Three Tips to Fire Up Your Painting Inspiration.
Feeling uninspired can happen to the best of us and is just a natural part of being creative.
Maybe you've been feeling like every time you sit down by the easel things just don't go your way, or maybe you're simply at a loss for where to even begin.
I know, I've been there! At one point, I didn't paint for a solid six months(!) I felt so uninspired I even wondered if my life purpose was something else than being an oil painter.
(But that's another story).
Today, however, I'm happy to say that there's usually is no shortage of ideas and inspiration, and when I have the occasional need to get that extra push, I have 3 ways that always help me out!
Like this color combination right here, how gorgeous is this?
Number 1: Testing Different Color Combinations.
Colors and how colors play off each other is something I've always found inspiring!
My all-time favorite color combination is golden yellows paired up with a deep blue. I can't get enough of that combo! Sometimes though, I like to mix things up and try new things, and when I do, I try different color combinations to see if anything spikes my interest.
One way to do this is to go on Pinterest and type in; Color scheme, in the search box.
Whenever I do, I always get a bunch of new ideas!
Then what I'll do, is try and imagine how I could use this color combination in, .e.g, a still-life.
Do I have any object i could paint with the same color, which of these colors could work as the background color, and so on...
Number 2: Look at Old Work.
In my studio, I have a lot of unfinished work.
Paintings that no one ever sees and that ended up in a shelf or corner because I couldn't stand working on it any longer.
The thing though, is that after a few weeks or months of not seeing them, they're usually not as bad as I remembered, and sometimes I even end up with a finished painting I like!
Got some paintings or sketches laying around? Have a look, and maybe you'll be inspired to finish what you started!
Number 3: Go Back to the Source!
The last thing that works wonders to get my inspiration going is looking at photos of my favorite painters, the reasons why I fell in love with oil paint in the first place.
Ask yourself questions like;
Why do I love his/her paintings so much?
What colors do they often combine?
Which subjects do they paint?
What's the feeling I get when I watch the painting?
Is it a specific technique that they use which you really like?
Then try to think of a way that you could implement those things in your own work!
An extra tip here is to make a folder on your computer filled up with pictures of your favorite paintings. I've got a few of those and whenever I have a hard time getting inspired, looking through these always helps.
Here are a few examples of my favorite artists:
Vincent Van Gogh, ‘‘Cherry Blossoms’’.
Cornelia Hernes, ‘‘Morning Hour’’.
Harald Solberg, ‘‘Winter Night in the Mountains’’.
I hope you got some tips!
Until next time I wish you lots of inspiration and happy painting,