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How to Make Art

The artistic impulse is an intrinsic element of human nature. Children learn some of their first lessons about communication and culture through the arts. Our shared arts are what give us cultural identity. And, for many people, creating art is the purest expression of their individuality. Anyone can make art but, to succeed as an artist, you'll need to tap into the passion and creativity that have inspired artists throughout the ages.

Things You'll Need

  • Things you'll need:
  • Table of appropriate height and size
  • Pad of watercolor paper (#140 weight or higher)
  • Brush
  • Container of water
  • Set of cake or moist pan watercolor paints
  • Model (live or inanimate)
  • Wastebasket
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Instructions

  1. Getting Ready

    • 1

      Take your art materials someplace that's comfortable and free from distractions. Make sure the space is well-ventilated and has plenty of natural light.

    • 2

      Place your pad of paper on the table.

    • 3

      Pose your model at an appropriate distance. If your model is an inanimate object, place it or arrange it in a way that meets your personal aesthetic criteria; random placement is OK, and so is meticulous arrangement of diverse elements. If your model is a live human being, pose the model in a posture that won't be too difficult to maintain for half an hour or more.

    • 4

      Look at the model. While you're looking, take note of all of your sensory impressions and any emotions or mental images the model might inspire.

    • 5

      Look at your paper, visualizing an image you'd like to see there. It might be a literal representation of your model, or an entirely different image inspired by what you've seen.

    Creating Art

    • 6

      Using very light pencil strokes, sketch an outline of the image you visualized in Step 5 (Getting Started).

    • 7

      Dip your brush in the container of water.

    • 8

      Dip your brush in paint, selecting a color you visualized in Step 5 (Getting Started).

    • 9

      Apply paint to the paper, creating a physical manifestation of your image.

    • 10

      Step back for some critical distance and look at your work, assessing the success or failure of your effort to translate the image from your imagination onto the paper.

    • 11

      Look at the model.

    • 12

      Step back and look at your work again, assessing the success or failure of your effort to translate the essence of your model onto the paper.

    • 13

      Peel your sheet of paper off the pad, wad it up, and throw it in the wastebasket.

    • 14

      Repeat steps 1-8 until your soul has drained entirely from your body and permeates the paper. It might take a while, but when this happens, you will know.

    • 15

      Sign and frame.

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