painting ideas

What to Do When Your Painting Is A Disaster!

What to Do When Your Painting Is A Disaster!

Sometimes your painting session just goes WRONG! We all have days like that. In this video you will see me create a really Ugly painting - I never intended to - it just WENT WRONG! But then I fixed it. So watch the process of finding a new direction and resolving a mess. There are some fundamental studio practices that we can learn from this

🎨 when conditions in the studio are not right - don’t just persevere - correct the problem

🎨 Take a break, always walk away from a painting when you’re getting frustrated - otherwise you’ll continue to make bad decisions

🎨 Come back to it when you’re ready, with clean brushes, clean water and a fresh paint palette

🎨 Trust yourself and your process. If you don’t have a process you can trust - GET ONE! Check out my stARTs Course: https://www.judywoodsart.com/starts1

Avoid the Blank Canvas - Use Gesso to Paint

Avoid the Blank Canvas - Use Gesso to Paint

Starting a painting and making that first mark on a blank canvas can be daunting. In this video, I show you how to avoid this nervous starting point by using Gesso to create a beautiful surface instead of a flat blank canvas.

By painting with Gesso, applying it with a variety of tools, and allowing water to flow through the thick paint, you can build depth and subtlety into those first layers. Before you know it, you’ve started a beautiful and exciting painting and avoided the nervousness altogether.

Watch this video and alternate between Black and White Gesso to create depth and interest to your canvas. Using a variety of tools, from squeegee to comb, you can experiment and discover the effects you love as the foundation to your next painting.

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My Painting Process from Beginning to End

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My Painting Process from Beginning to End

In this video I’m creating a big red painting from beginning to end. I’m often asked how long it takes to create a painting. Well this video will give you an insight into my process. My paintings are created by going on a journey: playing, experimenting with media, and looking for direction in design by what excites me.

👉Take note of how I alternate between using acrylic paint and dry media: pencils, pastels and oil sticks.

👉Look at how I integrate collage at the beginning of the painting to provide surface interest.

👉Watch me use templates to create unique and interesting shapes.

👉Listen as I explain how I know I’m finished at the end of the video.

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Playing in my Sketchbook before I paint

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Playing in my Sketchbook before I paint

Playing in my Sketchbook before I paint on canvas is like stretching before going for a run. It reminds me of what I want to see in my work and sets the intention for a playful, exploratory studio session. Sometimes when trying to ‘finish’ paintings there can be a tendency to tighten up as we don’t want to mess up the good work we’ve done. But I want to remain loose and in exploration mode right up to the end - so limbering up in the sketchbook ensures my painting will stay loose and I get the effects that I love. In this video a quick 30 minute painting, starting with collage and ink led me to create a painting with loose fluid shapes and line to provide structure. Allowing the paint and ink to mix and flow provides beautiful accidental effects that speak of freedom and flow - which is exactly how a painting session should start. Try starting your painting session with a quick play in your sketchbook to set the intention for your exploration in paint.

How to Grow in Confidence and Skill as an Artist

How to Grow in Confidence and Skill as an Artist

I believe that talent gets you to the Art Table but there are 5 essential skills you need to make good art, and talent isn’t one of them. When I started to paint seriously in 2017 I had very little self confidence and only a little more technical skill and knowledge. Now I create my own authentic art confidently and with a lot more joy in my practice. How did I transition from those insecure beginnings to where I am now? In this video I reveal what I believe I needed to acquire or practice in order to grow as an artist and establish the practice I enjoy today.

The BEST Way to get INSPIRED again with paint

The BEST Way to get INSPIRED again with paint

When life gets in the way of our art, it’s easy to lose our Mojo, find ourselves procrastinating and doubting our ability. Here’s a simple way to get back into your work as an artist and find the joy and love again. Watch as I explain why this happens and how to overcome negative feelings by playing a simple game with paint.

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The right mindset and the first moves to ensure success

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The right mindset and the first moves to ensure success

Starting a painting can be daunting - that blank canvas is like an empty stage waiting for brilliance to arrive! This can be a huge hurdle to overcome when expectations are high. So in this video I’ll share with you how to adopt the right mindset to allow yourself to freely create your best work, and what are some of the first steps you could take on that blank canvas to lead to success. Watch and then let yourself loose on your next painting journey!

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1 Hour Art: Creating Layers Of Mixed Media

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1 Hour Art: Creating Layers Of Mixed Media

I've recorded this video to show you my process for painting and making a finished piece in my sketchbook. I create my work, big or small by building in layers, and in this demonstration you will see the full process reduced down to creating an artwork in less than an hour. Don’t forget to download my Markmaking & Painting Promptsheet to bring over 50+ ideas into your studio.

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How to Use Thick and Thin Paint to Create a Stunning Painting Surface

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How to Use Thick and Thin Paint to Create a Stunning Painting Surface

I like to build a beautiful surface on my paintings, and in this video I focus on contrasting thick and thin paint to build a luscious painterly surface. I’ll show you how I do this on 4 paintings I’m currently working on so that you can see my painting process at work. Join me in my studio!

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How to Add Beautiful Textured Surface to Collage

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How to Add Beautiful Textured Surface to Collage

In the early stages of a painting I focus on building a beautiful surface with lots of texture, markmaking and a variety of paint effects. In this video I demonstrate how to do this using only black and white paint over the top of a collage base.

Following this process offers so many opportunities and directions and ensures your work will be rich with surprises for the viewer.

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2 Different Methods of Using Collage in Abstract Painting

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2 Different Methods of Using Collage in Abstract Painting

In this video, I demonstrate 2 methods of using Collage in the early stages of an abstract painting. And then how to develop an integrated composition full of surface interest, gorgeous shapes, and a variety of lines. This is all done in my sketchbook and gives you ideas for a quick and effective painting exercise to try yourself.

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Producing A Group of Paintings Together Makes The BEST Artwork

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Producing A Group of Paintings Together Makes The BEST Artwork

If I could tell you the ONE thing that improved my work the most - this is it. Working on a group of paintings together improves results because what you learn in one painting can be directly applied to others. In this video, I show you how I do this by using 5 paintings in mid-process to demonstrate how ideas can be applied to multiple works and how my paintings took big leaps forward as a result.

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Create Your BEST Paintings with These Simple DIY Shapes

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Create Your BEST Paintings with These Simple DIY Shapes

The best art relies on great design. So how do you ensure the design in your abstract painting is strong? In this video, I show you step-by-step a great tip for finding strong design ideas for abstract paintings using work you already have. I’ll show you how to create your own unique shapes and then demonstrate how you can use these to generate ideas for future work.

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Overcome the Overwhelm When Starting A Painting with this Simple Process

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Overcome the Overwhelm When Starting A Painting with this Simple Process

This video will give you 2 techniques for getting started when you have a new canvas, that is fast and effective and will help to kickstart your creative process so that you can begin your painting easily and with beautiful and exciting results.

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Mastering Subtle Texture in Your Painting with White Paint and Glazes: Tips and Techniques

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Mastering Subtle Texture in Your Painting with White Paint and Glazes: Tips and Techniques

In this video, I'll be sharing my top tips for creating beautiful, subtle texture in your paintings using white paint and glazes. By using a light touch with these tips and techniques you can achieve subtle and nuanced effects that elevate your work. I'll also be sharing my go-to technique for harmonizing colors. These techniques create a visually striking effect that pulls your painting together and makes it feel cohesive. I hope this video inspires you to experiment with these techniques in your own artwork!

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My Top Tips For Building Incredible Texture In Your Work

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My Top Tips For Building Incredible Texture In Your Work

Ready to take your paintings to the next level? By paying attention to the surface of your artwork, you can create depth and interest with beautiful textural effects to draw your viewer in close. So lets get started on taking your paintings from flat to FABULOUS!

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How I Developed An Idea From A Finished Painting Into New Art

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How I Developed An Idea From A Finished Painting Into New Art

How you get inspiration for new work? Inspiration, I think, is the most important part of the creative process. This clip shows how one piece of art can inspire another - where a finished painting can be mined for ideas that can be used to start a new piece.

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5 Methods to Build Connection with the Title of your Painting

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5 Methods to Build Connection with the Title of your Painting

THe title of your painting needs to build connection and engage the viewer. But it shouldn't be too literal or narrow limiting the viewers experience. In this video I share 5 strategies to finding a great title.

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Create Depth and Interest in your Painting with Stencils

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Create Depth and Interest in your Painting with Stencils

This video takes a look at the stencils I made and teaches you how to use stencils to create depth, direction and interest into your paintings. In this video I explain: How to choose colours in order to create contrast and direction in your painting and how to use stencil shapes that mimic negative or positive shapes to create rhythm and interest.

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How To Paint A Memory In Under An Hour

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How To Paint A Memory In Under An Hour

In this video, I will take you through the process of creating a painting based on a memory. We will use the technique of building up layers of paint and line to create depth and meaning. This is a very personal project which helps us draw upon our emotions and experiences, this creates something unique and special.