Why does starting new work feel so hard...?
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- Опубликовано: 2 окт 2024
- ... and how to make it fun instead.
I'm sharing the first few days on a new series of work and feeling awkward and uncomfortable because it feels like starting all over again! It IS starting all over again - on a journey where you don't know the outcome but that's the fun!
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Find me on Instagram @alicesheridanstudio
Website: www.alicesheridan.com
March 2021
Thanks Alison for your insightful comments re your series of 4... 'blobs, push-pull, contrast and the value of a messy palette' are hit the right spot for me. 👍 Regards, Sarah
Extremely interesting and informative to have you point out the bits you like and hear you explain why. Thank you.
Excellent approach
Reflection of Nature and own feelings ❤
I have no problem starting anew, it's follow through I find challenging. I keep multiple paintings going just to keep the flame alive.
I really like the second in the row. It makes me feel warm and at home. I think its the lines reaching upward and that rich yellow green. Hopeful I suppose. Lots going on already. Hope you can work with it. Exciting.
Also enjoying your habit of turning them upside down or whatever, which I do too, to help my brain or eyes reset. What an adventure!
Thank you for sharing all your thoughts! It is so interesting and inspiring!🥰
Its disheartening at the end of the day, IF I've made everything worse!
In all the years I have been painting both traditionaly or digitally I have never struggled with starting a new piece of work,some how it's a really exciting and motivating push to get going, to put down the first colour, the first mark and go from there. I do come back to works in progress,but again I find I can look at them with fresh eyes and begin working on them, excited by seeing how much further I can take them. When I first began to paint the white canvas was off putting even a little intimidating, but I feel as you evolve on your journey as an artist you lose that fear of starting a new piece or coming back to one in progress. As you become more comfortable with how you paint, even what mediums you use it get a little easier to start a new piece. I always have questions and ideas in my head,but find once I start painting. drawing etc they all begin to resolve themselves. I love exploring paints etc and how they interact as I'm using them,how marks spark off more ideas and more questions to ask and resolve as I go on. I find something in a painting will trigger off a new idea and a new way to explore in the piece or maybe for a new piece.I always feel like I go back to being a child again when I begin a new painting,that sense of wonder and excitement,and when going back to a piece in progress to see what will happen next as I work on them again.I feel we constantly evaluate a piece as we are working on it,consciously and unconsciously. I think there are moments of dobut during a painting, but I find I push to work through these creatively and a resolution happens.If anything it's harder to know when a work is finished.I hope you are able to resolve the paintings in ways that really work for you.
Yes, it’s exciting, but also if you are exploring something nee and different each time there will always be a slight doubt - otherwise you’re not doing anything new.
@@AliceSheridanStudio I agree there will be moments of of doubt when you are painting,I think it's a natural part of painting,but I feel it's learning to embrace that doubt if you are able to and work through it and see what arises out of that.I feel doubt for me is a boost of motivation,and I find also I learn more when a doubt occours and I'm able to resolve it in some way,somes that resolution is almost instant, sometimes it may come a liitle later.I try and hope tolaern with each apinting I do, to push me forward on mt creative journey as an artist.I wonder if the way I deal with doubt in my painting comes from how I deal with doubt in my life or maybe it's the other way round.I think some of my better pieces have come out of those moments of doubt,as I find they uncover new things,almost like a kind of creative light bulb moment,perhaps it's the unpreictability of doubt in my painting that draws me in,not sure.But I think doubts can be a catalyst for invention and a new direction when you find a way to resolve them. I think I get my lack of fear in starting a new painting or going back to one in progress from my late mother,she was very creative and was fearless in life and in her art and I was always in awe of that,but found when I began to work more seruously as an artist myself I too had that fearlessnes,but all I can say is that if feels natural to me and always has.
You are beautiful! Your works are also the same !
That was fascinating. I love watching other artist’s process, it’s inspiring and inclusive and just so nice😊
Glad you enjoyed it - always nice to share
You may enjoy my old pal Jeff Cochran who does " Keep on Painting" tutorial bits from Taos New Mexico.
You can finish a painting,
But you never finish painting.
Keep on .
A heart attack made for a motivator to get cracking.
lol "this is the naughty one..." lol!
Fear and insecurity ....everyday. Comforting to hear an established artist has the same experience. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and process.
It’s kind of a deliberate thing :-) to put yourself in a new situation!
Alice, great video.Are you able to share how you mix your paints? What paint do you use?
I use acrylics - I like Winsor & Newton system 3 as a base - it has decent pigment load and weight. I use some Golden colours when I want something specific.
I usually just mix as I go according to what the painting needs, but for this group I did spend a day pre-mixing some “skeleton” colours so I had a harmonious group to work from which I could then modify….
You can see the finished paintings now on my website, I think there I just one still available .
Wonderful seeing you work. Thank you Alice! Just found you today. Grateful! 💖
Thank you… I need to make the next video as these are now finished (almost!) but there is an IGTV live of you are on Instagram?
I’m @alicesheridanstudio
@@AliceSheridanStudio great, yes, followed you asap, haha. Thank you Alice! 💖🤗💖
They look oerfect to me. lol
Ahhh the loud music stops….
💚❤️🧡 Love your topics and your sharing on your fabulous pieces!
I also recommend Stuart Davies an Englishman in France.
Wonderful to see the process, thank you. What size are these canvases?
Thank you, Alice, for sharing your work in progress and your thoughts. Your paintings are beautiful even at this stage and I look forward to seeing them finished. I am currently enrolled in CVP and I am now delighted to see what I am learning put in practice and I have a better understanding of
So helpful. Great to see and hear your process. Please keep posting videos as they are making the unseen and unheard seen and heard....really wonderful
I like your TROUBLE CHILD!
Thank you for sharing your process. It really is so helpful to those of us not as far along on this journey as you. Helpful to know even you feel some apprehension! BTW for anyone interested, I just learned something fascinating about brain neuroplasticity, the ability of our brains to grow and change, hopefully for the better. 2 things that help the most (or at least a lot, not sure about the most) are 1)Exercise and 2) Trying something new, so for example creating something new, either art, music or doing or making anything that you’ve never done before. So hey, each time you’re starting a new painting, just think neuroplasticity!
Totally! I think perhaps there’s an idea for some that you get to a point where you’ve “learnt” and you can just do it... but the continual learning is the exciting part for me. Every time I’m building on previous experiences - and also challenging myself with something new.
Thank you Alice for this close up look and discussion on your work. I gleaned a lot from your dissection of each piece and showing where you started and ended up so far and why. You put into words what I do but did not clarify for myself. Thanks again. Charlene from Vancouver Island BC Canada
Glad it was helpful Sandy - it will hopefully become a good record for me too. By the end I always forgot how they started 😊
I can see scenes in all these. It's like the paintings stimulate my imagination just enough to produce vivid landscapes in my mind. In the first one I can see a blue boat leaving a harbour through a small exit by a green bank. The colours in the foreground are the boat that I'm on, watching the view.
Yes, once I get started all sorts of interesting links and associations shift and change.
Thank you for sharing, funny how different we all are, the naughty child painting is my favourite and I notice you used it at the end of your video, I think it is telling you something 🤔❤️
Yes - will probably end up being my favourite!
Great to hear your thoughts about what works and what doesn't. it's so useful to aspiring artists. I loved it when you pulled back at the end...I'm intrigued to see them finished.
Next stages coming soon - might surprise you!
Thank you so much for sharing your process, it’s intriguing and inspiring.
So helpful. Feeling fired up and ready to tackle the next step. Thank you Alice! x
Once you know this stage gets packed full of options and different possibilities, it becomes I little easier… you can’t allow a painting to deviate and explore. It’s exciting… then bring back some editing.
It’s wonderful to see you again and to have you share this with us. Looking forward to lots more! Many thanks!
I hope I’ll keep up! I’ve been meaning to add more to RUclips for a while... Instagram has had my attention 🙂
Do you add anything to your acrylics to give them more of a shine would you like it very matt?
I like them kind of mid! I often add GAC 100, often just water. Sometimes I add retarder if I want more working time on larger paintings.
Alice your comments and observations is sooooo helpful, thank you
Thanks - I need to update the changes in these…
How do you pick your pallet and do you ever change it in the middle of a painting?
Yes - it usually changes during the course of painting. Or rather the emphasis might change... usually it starts much brighter and then becomes more subdued and subtle
ok, nice
Perfect. Literally staring at my painting right now trying to get started.
Haha! Get off You Tube and go and do it!! You know you want to... come back and tell me what fun you had :-)
I can't imagine, I do one painting a day, 130 so far this year.
Perhaps there are distractions, but over the years you may develop more discipline.
Artist in Costa Rica..
It’s just a different approach and purpose to the work. I tend to work a whole group over time, I find it allows ideas to develop and gives a richer surface, but we all get to choose 🙂
@@AliceSheridanStudio I rotate 8 canvases, when done they are recorded then repainted.
An abstract, a seascape two desert one b+ w, three landscapes.
How incredibly rude. There’s plenty of discipline here. And also a great deal of talent.
Wonderful! Intuitive process is difficult to organize ! Do you have reference ? What are you using to draw the lines ? I see you dip it in water ? Thank you !
I’m referencing a mix - some colour studies and also a large charcoal drawing I did a few years ago which was done on location of “wind”. Things kind of get mashed up a d then re-formed… I like to have something to start me off or it feels too random, but usually the paintings take over. I think I was using a solid graphite stick to draw???
Thank you so much for your time 😊 I completely understand. Sometimes it takes me a while emerge something just from playing with contrast value etc... I use acrylic which is forgiving.can layer . I’m new to abstract but not to intuitive painting. ( if that makes sense ! Lol) So a graphite stick? Hum. You don’t mind the * dust* it drags? . Again; Beautiful work and great communication as to your process 😉 Isabelle
@@parisasun2541 you have probably moved on from this technical problem by now but I kind of have a similar situation. I've had a terrible time finding the right mark making tool that feels right to me. I love the feel of graphite but was concerned about smudging. Not sure exactly what you mean by dust. There are so many types of graphite with different feels to all of them. Lately, if I am concerned about it possibly smudging, I take a palette knife and gently put gel medium over the graphite. I work in layers so lots of it will get covered anyway. What I don't put gel medium on, I smudge myself a little so at least I am in control of it and not so much of a surprise later when I don't want it. This seems to be working for me for the time being while I continue to hunt for the perfect drawing tool over acrylics.
thank you really love this , and it does help to be reminded that the initial phase of painting brings apprehension!
It’s just an anticipation really... maybe I think “I should have this nailed by now” but the reality is that it still makes me feel a bit nervous. Like the first day at a new job!
Thank you !
Really great - fascinating to see your thought process and progression on the paintings , Thank you for sharing
Will share more as I go...
Thank you - I do like starting really! There is a freedom to it
needed this
Bravo!
Thanks for that Alice, a really useful insight into your working practices.
I’m hoping to remember to record as I go with this group so you will see them evolve- next one is added “Being Brave with colour”
Nice And Vizlistion of the painting.
Creative Effect also Composition very interested Wet And Wet Balanced.
Application with Colours Effects overlapeing Texture wenderfully.
Thanks.
The second one to me feels like a river dividing country from city.
Interesting because a lot is me trying to create landscapes which mix my enjoyment of open wild spaces with the busyness of city life - not that I’ve been able to enjoy either much in this last year! 🤪
@@AliceSheridanStudio I’m living on a river so I probably think about them and how they divide/ separate places sometimes. Also ending your ability to hang multiple paintings and work on them simultaneously and wondering how I could do that. I work that way on smaller paper pieces but cannot work that way on canvases. Going to move in a few months but do not see large studio walls and flooring that is sturdy in my future at the moment....
Are these on boards or canvas ? Very informative video, thank you xx
These are on canvas which I’ve recently come back to- it’s making me work a bit differently and I’m enjoying it!
@@AliceSheridanStudio oh right ! It’s funny you should say that, Iv been working on some canvases today which Iv not done in a while. It’s strange when you’re not used to it. I feel like Iv gone off it now x
Kimi Marlowe just keep going with it… I find it definitely takes a different way, but these kind of challenges are what help us progress as artists