goals for the year ahead.

Eating healthier, moving more (that came up a lot!), and I noticed myself saying something I’ve said many times before. “This year I’m going to paint more plein air.”

It sounds reasonable. But I’ve learnt that with painting and drawing, more isn’t the thing that moves you forward. Focus is.

Alignment over Inspiration

If you want to reach your art goals in 2026, you need better art alignment.

Last week, we talked about how any mark you make is progress. That still stands.

But when you have a specific goal, it helps to be specific with your practice too.

If portraits are your goal, you don’t need to “earn” your way there by painting still lives first. Even a small, focused study, like an ear, can move you closer to where you want to be.

I made the mistake of telling my sister about my resolutions, and she phoned yesterday to check up on me! I made a fumbled excuse about it being too cold to go outside to paint (I know some readers will laugh who are in -25 degrees, so appreciate my excuse is unfounded!)

So today I’ve propped an easel in the kitchen warmth, looking out the window. Heating on and tea by my side.

It’s a small move towards plein air.

Reading an article, watching a video, or reading a book counts as research, but it isn’t the same as actually practising drawing or painting.

Time under Tension

Instead of asking whether you’ll paint more portraits this year, try planning the kind of day that, repeated often enough, would make improvement inevitable.

It’s usually not a matter of finding the time, but of doing the thing you said you wanted to do in the time you set aside for it, without letting yourself drift into something else.

As the year unfolds, check for alignment. Treat new methods as learning, not success or failure. Create in ways that energise you. And be kinder to your artistic self.

Like drawing a portrait, a slight adjustment in direction can change everything.

Wishing you a calm, creative New Year ahead.

Will