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How Does a Student Begin Studying Art?

Posted on 2/5/2019 5:47:34 AM - Comment on this
Topics: Q&A Series | Talks/Instruction

How Does a Student Begin Studying Art?

How would you advise a would-be student to begin? Can you "step out" the stages you'd recommend for self-study or for mentored study?

Sidney Oliver

A friend told me when I was in college that people with artistic talent are a dime a dozen. You’ve heard of people saying that so and so has an eye. These attributes mean nothing if this talent and this eye are not developed. Having a propensity for development is nice, but the key is in the devotion and hard work one goes through for any kind of major achievement to take place.

The advice I list is fairly standard, but the big secret to all of this is determination.

My thoughts at random:

If a traditional art school is unavailable, take a class. Also, take other classes from different teachers, but not at the same time. Get what you can out of one teacher and then branch out to see if you get different advice. A weekend workshop with someone else would be beneficial even if you are taking a class from one specific teacher.
Don’t expect too much from a weekend workshop. You are doing well if you take away one thing.
Be slow and deliberate about this. It’s easy to become overwhelmed.
With this in mind, realize that imposing order where art is concerned is hazardous.
Don’t have too many teachers at once.
Limit everything in order to master it.
Experiment. Try new techniques. If you don't grow, you're dead.
Don’t put too many paints on your palette. More on this as we proceed.
When buying art materials, do not be seduced by sexy colors.
Put that fear of failure right out of your mind. You can always purchase more paper and canvases.
You need to get a lot of bad paintings under your belt before you can come up with a good one.

Read as much as possible.
Practice and experiment as much as you can. I should say this in bold, but only reading about art won’t get you there. You want this to be instinctive. You need to feel this, not just be able to spout off what you have read.
Take notes on what you are seeing, reading, hearing, & feeling about the visual world around you.
If you know any practicing artists, ask questions.
Don't let the task at hand get in the way of observation.

Example: If you are washing dishes and see a beautiful sunrise, forget the dishes. You will always have dishes to wash, but you will never see a sunrise exactly like this ever again in your entire life.

Visit museums and look at art. Since visiting museums can be tiring, don’t spend your time looking at what doesn’t immediately grab you. Something previously shunned might enthrall you on your next visit. Don’t spend your time reading a lot of labels. The labels aren’t art. Walk in a room and see if anything intrigues or captivates you. If so, spend your time on just that one painting. Stare at it, walk up and look close, step back from it, look at the brushstrokes. Experience it and get a feel for the painting. Don’t put any of these things in words especially at first. Later, you might want to take some notes on why you think that painting was so enthralling, but this is essentially a non-verbal exercise. Go to a new room and do the same. Quit when you are tired.

Unless one is in art school or in a workshop, most artists are not around other artists. It’s a solitary existence. That being said, I always relished the times I was around a group of artists. Find some artists or fellow art students. You will always learn from each other.
I repeat-take classes, read, ask questions, and observe. Don’t take one teacher’s word for it. Each teacher has an opinion and some of these opinions might not be right for you. These are only opinions just as what I’m giving you. It doesn’t mean that my opinions are right. I’ve just arrived at this way of thinking from my experience. Some teachers might be the perfect fit and that’s a huge plus. Don’t waste your time on a teacher who isn’t suitable for your learning pattern.
Know the rules and know when to break the rules.

Example: Painters are taught to mix huge masses of color so as not to spend time mixing when painting. Due to my proclivity to paint like a house painter, which is not a desirable trait, I mix small batches as I paint. It might break the painting rhythm, but it saves my paintings from looking flat.