Ideas for Growing Your Art Skills in 2011

Dec 31, 2010
Alina Bradford

Sketch Some Artistic Time Into Your 2011 Calendar - Alina Bradford

Try a drawing challenge using an art blog, using a limited palette and changing to digital art to stretch your creative abilities in 2011.

If you want to become a better artist in 2011now is the time to take action. Use these creative painting and drawing ideas to stretch your art skills to new limits.

364 Day Drawing Challenge for Drawing Practice

Read any how-to-draw book and you're bound to find a passage that says the best way to hone your drawing skills is to use them on a daily basis. Many artists have taken this advice to heart by starting daily drawing blogs.

Even if you're not technologically savvy, a daily drawing blog can be set up in less than 20 minutes. Simply get a free blogging account with a blog host like Blogger, Wordpress or LiveJournal, take digital photos of your drawings or scan them, and post the sketches to your drawing blog. For extra artistic growth, follow other artist bloggers and invite them to critique your drawings.

For more information on starting a drawing blog read Take the Sketch-a-Day Challenge.

Limited Palettes for Creative Paintings

If you are used to using every tube of color you own to create a painting, maybe it's time to challenge yourself using a limited palette. Choose one, two or three paint colors and only use these colors to create several paintings in 2011. Better yet, challenge yourself to only paint with a limited pallet for the rest of 2011. You may come up with your best paintings thus far.

The trick to painting with a limited palette is creating a wide range of tonal differentiations for more depth. For more limited pallet inspiration read Lessons from Picasso: Finding Your Artistic Period.

Switch to Digital Art Mediums

Traditional artists may find that switching to digital art mediums not only stretches their artistic skill, it may also stretch their creativity. To make the switch, download a drawing or painting program and start playing with it. If you're financially challenged, take a look at these free drawing and painting programs. http://alinabradford.suite101.com/free-drawing-programs-a4892

Once you've found art software you like, use these tutorials to start creating art:

No matter what medium you choose to use in 2011, the key to growing your art skills is to try something new and to practice using the skills you already have. In 2012 you'll find that you're a better artist because of it.