6 Weekly Exercises To Do That Will Improve Your Artwork

    If you had the chance to read Discovering My Passion, then you're aware of what I did to improve my artistry from the moment I realized art was a passion I wanted to pursue-- and how much practice that entailed:

    but, what exactly should we be practicing? 

    Technique/Application, Backgrounds, Portraiture, Expression-- What we practice should revolve around these four instances and their subcategories: perspective, movement, setting, mood. To make it easy, here are Six Weekly Exercises to Improve Your Artwork. 





1. Observation Drawing

Observation is the most important skill to hone if you want to create more realistic drawings/paintings. Anything that requires observation skills requires a focus on small details.

Take, for instance, if you were drawing a textured surface, (let's say a fluffy pillow); observation requires you to stop and consider every hand movement as you press pencil against paper.

As you draw the pillow, what lines (and their directions) would bring out the texture it houses? Sporadic flicks for longer hairs? How about shorter strokes for less fluffy pillows?

Ask: where does the light hit this object? How do I imply 3-dimension? 

All of these things require careful observation.

2. Landscape

This exercise not only helps your observation skills, but also challenges your use of space and perspective. 

You can draw from a photo, but I recommend drawing Plein-air (on-site) for maximum benefit. 

3. Still Life

Like drawing a landscape, a still life will challenge your surveying skills. It will also challenge your use of space and perspective, depending on how interesting you want your subject to look when you go to transfer it onto canvas. 

Check out how to make a compelling still life here.

4. Thumbnails

Creating thumbnails forces us to consider composition and can help us decide on the next piece we create, (or rather how it will look). 

These should be quick and easy sketches; loose. 

5. Experiment with a Different Medium

A great way to improve is to venture out! Try something new and use what you learn in future creations. I myself am an Acrylic Painter, so it'd be best to try out Oil, or even Colored Pencils. I've also always wanted to try mixed media using unusual finds ( my friend Tricia is great with this).

6. Practice Techniques

Practice, practice, practice! Nothing will serve you better on your road to improvement than practice will! That being said, there are so many ways to create!

Check out this cool video on acrylic painting techniques:


These are just a few exercises you can do, but sign up to our mailing list and you'll receive your own printable version of this list, as well as a second list of exercises, absolutely FREE!

If you're already a part of the mailing list and would like this list and the second sent to you, comment "list" below and I'll be more than happy to oblige to your request. 





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