The holiday season comes with stress, hassles, joy, events, and food. How do you let these translate into your art? Your paintings and drawing should flow from emotions, and what better holiday than Christmas to inspire?
Here are some tips to make the holidays one of your best times to create your paintings or drawings.
1. Take tons of photos
And develop them! The expression on a little one's face looking at Christmas lights, Uncle Ed eating until he pops, Grandma pulling the turkey from the over, these can all be captured to create from later.
2. Go for rides
Whether it's in a car or a sleigh, take a Winter drive and pack your sketchbook. Stop and make quick observations of the sites you see. Note how the snow reflects light, sketch that deer that wandered out of the woods, and get down the reasons why you think the sky looks different in the cold.
3. Sit back and watch
At the next get together, take your sketchbook, sit back in a quiet corner and observe for at least a moment. Sketch your nephew, the holiday feast, the Christmas tree, anything that captures your mood.
4. Record your mood
Feeling stressed? Overjoyed? Sad? Grab your pen, pencil, or brush and use your feeling to create a painting or drawing. Don't over think the emotion. Don't try to be too photo realistic. Just create.
The best art can come from raw emotion. Sad that a loved one is missing this holiday? Create something to honor them. Really proud of your first Christmas with your new baby or one-and-only? Draw or paint the things that symbolize your feelings.
5. Use your art to give
Think of someone on your giving list and paint just for them. Paint things that you think they would love, then give them your work.
6. Make stuck inside work for you
During the Winter most of us stay inside. Work that to your advantage. Go to your window and paint or draw the view from your world. Feel free to include the window frame, peeling paint and all.
7. Zoom in
Go over to your Christmas tree and zoom in. Stand so that your face is only a few inches from the tree. Then, go and paint or draw what you saw.
