Hi there and welcome!
Thanks so much for joining me on 7 Days to Better Paintings.
The idea is simple—you will receive one "bite-sized" lesson straight to your inbox every day for 7 days. These lessons will give you a 10,000 foot view of what it takes to create beautiful art and, more importantly, how to become a more confident artist.
As with most of the stuff I put out, there is also a strong focus on decision making and problem solving. Remember, no amount of technical mastery will save you from poor decision making!
Lesson 1 - Mental Roadblocks and Misconceptions
Bonus Lesson: The Fear of Failure (Continuation of Lesson 1)
Lesson 2 - The Core Pillars
Lesson 3 - Are You Making These Painting Mistakes?
Lesson 4 - How to "See" Like an Artist
Lesson 5 - The “Infallible Truths” of Painting
Lesson 6 - Simplification
Lesson 7 - Bringing It All Together
This is not your typical “watch me paint” course. In fact, it is all text-based to make it easy for you to digest.
I also find the written word to be more respectful of your time. Most 10 minute videos can be explained in a few well-crafted sentences.
The course is completely free for subscribers, so feel free to invite any friends who might find this useful. They can join here.
All I need from you is a small commitment to read and digest each email lesson. You don't have to read them straight away, but it is preferable if you do.
I also suggest you set up a separate “Draw Paint Academy” folder in your inbox so you can always return and reread the lessons as needed.
To get things started, I want to break down some of the common mental roadblocks and misconceptions which might be holding you back.
Lesson 1: Mental Roadblocks and Misconceptions
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#1 That you do not have natural talent
My general thoughts on natural talent are this (in italics):
Sure, it probably exists. Some people do seem to have a "knack" for things. You won't catch me trying to argue that Lebron James does not have a natural talent for basketball, or that Joaquín Sorolla had no natural talent for painting.
But, most people completely overstate the importance of it, and understate the importance of hard work and meaningful practice. Worse yet, they use it merely as a defense mechanism to protect themselves against any sense of failure.
Whether it exists or not, I would take hard work over natural talent any day of the week.
I remember back in grade 8 of school, I just scraped into the A grade volleyball team (a huge achievement for the shy and scrawny kid I was). I certainly wasn’t the most gifted athlete on the team, but I knew I could be the hardest working!
Before and after school, I would spend hours practicing against the wall in my parents’ backyard, or rallying back and forth with my incredibly supportive father—extra steps which I doubt anyone else on the team was doing.
It did not pay off at first. I struggled from game to game, spending most of my time keeping the bench nice and warm. But my work behind the scenes gradually paid dividends.
By the end of the season, I was awarded “Most Improved” (nothing to brag about, as it was usually given to players who went from bad to average). I wasn’t the star player, but I wasn’t the worst anymore either.
I continued working behind the scenes, flying under the team's radar. It wasn't long before I started to eclipse the top players.
I ended up being awarded MVP (Most Valuable Player) for the premiership team in my final year; a prestigious award for the once shy and scrawny kid.
If I only ever took part in things which I feel I have a natural talent in, there is no way I would have made it past those first few games on the bench. I would have just chalked it up to a "lack of natural talent" and continued my foolish search for something else.
But what a loss that would have been.
What ended up being the highlight of my school years, would have been nothing but a squandered opportunity and another victim of the "natural talent" excuse.
If you feel you lack a natural talent for painting, let me assure you that it does not matter! You may have it, you may not. You will never know until you jump in headfirst.
You may never reach the levels of Sorolla or Sargent (few ever will), but you can always improve.
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#2 That you are not creative
“I would love to paint, but I’m just not the creative type”.
I hear this far too often.
A family member of mine—a very successful businesswoman with roots in accounting—frequently mentions her lack of creativity.
I always wondered, how could someone so accomplished in her chosen field have such a lack of confidence about her ability to be creative.
After some discussions, we managed to trace her mental roadblock all the way back to her childhood.
She was always an academic high-achiever. You know the type—straight A+ student, read everything she could get her hands on, actually did all her homework.
But, because she was so academic, people assumed she was not the “creative type”. And if you are told something enough, you might just believe it (even if it's not true).
Many years later, after a long and successful career in business, she was still being held back by the mental roadblock (and she didn't even know it). It was only recently when she started to acknowledge and work through it.
Turns out, she has quite a knack for photography, winning several awards. Maybe she was creative after all?
So be careful with this one.
It is a dangerous mental roadblock which can quietly permeate your life and lead to nothing but squandered opportunities and stories of "I wish I started earlier".
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#3 You will improve simply by painting more
Ever wondered why so many artists get stuck around the hobby level? They create hundreds, sometimes thousands of paintings without any noticeable improvements.
The problem is, simply painting more will not result in reliable, consistent, and long-term improvements.
Sure, you will get better in the short-term. But plateaus will come, and if all you are doing is aimlessly churning out painting after painting, you will eventually see yourself looking up at the Mt Everest of plateaus. And no amount of brute determination, drive, or passion will help you climb that mountain.
What should you be doing? The answer is meaningful practice.
That is, practice which constantly and systematically challenges you, improves your weaknesses, and pushes your strengths. Practice with an actual purpose, not just throwing darts at the wall and seeing what sticks.
For example, if you are struggling with color, then spend a few paintings thinking only about color. Invest in the best books on color theory. Visit your favorite paintings in person and think about the colors used and why they work.
Don't just scrape the surface. Envelop yourself in it. Go deep. Follow the rabbit hole down.
So, if you feel like you are just churning out painting after painting without any noticeable improvements, stop!
You are missing an important ingredient and simply painting more is not the answer.
Take a step back. Review what and how you are learning. A few hours of planning and strategizing now could save you hundreds of aimless hours in the future.
Side-note: A fantastic book on the topic of meaningful practice is Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise by Anders Ericsson and Robert Pool. It is not an "art book" but the concepts all apply. Worth a read if you have the time.
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Anyway, this lesson ended up being much longer than I intended. Thanks for sticking with me!
Now over to you.
[Exercise] Are there any mental roadblocks or misconceptions holding you back?
Don't brush this off.
If they exist, you must acknowledge them and start breaking them down before you move forward. Otherwise, they will fester behind the scenes, working tirelessly to squander opportunities and your confidence.
No need to write this down. Just think it over.
Then, sit back and wait for tomorrow’s lesson - The Core Pillars.
Happy painting!
Kind Regards
Dan Scott
drawpaintacademy.com