painting

Paint Regularly

| Eileen McKenna {my creative resolution}

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I’ve been missing watercolor lately. I’ve been busy doing other creative things: working in ink for InkTober, and playing around on the iPad with a stylus pen in Adobe Sketch and Adobe Draw.

When I finally sat down with my paints the other day it wasn’t easy. But I’ve learned not to give up, and as I worked I started having some success and was inspired to pull out two unfinished paintings. I went from struggling to learning to painting with confidence.

It had been 2 weeks since I last painted – way too much time! It reminded me of getting back into running after my third child was born. I was running once a week (and doing yoga and other things the other days). I realized that running once a week wasn’t enough. Every time I ran, I felt like I was starting over. It’s similar with painting, drawing, or any craft. The more you do it, the more your skills and confidence build. When too much time passes you start to lose those same things you worked so hard to build up.

So here’s to a more regular painting schedule. 🙂

Finally a quiet house :)

| Eileen McKenna {my creative resolution}

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The kids are back at school and the house is quiet. It’s the perfect time to get back to painting. Once I set up, I accomplished a lot in a short amount of time.

I took a unfinished painting – a wash of colors – and added a lighthouse. And I started a painting of a little girl at the beach. Looking forward to much more painting time this fall! 😀

Going with the flow

| Eileen McKenna {my creative resolution}

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I ordered new watercolor pads in the 8″ x 8″ size I love. Somehow I ended up with 12″ x 12″. Of course I could return them, but I thought maybe I’d give it a try. Maybe I’m ready for a change? The 8″ x  8″ was starting to seem small and a bit restrictive.

This morning I started doing my normal ink work in my sketchbook, intent on filling the page with starfish. After one starfish, I stopped and grabbed the 12″ x 12″. So much more room to repeat shapes! So far I’ve painted some of the starfish and parts of the sandy background.

I’m loving the 12″ x 12″! The final product will be such a substantial size. It’s funny how we work in a certain way, develop habits, but one thing can set us on a new path, new work habits.

Painting the Beach

| Eileen McKenna {my creative resolution}

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After painting a few flowers, I wanted a new subject. The beach is my favorite place. I’m always trying to paint it but struggle to really capture it – the shadows and waves in the water, the changing color of the sand. When I put too much detail in the water it just doesn’t look right. When I work quicker and looser it looks better, but seems to be missing something. After a few attempts at painting the beach, I needed a new subject (again). Right in front of me were shells we collected at the beach. Ah! Still the beach, but now I’m zooming in on the details. This one was fun and I like how it came out.

A Creative Kickstart

| Eileen McKenna {my creative resolution}

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World Watercolor Month has given me the creative kick in the butt I needed to get back to painting. I’ve dabbled a little in drawing and painting recently but most of my creative energy has been focused elsewhere – Specifically on growing my web design and social media marketing business.

Once I heard that Charlie from doodlewash got July officially named World Watercolor Month, I knew painting would be my focus for the month. It’s funny how we may want to do something like focus on painting or our health, but it takes outside influences to get us to make it happen.

The day before the start, I prepped paper by taping it down onto several boards. I walked around our garden taking photos for inspiration and reference. My goal is to paint every day, not necessarily have a final piece to post – just paint every day. It’s not too late to join in! Learn more about World Watercolor Month here.

Lessons Learned on my Creative Journey

| Eileen McKenna {my creative resolution}

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In the beginning, I paused every few months and wrote about what I’d learned so far about creating art, and about myself. Just 1 post shy of 300 posts I decided to reflect again. Here is what I’ve learned on my creative journey:

  1. There are ups and downs in a creative practice. Stick with it through the down times, an up time is coming, and you never know how high you’ll climb.
  2. Practice does make (almost) perfect.
  3. Accountability motivates you to get stuff done.
  4. You can retrain yourself to embrace better work habits.
  5. There is character and style to the “imperfect.”
  6. Share what you create, don’t create to share.
  7. Those beautiful Instagram posts only tell a sliver of a story. Don’t fall into comparing yourself.
  8. Interviews with other creatives tell much more of the story, and can be very real, and very inspiring. I love listening to podcasts.
  9. It takes time and work to develop your style.
  10. Capture the moments when you feel inspired – snap a photo or jot down a note, for later.
  11. Don’t wait for inspiration to strike or a plan to form, sit down and start creating, and things will start to unfold.

My other “lessons learned” posts:

What have you learned on your journey?