Mark-Making in Art

Find your marks, get set, create!

As I’ve mentioned, I also teach oil painting to beginner students. I’ve taught over 1200 pupils since I first opened my classes a year and a half ago. I hear (and see) it all. When I tell someone to “lightly stipple with your round brush,” it’s a running joke that at least 10% of people will, for some reason, proceed to jam their brush indelicately into the canvas surface. Whether they misunderstand me, or simply think they know best, I’m not quite sure. What I do know is that every few classes, like clockwork, I’ll get one student who exclaims, “This brush isn’t working!” or “This palette knife is too short!” Even though everyone in class gets the exact same brush, and the same palette knife, this student will be convinced it’s only his/hers that doesn’t “work.”

The blame game does not work in art. If your art is turning out “bad,” you don’t need a better brush, you need practice. ALL beginner artists need practice. Hell, even experienced artists need to practice. It’s when you think you no longer need the practice that you’re too complacent with your work, and you need to find something to challenge you.