I see a lot of pins on Pinterest lately about leaving the world, or the people in your world, better than you found them. The more I paint, the more I come back to this great life lesson.
In my painting circles, I keep hearing a similar idea to the effect of, "you don't paint an image, you render it." It's a thought-provoking concept and is becoming one of my favorite things about creative expression. The basic idea is not to copy an image, but to put your own spin on it. Leave your mark, literally.
There are no rules in rendering or interpreting an image. Sure, there are rules to composition and value and the such, but the actual rendition itself comes pretty unattached. Unburdened. For me, this idea poses a pretty welcome challenge after a lifetime of chronic, habitual rule-following. My everyday thought processes don't work when I'm at the easel. What does work is to instead follow my instincts and trust my creativity. Not easy, but infinitely more fruitful artistically.
In my painting circles, I keep hearing a similar idea to the effect of, "you don't paint an image, you render it." It's a thought-provoking concept and is becoming one of my favorite things about creative expression. The basic idea is not to copy an image, but to put your own spin on it. Leave your mark, literally.
There are no rules in rendering or interpreting an image. Sure, there are rules to composition and value and the such, but the actual rendition itself comes pretty unattached. Unburdened. For me, this idea poses a pretty welcome challenge after a lifetime of chronic, habitual rule-following. My everyday thought processes don't work when I'm at the easel. What does work is to instead follow my instincts and trust my creativity. Not easy, but infinitely more fruitful artistically.
This notion of rendering also crystallizes the idea that each and every one of us can improve the world in our own way. How are you leaving your mark?