Are you curious about learning abstract painting but worried that it might be too hard? Of course, the difficulty that comes with learning a new skill is somewhat subjective. The challenges of learning abstract painting depend on factors like how much artistic experience you have, and how much time you are willing to spend on learning and practicing. However, while it can be difficult to learn, no matter your current schedule or comfort level with abstract painting, there are plenty of tools available to help make learning easier than you might think.
What is Abstract Painting?
While many traditional types of painting involve trying to create a piece of art that accurately depicts reality, abstract art is about communicating through abstract elements like shapes, colors, and lines. An abstract painting is interpreted differently by everyone who sees it. This style is generally believed to have originated in the early twentieth century, with German artist Wassily Kandinsky, who believed that he could express ideas and emotions without objectively representing the world in his paintings.
Benefits of Learning Abstract Painting?
While abstract painting can be challenging if you’ve never tried it before, there are many benefits of learning this painting style. One of the biggest benefits of learning abstract painting is that you’ll have a rewarding new hobby. As an abstract painter, you’ll have a lot of creative freedom to experiment with different colors and techniques, and you won’t need to worry about getting your work to look exactly like a particular person, place, or object.
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Abstract painting can also be a good way to learn some new skills. Whether you’ve painted before, or you’ve never picked up a paintbrush, you’ll learn something new when you start learning abstract painting. This type of art is unique and involves learning a lot of different techniques like how to layer colors, and how to use different types of lines and shapes to create different effects.
What Are the Hardest Parts of Learning Abstract Painting?
Abstract painting is a unique form of art, and if you’re a beginner, it can be challenging, because it is quite different to many other types of painting. For instance, while many people love that this style gives them a lot of freedom, that freedom can also make abstract painting challenging. Here are some of the unique challenges associated with learning abstract painting.
The Amount of Freedom Involved
While most abstract artists love the amount of freedom that comes with abstract painting, many explain that this level of freedom is also one of the hardest parts of abstract painting. Artist and writer Gavin Lenaghan explains that an abstract painting can be difficult to create because you are not just trying to paint something the way it looks in real life. He says, “The creation of an abstract painting actually requires a lot from you. After all, you don’t have the support of details from reality to help you through every single brush stroke or compositional decision.” Instead, abstract painters have to think about how to creatively use things like shapes and colors to express the image, emotion, or idea that they are focused on. Lenaghan says, “It really does demand the utmost expressiveness and personal initiative. You have to hunt out all of the elements that will make up your abstract painting for yourself, including from your imagination, knowledge and experience. Abstract painting doesn’t merely allow you to decide everything for yourself — it requires you to do so.” Many abstract painters say that they meet this particular challenge by immersing themselves in their art and their feelings, and seeing where that takes them. Abstract painter Clara Berta explains it this way. She says that for her, it is a process of, “Starting the project and having no blue print, no guide marks, no net beneath me and allowing myself to step into the stream and go where the current takes me... Because I must.”
Mastering the Techniques
While anyone can apply paint to a canvas, for most people, it actually takes a fairly long time to get comfortable with abstract painting. Learning this style requires both time and practice, and there can also be a lot of experimentation and trial-and-error involved. Abstract artist Ron Fortier says that his number one piece of advice to beginning abstract painters is to persevere, and understand that not only will they get there, but that it will be worth the hard work. He says, “Don’t stop. Don’t listen to anything other than your heart. Don’t stay discouraged. You will be discouraged. It’s normal, natural and very human.” Fortier says that he had a reunion with a group of other artists who he graduated with forty years ago, and that he learned two things: “If we had to do it all over again; we would. The other thing, even when we couldn’t paint physically; we continued to paint in our heads. That was a revelation we enjoyed sharing!
That says something about our training and our dedication. Painting is not a life, it is life.”
Being Creative
Like all types of art, abstract painting requires creativity. While it can be a lot of fun to be creative, it can also be challenging. Sometimes, artists find themselves lacking in creative inspiration, and not knowing how to get back into a creative frame of mind. There are various different types of advice on how to deal with this challenge. Some artists advise taking a break, and stepping away from your art, and say that when you come back to it, you may find that you have fresh ideas. Abstract artist Cristy West has a unique piece of advice. She says that it can be helpful to get into a child-like state of mind. She explains, “Kids are so confident in whatever composition they are making. It’s incredible to see the lack of inhibition that they have with the materials they use. Something isn’t blocking their creating.” She continues, “To get into that child-like, playful state of mind—that is the trick! To loosen up, I often listen to music, especially jazz. Once I get going, the process begins to take over.”
Key Takeaways
- Abstract artists communicate their ideas with abstract elements like shapes and colors.
- Abstract painting can be a great way to learn new skills.
- One of the biggest challenges of painting in an abstract style is the amount of freedom involved.
- It can take a while to master the techniques you need to use in abstract painting.
- Abstract painters need to learn how to deal with creative blocks.
- If you’re interested in taking a group abstract painting class, or want to find a private training session, contact CourseHorse to discuss your options.