Deciding what to paint next for The Paint Sesh is its own process. How do I choose what would make a good subject to paint for a class? YIKES, talk about pressure! Not everyone likes the same things so its not as easy as 1,2,3 and I suddenly have the perfect painting to instruct. I wish.
Deciding what to paint next
To be honest I have a lot of unfinished canvases that will never see daylight. You have to fail sometimes to be able to succeed. I use my failed attempts as inspiration aka learning experiences. There’s a few things I do to help my creative gears to start turning so I can paint the best possible painting. How to get Inspired: Sparking Your Creativity is another blog article I wrote through my personal art site, Chelzart. Which also might be beneficial in deciding what to paint next!
Anything But Basic
The very first thing I think of before deciding what to next is: what would I like to create at a painting class? I don’t want to  paint anything too “basic.” If I’m not enjoying myself when I’m painting it on my own, what makes me think anyone else will? Therefore I paint what I, myself would like to paint. Anything from local Southern California destinations to some fun abstract painting of some of my favorite things like beer and bong flowers! Which seems to be very broad, I know. I just don’t like to be constricted. What can I say, I’m a free-spirit painter I just paint whatever fills my heart with joy.
Did I mention references?
This is where having good references from my other blog post: Setting up a Creative Environment comes into play when I’m deciding what to paint next. Once I’ve decided on a good subject, I find as many references I can find that applies to my subject. I’m not just talking one or two references. You should see my Artboard file in Illustrator theres references here, references there, references everywhere. You honestly can’t ever have enough!
The more colors the better.
I love painting with fun vibrant colors. I literally can’t help myself. As for choosing which colors to use for each painting, I can’t answer that. I don’t even think about it. Poof. Just like that, the colors I want to use pop into my head. Colors make you feel a certain way that you can’t put into words so you just gotta paint it out. Which I enjoy sharing those feeling with my customers who chose to come paint with me.
The number one thing I try remind myself thanks to the infamous Bob Ross…
“Theres no such thing as mistakes, just happy accidents.”
I don’t just tell my customers that during the paint classes. I tell myself constantly when I’m first coming up with the idea of the painting when I’m deciding what to paint next. If only you knew how many happy accidents I’ve made. I just go with the flow. Most importantly, I just enjoy myself! At the end of the day it’s all about creating something from nothing and that’s pretty magical.
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