Think about what’s closest to you – everything’s a possibility! This is what makes your everyday life richer.
Transcript
This is episode 8 of the Art Fit Podcast. Hello, I’m Anna Battle, Shiny Happy Artist and your host of the Art Fit Podcast. Now, just as physical fitness is good for your body, Art Fitness is good for your mind. And you don’t need to be an Olympics level professional artist to benefit from Art Fitness. But what is the point? How do you actually do it? How do you fit it all in? Well, I’m on a mission to help you get Art Fit.
This podcast is brought to you by my Shiny Happy Art Club. I send you a brand new high quality guided Paint Along each month, in acrylic and watercolour, as part of a lovely group of art friends from around the world. So, you can become a Shiny Happy Artist and get Art Fit.
So, by now hopefully, you’ve got your mind in the game, you’re set up, you’re comfortable in your space. You know how much time you have to spend on this bit of Art Fitness that you’re going to do today, but what are you going to draw? What are you going to paint? These are things that I’m often asked by beginner artists, sort of, where do I start? So, a few tips for you there. I would really recommend starting with the things that are physically close to you. So, they might be on your body; it might be earrings, a necklace, a ring. Jewellery is really good for that. It might be your car keys; it might be your water bottle; it might be a coffee cup. And these things that are, as part of your day-to-day life, are so wonderful to draw because not only do you have them available at any time; you don’t really have to look very far for them. You also get to really see them, and sometimes that is for the first time.
Just recently, I was painting with a group at a hospital, and doing a wellness activity with drawing. And we painted the beeper of one of the nurses; something that she uses every day, but just sort of putting that paint down and then putting some lines down, and really getting to know it, was a wonderful subject for her to draw. And next time she used the beeper, it sort of meant even more to her. This is what I mean about increasing the richness of your life, by noticing the things around you. So, what is physically close to you now? If you’re listening to me in the car, at least, of course you can’t stop and do a painting right now, but maybe the steering wheel.
I remember the first time I drew my steering wheel, and you think, “My goodness! I had been driving cars for 20 years or longer, at that stage, and I had never drawn the steering wheel.” So, how interesting the design. I mean, your appreciation for the designers of the life around us grows so dramatically, and you actually slow down, have a look at what they’re doing, and think about maybe why they’re doing that, sort of, is this a comfortable steering wheel? Is it not a comfortable steering wheel?
You’re always adding to the knowledge in your head, as to, Gosh! How you’ll choose a car next time? And it’s all being, enjoying the benefits of art making, to make those decisions and have those appreciations or lack of appreciation for what’s in front of you. So, you might like to even put down that this… You might draw your watch, for example, and it’s not a particularly comfortable watch. And you can figure out what’s making it uncomfortable, while you’re drawing it. Shoes. Shoes are great things to draw. And once again, they are right there, where you are. So, you really don’t need to look too far, to choose a subject to draw in your daily drawing practice. And look, Danny Gregory did a terrific book about drawing his toast every day. And even bread can be interesting. So, hopefully, I’ve opened your eyes to your next piece of toast for breakfast. And his book is well worth reading.
The next thing, when it comes to a subject, what is important to you? Now, this is probably the next step in your art journey as well. So, you can build up to drawing things that are important to you. You’ve drawn things that are near you; now it’s time to drink draw things that are important to you. What’s important to you? I can say, I wish I had drawn my grandmother’s dressing table because she had things in just the right spots for her. And I wish I had taken the time to really appreciate that. I have drawn my children over the years; their hands, probably more than their faces; their little shoes, like I mentioned, have been important to me. the house that you live in, might be important to you, or the house that someone you love lives in, might be important to them; that is something that is lovely to spend time doing. Even the view out of your kitchen window, sort of, if you like it and it’s important to you, draw it.
There’s so much more to be said for drawing things that are important to you, so that you have something at the end. Even if it’s wonky, you’ve learnt more about that item that means something to you. Your child’s favourite toy is a lovely thing to draw. At the age that you are and the age that they are, when they’re enjoying that toy; that is a beautiful thing to do. I did revisit that concept, a few years back. My eldest son loved his woody doll from toy story, and I did get a photo of his actual doll. So, he obviously wasn’t playing with it anymore, because I think he was in his late teens by that stage. But I blew it up and did it as a massive painting. But I drew it quite a few times when it was smaller as well. So, think about what toys might be interesting.
Even your bedside table. If the way you lay it out, maybe you want to do it up, like organise it, get tidy, and then come back and draw it. But think about things that are important to you, and then draw them. And then the last thing is what do you want to learn about? And we’ll touch on this in the next episode, but think about things that you’d like to learn about. But really, that is third along this series of subjects, when it comes to drawing. Think about what’s close to you and what’s important to you, and go from there. But hopefully, that’s not too difficult. I’ve given you quite a few ideas. And now, all you have to do is decide, which one you’re going to start with. But don’t think about that too long because there’s no right answer. You can start with whatever you like. Okay? So, on our way to Art Fitness, think about what is important to you, what is close to you, and that will help you to just do it.
So, you want to get Art Fit? We’ll find out when the doors to the Shiny Happy Art Club open next. There are 24 online Paint Alongs to choose from when you join, so you’ll definitely find something you love. And now, there are also $15 and $25 subscription options. So, go to www.shinyhappyart.com to pop your name on the waiting list. I look forward to painting with you in the Shiny Happy Art Club. And until then, I’ll be back in your ears with the next episode of the Art Fit Podcast.
