A few years ago I took a leap of faith on myself and ran a Kickstarter for an adult colouring book. You know, one of those detailed ones intended for adults that want to chill and colour. Not a colouring book with uhh, adult topics.

(Yes, I had to explain that this was a book filled with animals and flowers, not the Kama Sutra)

I was blown away when it got fully funded, and fairly quickly might I add.

But my head nearly popped off when I ended up nearly quadrupling my goal.

Now I had set up stretch goals that included more pages, so suddenly I was looking at having to complete 20+ new pieces of detailed inkwork in a matter of days.

Tufts of hair were pulled out, and much coffee was consumed as I fought through the epic hand cramps. But I managed to push out the remainder of the pages within my set time frame.

And you know what? Despite it being pretty dang stressful and I had ink stains that lasted weeks on my fingers, it taught me so many things that I carry with me today.

Let’s dive in and explore the many lessons that it taught me.

 

1) Teaches you the skill of perseverance

Perseverance and persistence.

I learned how to quiet that whiny “I don’t want to do this anymore” voice in my head, and channeled my energy into completing a massive project.

Organization.

I got to whip out my pretty little planner so I could map out when pieces needed to be done and edited for print, and when the entire project needed to be in the hands (or computers, gotta love this digital age) of the printers.

Working in a large series helped me to prove to myself that I can push through and finish, even when my mind and body resist. Through the art of planning I was able to keep myself on schedule, and my careful mapping and list-building ensured that the entire project completed without any hiccups.

This art series carried so many lessons with it, and because I had paying customers waiting on the other end, it forced me to buckle down and persevere.

And those little lessons will forever be in my mind and heart.

2) Art Series Hone your Skill

You can bet your favorite hat that I became pretty fluent with a pen by the end of the project.

Art series have a wonderful way of honing your skill – painting the same thing, or similar things, over and over again have a way of doing that.

Over the years I developed a process to prepare for large paintings. Let’s say I locked down a commission to paint a realistic wolf painting, but cute little wolf noses are the bane of my artistic existence.

I would pop onto the web and grab a trusty pencil, and start drawing wolf noses. Paying attention to the curvy contours, the shining wet highlights, the way the tiny little white hairs start to obscure the black flesh beneath.

By the end of this practice I felt much more comfortable with drawing wolf noses, and it was apparent when I finally put my brush to the canvas.

Working in an art series, especially one where you recreate the same subject over and over again, will hone your skills so you go from “I hate painting wolf noses” to “I CAN DO THIS!”.

And isn’t that everyone’s dream?

3) Builds your style & creates a unified image

If I had a nickel for every time a fresh new artist asked me if they need an art style, then I would at least have enough to buy a coffee. Maybe not a venti low-fat soy caramel snickerdoodle iced macchiato from Starbucks but like, a tall Flat White at least.

And my answer, always a little hesitant for fear of breaking their spirits, is yes.

Or at least having an art style will make success come so much easier.

Pause for a moment and think of your favorite artist. Could you describe their artwork as a whole in under 10 words. Chances are that you can, and that is because they have defined their style over the years and it has allowed their work to be recognizable.

Why do we want to be recognizable?

Think about those folks in your life that have brand loyalty – they will easily spend ten times the cost on Ray Ban glasses because owning that brand makes them feel something.

Art is a luxury, and is so much more than just a pretty painting. It is a vessel for a message, an emotion, meaning. And often times it takes time to be able to fully be receptive to that message and to hear it loudly – but getting to know the artist behind the work strengthens that voice.

And you’ll likely find that once you start selling work for frequently, customers will come back time and time again. Collecting pieces of your mind and soul.

But this dream and process is made much harder when you don’t form a strong image – your message gets diluted and scrambled.

My advice for fresh artists that ask me whether or not they need an art style is to start an art series, and see it through to the end.

Choose something that you love, something that inspires you, and capture it on a canvas over and over again.

If landscape paintings are your jam, creating paintings of all of the places you have traveled to but using only 3 colours in addition to white.

Working consistently on an art series will inevitably result in you forming an art style, and in turn will allow you to be recognizable.

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Have you ever worked on an art series before?

 

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