Teach Yourself Art

Study

• Visit museums, art galleries and online tutorial sites to seek out the type of art that you are most interested in. Observe the colors, textures and techniques the artist has used in your favorite pieces. Read books, magazine articles and view videos about your favorite artists and forms of art. Speak with artists at showings and at community art displays to gather information. Ask what materials the artist favors for his paintings. Go to your library and borrow manuals and books to study the process of creating a piece of the art that you favor. Study perspective and form, which are important factors in any piece of art. Choose an online site tutorial or purchase a how-to book when you are sure of the type of medium that you wish to work in.

Create

• Buy a small kit or a minimum amount of recommended supplies to paint, sew or make a small piece of art. Begin your project. If you have decided that you want to paint, then paint. You will not be perfect when you begin. Practice. Cut, mold, sew, glue or paint your way to the completion of your first piece. Absorb what you are doing, feel the smooth application of paint or the texture of the clay. Step back and look at your work. Observe what you have accomplished and what areas need improvement. It is important to not be overly critical of your first pieces of art. Finish one, start on another project as soon as possible and watch your skills improve.

Never Stop

• You can continue with the medium that you have chosen or add more to the artistic talents that you are building as you teach yourself art. If you enjoyed painting boxes with acrylic paint consider moving on to painting with watercolors or in oils. You may have developed a keen eye for color while working with drawing and colored pencils. Take your developing color talent and teach yourself the art of quilt design or stained glass making. You may find the one type of art that is perfect for you or you might realize that you can teach yourself a variety of mediums for artistic expression. You can spend a lifetime teaching yourself various forms of art and sharing your talent with the world.