Reasons to Begin Drawing, Reasons to Begin Painting

The headline of this blog about sums it up. Isn't leisure time (and lots of it) the big payoff for all those years of hard labor? I think it is. And you've made the wise decision to devote a chunk of your leisure time to creating your artwork. You will not be disappointed, I assure you. (Some new viewers have found their way to Orbisplanis, so welcome.)

What and Which

Last blog left you with a little homework to do if you have not yet decided on what art activity you want to pursue or in which medium. I felt a little guilty after publishing the blog. I try to gear the content to a level in between a novice and someone with some experience, and I will tell you, that covers a whole lot of territory. If you're already an artist by trade, well, I hope you'll find encouragement and camaraderie. The goal is to be informative but neither overwhelm nor completely bore either end of the spectrum. Hey, but that's my problem, right? If you have an opinion on this, please leave a comment and let me know.

So anyway, I'm feeling somewhat guilty that I haven't provided enough direction for the novice to make an informed decision. Therefore, to assuage my guilt (and make me feel better), here are some things to consider about the what side of your decision.

Reasons to Begin Drawing

• You can learn how - think positively; I covered this in a previous blog about Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain (scroll down)
• If you mastered handwriting, you can draw
• It's easy to start - just put pencil to paper or similar and go (duh)
• People have been doing it for eons - think primitive cave drawings
• If you ever had any art instruction, it probably started with drawing
• Many materials available (more on this later)
• You can use your drawing skills in other artful endeavors, such as painting
• You'll be amazed at your progress and will impress family and friends alike
• You will feel good about yourself

Reasons to Begin Painting

• You can transfer your drawing skills to painting
• The whole world is your canvas, so to speak
• Lots of people have painted through the ages - art museums are full
• Many different styles of painting to learn about
• Prevalent use of color
• Many materials and media to explore (more on this later)
• You'll be amazed at your progress and will impress family and friends alike
• You will feel good about yourself

Next blog, I'll discuss some of the materials and media available (the which).

In the Studio

Back in my "studio," such as it is, but glad to be here. I mentioned I'd figured out my next piece--a slice of a view from the rim of the Grand Canyon--taken from a personal photo, in acrylic on canvas. It's a good photo, if I do say so. I got a pretty good start on it; the palette I'm using so far is cobalt blue and greyish blue mixed for distance, and mixtures of cadmium yellow light, cadmium orange, alizarin crimson, red oxide for earth tones and, of course, titanium white. I'll give you updates on the progress.

If you like reading this blog, PLEASE leave a comment, and feel free to link this site to others who may have an interest.

Cheers!