@dandelier Your picture has a cat and a plant so it qualifies 
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Hi @dandelier - That’s cute!
If you have any questions about the rules, here’s the link.
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@dandelier That is cute and oh, so true! 
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looks awesome looks so real
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Thank you.
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I like this one a lot.
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Oh this is going to be lovely!
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I have to try this gaussian effect on my references… though I typically use more than one reference when I paint… unless I’m doing a photo study.
anyways… i love the looseness of the original sketch of the 2nd cat better… you are really good at being a Bouguereau, but you really need to unleash your inner van Gogh
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Do you have any suggestions on how to “unleash my inner Van Gogh”? I’m assuming you mean to be more creative? I have always struggled with that aspect. I try to use multiple references, or simply experiment with what catches my eye. But I am the details queen and it’s always a struggle! LOL
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i’m referring to being loose with your strokes and being rough with your paintings, not being more creative. study what happened between the french classical period and the impressionist period, and you’ll know what I mean. The french classical period (Bougereau) is the pinnacle of studio work; meticulous long-oriented structured painting… then Impressionism came along (van gogh… though technically he is post-impressionist)… and impressionism is being about loose, spontaneous, plein-air, do-this-quick-capture-IMPRESSION-of-subject-NOT-DETAILS style of painting.
You can also join the daily spit paint group in facebook. The group has strict rules; pick one of four prompts daily and paint the prompt in ONLY THIRTY MINUTES. That exercise might help you be looser with your painting style.
Mind you, there is nothing wrong with your style, and if you love it, then you love it. But I believe your classical style would be enhanced if you experiment with being “looser.”
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I apologize if it seems out of place for me to be interjecting myself into this conversation. I would like to say from a personal experience I honestly have never spent time studying artwork taking courses or learning in a traditional sense. It may be to my detriment because it’s definitely taking me longer to get to a certain level than it may have if I had learned from artists in the past. I enjoy learning as I go figuring things out on my own, and sometimes it feels like I’m putting a puzzle together. When a piece I work on is finished it makes for a very enjoyable experience. Am I wrong in thinking this way? Should I try to retrain myself in other art styles or continue on doing what I do? I’m genuinely curious on anyone’s thought.
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@Elixiah never mind about my comment about the cat thing. i experimented a little with your finished cat piece and the one you posted here, and in the end i destroyed what i liked most… lol;
i just really really like that pattern on the left, and I thought it would have been cool if you kept it. but then i pasted that part on your final product and it looked off… so in the end, what you did in your final painting was best.
@Bobrowsdower any art journey is a valid art journey. but not studying what happened in the past will be severely limiting what you are truly capable of.
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I agree with that. Thanks.
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Ok, I understand what you’re saying now. I have had no formal art training, so I had to Google the art history you mentioned Lol
I would love to join the Daily Spitpaint on facebook. This kind of thing is what helps me the most.
I am rarely happy with my detailed artwork that I’ve spent a lot of time on. The pieces I love most were created quickly and spontaneously.
Your advice is much appreciated.
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Hi @Bobrowsdower and welcome!
You are not interjecting… I welcome all discussion on the subject.
I also have had no formal art training. I just enjoy painting and hands-on stuff.
I am not an instructor, but I can tell you the biggest thing that’s helped me is doing these quick, spontaneous pieces of art that these challenges and other sites like Daily Spitpaint on facebook do.
I think it’s the key to improving anyone’s work… no matter your style. It gets me out of my comfort zone and forces me to think and be creative and experiment.
I am a detail queen and I’m still struggling to “loosen up”, as in edgarej’s comments. But I’m finding that I’m doing more and more interesting and satisfying pieces of work these days as a result of it.
Hope that helps.
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Final update on this. It was fun.
*edit: note to braindead self, forgot a second ‘x’ for the roman numeral year on the side of the sig…
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