Playing is Knowing

The other day I was teaching a couple of drawing techniques and practices. During the session, one of the participants said ooh, look at that color, how intense it is, I love it. Delight and wonder filled her voice. YES, I said, keep playing with that color, moving it around, adding more pigment, more water. 

By playing with your materials, you get to see what you love! And by seeing what you love, you get to develop your style.

Yes, you can learn from other people. You can follow their directions and try out their techniques. But it’s when you play, asking yourself, “what would happen if I .  . .”, and then you take a look at what you’ve created, noticing what interests you, and excites you . . . that’s the key to finding your way of doing things. That’s the key to finding your unique style.