How to get into the habit of Daily Painting
‘Daily painting"—the habit of completing small paintings on a daily basis has always intrigued me. In my experience, oil painting takes forever to set up and clean up. If there was a way that I could streamline the process, I was all in. I read about this process in the book, “Daily Painting: Paint small and often to become a more creative, productive, and successful artist,” by Carole Marine. She writes about her little hacks for incorporating daily painting into her schedule.
I decided to try it. I was not brand new to oil painting but never painted consistently because of the hassle of setting up, mixing paint, choosing references, and cleaning up. I ordered Fredrix Canvas Paper. Instead of ordering Quantity “1” in my checkout, I accidentally ordered “10.” When they came, I decided not to return the order. Instead, I took it as a sign that I was supposed to really give Daily Painting a try.
I prepared canvases ahead of time. First, I used painter’s tape and secured the canvas paper to a foam whiteboard. Then, I prepared them with a neutral color (acrylic).
I choose my reference ahead of time. I find choosing references to be the hardest part. I usually decide on a particular type of image that I want to work on (ie faces, body parts, facial expressions, etc.). I typically study an anatomy book as I draw to constantly learn something new.
I choose about 14 images ahead of time. I spend a few hours drawing each image in charcoal pencil on canvas. When I am ready to paint, I have all the prep work (priming canvas, references, initial drawings ready to go).
Once I have completed the setup for a particular painting, I usually spend 3-5 hours actually painting. I try to finish the quick study in one sitting. I record color combinations in a separate notebook. I enjoy these blocks of daily painting sessions immensely.
Over the years, I have completed hundreds of small paintings and have re-ordered the Frederix Canvas paper in batches of 10 (intentionally this time). The initial paintings were quite bad, but over time, they did get better as I practiced. Here are some of my favorite pieces that I have completed using this daily painting technique.
I think Daily Painting really helps you improve as an artist. I am paraphrasing here, but I think that this sentiment sums it up nicely:
The more work you create, the less pressure there is.
The more work you create, the more chance for success there is.
The more work you create, the more free you are to fail.
These daily painting sessions have allowed me to experiment with techniques and colors. It allows me to focus on certain body parts and learn anatomy. It allows me to think about composition. There is not too much at stake so if one painting doesn’t work, it is easy to move on.
Do you want similar posts about the creative process? Check these out:
How to Keep a Sketchbook: 5 Simple Steps
How to develop a painting: from initial idea to finished piece
Do you want to see Narrative Medicine artwork?
For more general information, here’s a link to my general website: