2020-06-01_The_Artists_Magazine

12 Artists Magazine June 2020

Prime CREATIVITY CHALLENGE

to practice. I also did studies of some

of my favorite masterworks that

I found in various art books.

If I wasn’t in the mood to do a new

painting, I’d sit with my paint palette

and practice mixing color. I made sure

to clean up after each painting session

and kept my studio nice and orderly

each day. Any teacher would have

been proud.

HOMEWORK

I’m the type who loves to do my

research, so homework was welcome.

One of my favorite ways to study

art is to read. I keep a collection of

art books on a vintage rolling cart

so I have access to my own small

resource library. During summer

school, I’d select a book off the shelf

and find a particular painting that

interested me, or I’d brush up on the

basics from one of the many instruc-

tional books in my collection.

I also watched art videos and lis-

tened to podcasts. I kept a notebook

specifically for all things art-related

and jotted down pages and pages of

helpful information, quotes, and

many tips and tricks.

As part of my homework assign-

ments, I committed to regular “show-

and-tell” posts on social media.

Sharing with others was a great

way to keep myself accountable.

As a bonus, I received encouraging

feedback from other artists.

FIELD TRIPS

Lastly, I planned field trips, as those

were always the best part of school.

I visited my local library regularly and

headed straight for the art section.

I checked out a variety of titles and

sometimes just pulled a book off the

shelf and found a quiet area in which

to sit and browse the beautiful pages.

When I discovered that an art

museum located not far away was

ABOVE

Homework: I turned to

my rolling cart “art library”

and checked out volumes

of masterworks and painting

instruction to study.

LEFT

Indoor studies: When

class had to move indoors

because of rain, I’d focus

on sketching and painting

fl oral still life setups.