Your work is remarkable and stands out. I appreciate this advice. After 10 years of painting I’m still learning and trying so many things. The magic destination has not been reached. It’s good to hear that this is ok. I’m not done.
I love that painting behind you, with the sunlight coming through trees! Could spend ages looking at that. I also got my higher diploma in graphic design, but got a job in animation instead. Spent years knocking out cartoons, and never drawing or painting anything in my spare time. Then had children and no time for myself... Now, at 52, I've started painting again and enjoying it. But I don't have a style either. I love portraits!
Thank you so much for this video! I have been painting on and off most of my life, but got more serious about it when the world stopped two years ago. I realized that I am the happiest when I'm creating art. So I've been experimenting almost daily for about two years now and my work is so all over the place you wouldn't believe it 😆 everything from portaits to very abstract work. Feom muted to screaming with color. Lately I've been feeling like I need to hurry up and find my unique voice, choose a style and stick with it. However, I think experiments are much more fun than trying to stay with a style. I trust that one day,, hopefully soon I'll find some sort of theme that I love enough to stay with it for a while and that the public will love it too.
You sound exactly like me when I started to get serious about painting. One artist even jokingly asked me if I was mildly schizophrenic because every painting looked like it was done by a different artist... but he was half serious. At some point you will need to do what Frank Webb suggested which is to quit digging little holes all over back yard and pick a spot and dig deep... but you don’t have to plant a flag there until you are sure. I dug deep on watercolour and oil portraits for a while... moved on to florals... then abstracted watercolour landscapes... back to oils and eventually my current style found me.
Do you truly think it’s possible for every single artist to get to this point where people love their art this much? Right now it feels like an impossible dream.
Yes if someone has the Passion for art, a solid Work Ethic and the Willingness to learn... but you can't get there just mindlessly pushing paint around for years and years, hoping for genius to occur, as unfortunately many artists do. You need to work to master ALL of the skills and concepts and then search for your unique voice. You might want to watch my next video on how I was able to do that and how you can too.
I absolute love your work. You are one of my favourites. I recently took up painting again after not doing any for about 20 years. I still haven’t found my style but I know I don’t like portraits.
Thanks, there's hope! I actually do have a style that I love and the subject/theme as well. But how it looks can depend on what medium I am working with. I do a photorealist style in mostly watercolor doing urban landscape and abandoned places, and people do love it, it's what I have numerous awards with, but I also have quite a different style when it comes to charcoal, conte and drawing media. Have you ever run across artists that have several styles depending on the medium?
Thanks for this great video Tim! Very timely for me, as I just did my first art festival and I did have a lot of styles represented although they were all florals. My sales were so-so, and now I'm wondering what direction to go in -- I'm very interested in playing with abstract and also love landscapes. However, regardless of how much experimenting an artist does, I wonder if it is overly optimistic or even naive to think that every artist can come up with a style that they love, and the public also loves?
Hi Leslie 😊 I don’t think it is reasonable to assume that every artist will reach a point that they find a voice where they love what they are doing and the public loves the work. In fact the vast majority of artists will not achieve this. Not because it’s not possible ... but because they either don’t know what to do or aren’t willing to do the work. The first and most important part of becoming a successful artist, I believe, is to “master” the technical skills... things like drawing, brushwork, various painting techniques. Then an artist must master the conceptual knowledge: composition, light and shadow, perspective, atmospheric perspective, diffraction,reflections etc. If an artist does that... and then takes the trouble to learn a variety of different painting approaches from accomplished artists.... then moves into process mode to experiment with a variety of approaches... in that scenario success is not only possible but likely. Unfortunately what I see most often are artists with low to moderate skill sets and almost zero knowledge of composition... trying to make a living from their work... hoping that they will somehow discover their magic voice that the public loves. That is a recipe for failure and why there are so many starving artists. The key is to “master” the skills and concepts first... and then move into process. That is what Brooke Cormier did when I mentored her and that is what I teach my students in my online art academy. By doing that the artists in my course have had dramatic improvements. Two of them are experiencing demand for their work that even surpasses Brooke’s early success. I totally believe that any one with a passion for art, a willingness and ability to learn and a solid work ethic can achieve success as an artist. But they first of all need to know what the should be focusing on and then follow through and do the work. Cheers👍🖌🎨 Tim
You have good advice but I find the self promotion too difficult to listen to since it is so often. If you've been so successful why are you charging so much for your courses??
I would say that I have been successful because I have been able to achieve a high value for my work and my teaching... and people are happy to what I charge. I also have hundreds of hours of free content for those unwilling or unable to pay... And at the end of the day ... I run a business not a non profit😊👍
One billion chinese could not gjve a damn, one billion indians could not give a damn, i also could not give a damn, i know that hurts you, tough. Seriously most art is boring.
Your work is remarkable and stands out. I appreciate this advice. After 10 years of painting I’m still learning and trying so many things. The magic destination has not been reached. It’s good to hear that this is ok. I’m not done.
You just have to give it time and have faith in the process... eventually it is more like your voice finds you😊👍
I love that painting behind you, with the sunlight coming through trees! Could spend ages looking at that. I also got my higher diploma in graphic design, but got a job in animation instead. Spent years knocking out cartoons, and never drawing or painting anything in my spare time. Then had children and no time for myself... Now, at 52, I've started painting again and enjoying it. But I don't have a style either. I love portraits!
😊👍
Thanks Tim. That resonates as truth with me
😊👍 it has certainly worked out well for me 🎨🙏
Thank you for sharing!
Thank you so much for this video! I have been painting on and off most of my life, but got more serious about it when the world stopped two years ago. I realized that I am the happiest when I'm creating art. So I've been experimenting almost daily for about two years now and my work is so all over the place you wouldn't believe it 😆 everything from portaits to very abstract work. Feom muted to screaming with color.
Lately I've been feeling like I need to hurry up and find my unique voice, choose a style and stick with it. However, I think experiments are much more fun than trying to stay with a style. I trust that one day,, hopefully soon I'll find some sort of theme that I love enough to stay with it for a while and that the public will love it too.
You sound exactly like me when I started to get serious about painting. One artist even jokingly asked me if I was mildly schizophrenic because every painting looked like it was done by a different artist... but he was half serious.
At some point you will need to do what Frank Webb suggested which is to quit digging little holes all over back yard and pick a spot and dig deep... but you don’t have to plant a flag there until you are sure.
I dug deep on watercolour and oil portraits for a while... moved on to florals... then abstracted watercolour landscapes... back to oils and eventually my current style found me.
Great advice 👍
Do you truly think it’s possible for every single artist to get to this point where people love their art this much? Right now it feels like an impossible dream.
Yes if someone has the Passion for art, a solid Work Ethic and the Willingness to learn... but you can't get there just mindlessly pushing paint around for years and years, hoping for genius to occur, as unfortunately many artists do. You need to work to master ALL of the skills and concepts and then search for your unique voice. You might want to watch my next video on how I was able to do that and how you can too.
I absolute love your work. You are one of my favourites. I recently took up painting again after not doing any for about 20 years. I still haven’t found my style but I know I don’t like portraits.
That’s the great thing about art... we can put it down... and then pick it up again when life is not so much in the way😊👍
I expected you to say something else, but really this sounds like great advice. Thank you for sharing it!
My pleasure 😊👍
Thanks, there's hope! I actually do have a style that I love and the subject/theme as well. But how it looks can depend on what medium I am working with. I do a photorealist style in mostly watercolor doing urban landscape and abandoned places, and people do love it, it's what I have numerous awards with, but I also have quite a different style when it comes to charcoal, conte and drawing media. Have you ever run across artists that have several styles depending on the medium?
Yes my watercolours are very different than my oils
Absolutely inspirational, as usual.
Thanks 😊🙏
Thanks for this great video Tim! Very timely for me, as I just did my first art festival and I did have a lot of styles represented although they were all florals. My sales were so-so, and now I'm wondering what direction to go in -- I'm very interested in playing with abstract and also love landscapes. However, regardless of how much experimenting an artist does, I wonder if it is overly optimistic or even naive to think that every artist can come up with a style that they love, and the public also loves?
Hi Leslie 😊 I don’t think it is reasonable to assume that every artist will reach a point that they find a voice where they love what they are doing and the public loves the work. In fact the vast majority of artists will not achieve this. Not because it’s not possible ... but because they either don’t know what to do or aren’t willing to do the work.
The first and most important part of becoming a successful artist, I believe, is to “master” the technical skills... things like drawing, brushwork, various painting techniques. Then an artist must master the conceptual knowledge: composition, light and shadow, perspective, atmospheric perspective, diffraction,reflections etc. If an artist does that... and then takes the trouble to learn a variety of different painting approaches from accomplished artists.... then moves into process mode to experiment with a variety of approaches... in that scenario success is not only possible but likely.
Unfortunately what I see most often are artists with low to moderate skill sets and almost zero knowledge of composition... trying to make a living from their work... hoping that they will somehow discover their magic voice that the public loves. That is a recipe for failure and why there are so many starving artists.
The key is to “master” the skills and concepts first... and then move into process.
That is what Brooke Cormier did when I mentored her and that is what I teach my students in my online art academy. By doing that the artists in my course have had dramatic improvements. Two of them are experiencing demand for their work that even surpasses Brooke’s early success.
I totally believe that any one with a passion for art, a willingness and ability to learn and a solid work ethic can achieve success as an artist. But they first of all need to know what the should be focusing on and then follow through and do the work.
Cheers👍🖌🎨
Tim
Love this advice! Thanks!
My pleasure Kathleen 😊👍
Thank you for another great video!
My pleasure 😊 glad you found it helpful👍
You have good advice but I find the self promotion too difficult to listen to since it is so often. If you've been so successful why are you charging so much for your courses??
I would say that I have been successful because I have been able to achieve a high value for my work and my teaching... and people are happy to what I charge.
I also have hundreds of hours of free content for those unwilling or unable to pay...
And at the end of the day ... I run a business not a non profit😊👍
One billion chinese could not gjve a damn, one billion indians could not give a damn, i also could not give a damn, i know that hurts you, tough. Seriously most art is boring.
😂😂😂😂😂👍 I find it hilarious that you think your opinion “hurts” me😂😂😂 hubris anyone?😁