Happy World Art Day! Here at Colouring Heaven, we believe that art is one of the most important and wonderful things in life. From colouring our magazine, to illustrating, to painting, today is a day to celebrate it all. We’re bringing you the ultimate guide of 10 ways to channel your inner artist – get creating!
The first step of channelling your inner artist is simple: realise that you are already an artist! That’s the beauty of art, it is accessible and everyone is born an artist. You may be thinking, I don’t create that much art, am I still an artist? Yes, you absolutely are, start believing it and start creating!
Sometimes we’re too critical with ourselves when making art. It’s easy to look at something you’ve created and find all the mistakes you’ve made. No one is expecting you to be the most amazing colourist in the world, remember why you started creating art in the first place. Take the pressure off and let yourself enjoy the fun of making!
Especially when you start working in a new art form, it can be hard to find your own personal art style. Try to enjoy this and see it as an opportunity to experiment with different styles. Never used markers to colour before? Give it a go! Want to experiment with light and texture? Why not! The world is your oyster, try out different techniques and styles and find what works for you!
This World Art Day, we’d be silly to not encourage you to explore the work of other artists! It’s a fantastic way to get inspired, learn about different styles and see the world through someone else’s eyes. Find artists online, go to galleries (when we can), get some art books! You can also check out our Gallery of amazing colouring of previous issues of Colouring Heaven here.
There is a common misconception that making art has to be a lonely activity, this is far from the truth! Connecting with other artists, building up a community of friends to encourage and inspire you to get creative is so important. We love our supportive, talented and kind community of colourists in our Facebook group Friends of Colouring Heaven, which you can join here. The more the merrier!
There are so many kind and wonderful people out there with amazing advice for people starting out in any art form! Don’t be afraid to seek advice, talk to new people and get some tips. We have learnt a lot from our featured artists in Colouring Heaven. They’ve offered up their incredible tips and advice in their Q&As which you can take a look at here.
To get the most from your artistic practice, do it regularly! This seems like a simple tip but it is surprisingly hard to do. All you need is to set aside 10 minutes, half an hour a week to get creative, no matter how busy you are and take some time just for you. It’ll do wonders for both your art and your mental health!
Everyone needs a treat sometimes! Have you had your eye on a particular set of coloured pencils? A new blending stump? Perhaps a new issue of Colouring Heaven? Treat yourself to something a little luxurious that will bring you joy and encourages your art. You deserve it!
Do you remember when you were a kid and playing was such a big part of life? Channel that idea of silliness and play into your art! Making your artistic time fun can be an amazing creativity boost. You can do this in many ways: put on some upbeat music, use bright, bold colours, explore things you haven’t tried before, chat to an uplifting friend. The possibilities are endless!
Finally, a great way to encourage your artist is to let your art out into the world and share it with people! This doesn’t have to mean putting it online if that feels too intimidating, it could be just showing a close friend of family member. Either way, you should be proud of anything you make and sharing that with others can be a great confidence boost!
