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Power Up Your Creative Problem Solving: Overcome Obstacles with Confidence
As visual artists, we face challenges every day that require critical thinking and creative problem solving. Whether it’s finding inspiration for our next project, dealing with the technical issues in our artwork or navigating the competitive landscape of the art world and the dreaded spectre of self-promotion. Despite all of this you might not recognise when you are problem solving.…
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Generate More Satisfying Art Ideas: How to Start Today
Are you a visual artist struggling to find ideas for a new piece of work? We have a five step formula for you that is guaranteed to get the creative juices flowing and kick-start your imagination in a meaningful way. Use this formula to generate more creative and satisfying art ideas from today forwards. Ready to beat the starvation of art…
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Ideation Drawing -The Route to Better Composition
Do you want to maximise the potential of your ideas? Ideation drawing is the solution. It involves quickly sketching out initial concepts for a project, without worrying about perfection. The focus is on generating a variety of first concept ideas and exploring different compositional possibilities. I’ve learned that this method can lead to more fully realised and successful artwork. By…
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10 Personal Sketchbook Themes to Inspire New Artwork in 2023
The sketchbook is a versatile tool. I’ve seen individuals utilise it in countless ways. It’s crucial to recognise that there is no one “right” way to use a sketchbook. If you have honed your creative process, you may already have integrated sketchbook usage into it. If not, then this post aims to assist you in incorporating more productive sketchbook usage…
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How to Start and Finish Your Painting, Nine Practical Steps
Paintings often have no finite end point. Deciding when a piece of work is finished can be a difficult thing for even the most experienced artist. However, many paintings follow similar stages. There are some techniques that can help guide you through the creation process. In this article, I want to address both how to get off to the best…
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Understand the Creative Process to Make Better Work
The creative process serves as a framework for the evolution of a creative project. There is no one “right” way to follow this process. You will encounter various slightly different definitions and terminology for the stages, so don’t expect to find a single, universally accepted version. Ultimately, you will tailor the process to suit your own working style. Begin by…
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How to Be More Consistently Creative at Art
Are you looking to boost your creative output and make more interesting artwork? By improving your process, you can increase your chances of producing better ideas and having a more fulfilling creative experience. In this article, we’ll explore six pieces of advice for improving your creative thinking and taking your art to the next level. So don’t wait – start…
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Painting: Neowise
This painting reflects a time for me when I felt very connected to the night sky. This coincided with the arrival of the comet ‘Neowise’. I’m an avid sky watcher and events like this are very interesting to me. This is a self portrait and I’m reaching into the night sky, immersing my hands in the red that represents blood…
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Painting: Ronnie Buddha
Ronnie was a larger than life character who I encountered when he was studying welding at evening class. Uncompromising would the best way to describe him. He was a real north east Scotland character and the landscape in the background was intended to reflect this. I’m sad to report that recently I have learned of Ronnie’s untimely passing. Thoughts are…
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Painting: Nocturne 18
This is an older painting of mine from 2018. I’d forgotten it existed honestly, although it hangs in our downstairs toilet at the moment! It had become such a part of the scenery that I’d stopped noticing it. Yesterday I nearly knocked it off the wall by accident while chasing a fly and it made me stop and look at…
Creativity and Self Development
