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How To Become A More Creative Artist
Everyone starts on the same playing field when they first learn to draw and paint.
Learning how to draw and paint is a skill that can be learned with practice, like playing the piano.
Practicing painting techniques repeatedly, like a guitarist practicing scales, will make painting a subject more enjoyable and rewarding.
However, painting the same subject will become dull, just like playing “On Top Of Old Smokey.” for a year on guitar.
The first step is to decide what paints you will use, oil paints, acrylics, or watercolor paints.
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The next step is to develop a plan that will prevent you from getting a creative block to prevent you from practicing different painting techniques.
You are inspired, excited, and eager to go when you first start.
After about a month of painting the same subject, you might become bored, preventing you from working on different painting strokes and with different colors.
You need something that will spark your creativity to keep you going so you don’t sit there asking what should I draw and paint.
To help you stay motivated, we have come up with various painting prompts you can choose from. For more ideas, visit 50 Painting Ideas That Will Inspire You To Paint.
When scrolling down the list, decide on a subject that will be fun to paint or challenge yourself with a more complicated painting prompt.
Are there any subjects you would like to experiment with using different colors or textures?
Are there any subjects you would like to practice a specific painting stroke?
Maybe you would like to paint the same subject but try experimenting with different paints like watercolor, oil, or acrylic paints.
It is common to hit a wall when working on a repetitive technique.
The good news is that the drawing prompts list below will inspire you to keep working on your techniques until you have mastered them.
Now that you have a post focusing on getting art ideas, it is time to schedule thirty minutes daily for painting.
Painting Prompt Techniques
The first part focuses on techniques. We recommend working on all different painting techniques with the same subject matter.
The objective is not to learn how to paint different subjects; rather, the goal is to master the painting techniques to paint what you see easily.
- Pick one subject to paint for thirty days. Every day paint the subject from a different angle.
- Use a different color palette than you usually use and paint a subject you feel comfortable painting with new colors.
- Paint a subject with a different size brush every day for a week.
- Practice mixing colors for a week
- Practice a more realistic painting one day, then paint the same subject the next day with a more loose feel
- Paint the same subject three times using analogous color schemes, complementary and achromatic
- Place a reference image upside down and paint what you see
- Take a reference image and grid the image into four sections. Zoom in on each grid and paint what you see
- Recreate a scene from your favorite artists. The techniques you learn will help you to create your unique painting style
Event Theme Painting Prompts
The next art challenge is a list of things related to world events.
There is an endless amount of possibilities for each event.
Be creative and pick subjects you have a passion for.
- Paint a current event you are passionate about
- Paint a current sport-related theme
- Create a special memory from your childhood
- Paint the first thing you drew or painted as a child
- Create a contemporary holiday-themed scene
- Paint a seasonal theme scene
- Paint something that happened ten years ago, twenty years ago, and 30 years ago.
Real-Life Painting Prompts
The following section will help you enhance your painting skills by painting different subjects.
You can create many paintings with each subject outlined below by changing the subject’s light direction or angle.
- Mugs – Paint a cup at a different angle for a week. The next week change where the light is coming from.
- Glasses – Paint a different type of glass for seven days.
- Wine glasses – Paint seven different size wine glasses.
- Silverware – Toss some silverware on a table and paint how they land.
- Fruit – Pick a different fruit for the next thirty days.
- Vegetables – Pick a different vegetable to paint for the next thirty days.
- Flowers – Pick a different colored flower for the next seven days.
- Domestic animals – Paint your favorite pet.
- Wildlife – Paint your favorite wildlife animal.
- Birds – Paint a different bird for the next seven days.
- Lake scene – Paint your favorite lake scene.
More Art Inspiration Ideas
- Ocean scene
- Field
- Old barn
- Mountains
- Trees
- Houses
- Streets
- Clouds
- Leaf
- Cloths draped over a bead
- Chair
- Vase
- Bouquet of colorful flowers
- Sailboat
- Bowl of fruit
- A bowl of harvested vegetables
- A fish underwater
- Seashells
- Different shoes
- Go outside and paint en Plein air
- Paint a morning sky
- Paint a night sky
- Paint a sunset
- Paint a sunrise
- Paint storm clouds
Imagination Ideas
- Create a character from a favorite book
- Create a favorite scene from a favorite book
- Create a scene inspired by your favorite song
- Paint your dream home
- Paint your dream vacation
Illustration Prompts
- Paint your favorite cartoon character
- Paint your favorite comic character
- Paint your favorite superhero
- Paint your beloved cartoon pet
- Study Norman Rockwell
Art Prompt Generator
Here is a list of sites with art prompt generators for even more painting ideas.
These sites make it easy to discover new creative prompts for artists.
Art Prompts For Beginners
Here is an art prompts list to help you enhance your painting skills.
The best subject matters to start painting are simple still-life compositions. They might seem like easy art prompts, but they can be very challenging, depending on the lighting angle.
Start by painting each painting prompt individually, then try to stage and create different compositions.
- Apples
- Oranges
- Bananas
- Strawberries
- Watermelon
- Lemons
- Grapes
- Cucumbers
- Yams
- Guards
- Carrots
- Radishes
- Wine bottles
- Wine glasses
- Books
- Lamps
- Baskets
- Bowls
This is a great list of painting prompts for beginners. Take your time learning how to paint them at different angles and in other lights.
Top Picked Online Painting Courses For Beginners
- Mastering Still Life Painting In Oils Or Acrylics
- Acrylic Lesson – Red Grape – Still Life
- Still Life Oil Paintings For Beginners
Final Thoughts On Fine Art Prompts That Spark Creativity
You are visiting this post because you want to become a better painter.
There is no questioning the importance of practice.
The artists you watch on YouTube that make it look easy to paint an animal or an ocean have spent much time practicing their painting techniques.
With practice, you will become as good as they are.
We also recommend practicing your drawing skills.
Drawing and painting go hand and hand.
The better your drawing skills become, the easier it will be to paint what you see.
If you are interested in some drawing challenges, visit Free drawing tutorials.
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