How I Use Playful Experiments to Improve My Art

I have had strangers and friends ask how I got good at drawing or painting. This is a weird question for me because I don't feel like I've "arrived". In fact, a lot of times I will make art and hate everything about it until it starts to look more refined. I have found that this is true for all artists. This post will attempt to provide my answer to how I improve my art through experiments and play.

I am not an expert.

Let's start off with the fact that I am not an expert. When I try to be an expert, there is way too much pressure to keep up appearances (which is where I think imposter syndrome comes from). Instead, I am constantly in student mode and trying to learn everything I can by acting on what I learn.

I grew up watching my grandpa paint with oils and one thing I regret was not being curious enough to ask how he did. I always felt intimidated by that medium. Really just about every medium I have used aside from pencil has been intimidating. The only reason I wasn't intimidated by pencil was because I learned at a young enough age that my results didn't matter to me and it was all playful experiments.

So how did I learn to use the mediums that felt so out of reach? I got curious and playful.

It has been my experience that in order to really learn something, I needed to be extrememly curious, less serious, and willing to just have fun and play. Part of the process of learning a medium is learning the rules. I suppose it goes without saying, but I'll say it anyway, learning a medium does not automatically translate to good art. In order to make any medium work for you, you have to know the fundamentals first.

I don't mean the fundamentals of the medium itself, but rather learning about line making, form, light, shading, color, composition, and perspective. Again, not an expert, but without at least an idea of these basic building blocks, learning a medium will not make you an amazing artist.

But back to the rules.

The internet is great for learning the rules of a medium. I learned how to ink drawings from some of my favorite cartoonists and artists (Jake Parker is an excellent teacher). When I was doing a lot of cartoon drawing I looked to my favorite comic artists (my all time favorite is Bill Watterson and his Calvin and Hobbes comics). At first I was very stiff, but over time I began to get comfortable and experiment with my own style which was a remix of my favorite artists, but with my own creations. I got more expressive and playful.

I did a lot of digital work because I didn't have a lot of space to make orginal drawings, but after a while I really wanted to try watercolor. I loved Bill Watterson's Calvin and Hobbes illustrations when he would use watercolor along with his inking. That was interesting to me, but again I didn't know how to paint in watercolor. So I learned the rules and practiced on my own pieces.

Some experiements weren't very good, but each failed attmept was a lesson on what to do next time. I eventually got really good at using layers of watercolor to create characters that would pop out of the paper. That knowledge then helped me in learning how to paint in gouache and then later acrylic. Each time I learned the rules of the medium and applied them in playful experiments in combination with the fundamentals of drawing and art making. I started to push my self to make bigger pieces and try new things without any expectations (which for me is very hard to do).

When it came to oils I really wanted to learn the medium. I was afraid that it would take to long, and though each medium was helping me become a more patient artist, I still felt that oil was going to be too slow for my liking (not to mention expensive). I decided to throw caution to the wind and I bought all of the painting supplies I needed to start. Each painting I attmepted informed my next painting and the ways that I wanted to work. Very quickly I have found ways of working that are the most fun, and I am sure it will change again (I certainly hope so).

Playful experiments are a form of adventure, and each adventure builds on the one before it.

Each experiment I do is another micro lesson in making art. With each micro lesson, I see small amounts of improvement over time. I have looked back at some of my work just a few years ago and I am astonished by my progress. Each drawing or painting is a snapshot at an adventure that I have taken with little decisions representing paths that I have taken to get the end result.

Adventures are not always easy, and come with a whole host of challenges, but there are also victories and treasures found along the way. I am trying to learn how to be more playful and just do the work in an adventurous way. Sometimes I know where I'm going on these little adventures, but often times I have no idea where a painting or project is going to take me.

I am learning to be ok with that.