No. 376 The Japanese Doll with Amaryllis Flower and Scarf

Japaese Doll with Amaryllis Flower and Scarf

Oil on Linen Panel

7" x 5"

Click here to view auction.

Still playing with dolls! :) I was hoping that backing up from the subject would give me more of the effect I was after. Hmmm, I'll keep working on it.

Steps to creating your own daily painting practice: Step #8 Pick yourself up when you fall

Lets face it, having a good strong goal is very important but the chances are very high there will be a day or two you will simply not able to get that painting done. Is that a good reason to quit? Absolutely not. Probably the hardest thing to do is regroup and continue. My original goal was to complete a painting every single day for 365 days and post that painting on my blog. In the end it didn't happen quite that way. So I didn't finish a painting every single day. However, since I started my project in November 2012, I have finished a little over 365 paintings and sold almost a hundred of them. I'm pretty happy with that result. :)

No. 371 The Japanese Doll #2

The Japanese Doll No. 2

Oil on Linen Panel

7" x 5"

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My second attempt at painting this lovely doll.

Starting your own daily painting practice Step 5 1/2 - Dip Your Toe In

Okay, they say there are those that prefer to jump in the pool and those that prefer to dip their toe in first. If you are the latter, by all means dip that toe in! Try daily painting for a week or so. Obstacles will probably arise. The key here is are they surmountable? Use that information to help you decide whether to take the next big step.........

No. 370 The Japanese Doll

The Japanese Doll

Oil on Linen Panel

7" x 5"

Click here to view auction.

Such a lovely doll, such a difficult subject to paint. I'm going to put this in my "good for you for pushing yourself" category. Then I won't feel so bad for it not turning out the way I wanted it to. :)

Starting your own daily painting practice - Step 5 What to Paint

This is the fun part! As a fine artist, the world is your oyster. A good place to start is something you are passionately interested in outside of art. That may be animals, boating, flowers, construction equipment, cars, you name it. Then create a collection of those items in photos or real life (construction equipment might be best collected in photos). Pack a lunch and head out on a field trip with your camera or visit a thrift store or antique shop. Collecting painting reference is my favorite new hobby and an excellent excuse to go shopping! I used to turn my nose up at thrift stores. Now they are treasure troves . :)

If you have a day where nothing appeals to you, that's okay. Paint something anyway. There is still a lot of value to putting that brush to canvas, getting the mileage in and establishing a painting habit even if this particular subject isn't very exciting. Sometimes just starting is the hard part. Many times the longer I look at something the more interesting it becomes. What was once unappealing becomes appealing.

Hope this helps!