Hey Nexus

I've been watching Bob Ross The Joy of Painting and I have to admit I find him extremely inspiring. One of the most important messages I get from the episodes I've seen so far is that you should have fun making art and let your tools do all the work for you. I think that is a good rule to follow for any art form, not just painting. I also love how sometimes in the middle of the show he will stop painting for a minute and just drop knowledge about life.

So today I went out and bought a set of Rembrandt soft pastels. I've always preferred dry mediums. Gonna try to get back into creating some art but I don't know if I'll be able to make anything good.

I'd like to share my theory on talent: that there is no such thing. There are those of us that stick with the things we do, and those who give up.

An inspired person can progress really quickly.

And Bob was right: it should be fun, even the challenging parts. Stick with subjects that you enjoy- there is no other real reason to bother with art. Except making a living. That's a different ball of wax entirely.

Best of luck, you've taken the first steps!

Bob Ross was a joy, I'm no artist by any means, still I find him inspiring. I wonder if he partook
?

True, true. Sometimes I look at all these great famous artists like Monet and such, and I realize that there's really nothing special about them. In other words, there's nothing they can do that I can't do. The only difference is that they have hundreds of paintings under their belt, and I have like, probably less than 30 drawings/paintings. Sometimes I go months without the inspiration or desire to create but hopefully that is changing.

Get some nice drawing pencils and a spiral bound sketchbook. Draw something every day, no matter what. It can be really rough and quick, or more developed and rendered. You don't have to make every page count- just try to keep it rolling. Maybe find a figure drawing workshop in your area that has live figure models- even if your focus as an artist isn't on the human figure, it will help you flow on the paper, along with countless other benefits.

As far as pastels go: don't be afraid to do lots of small pieces. Try to find a size you can finish in one session, and do lots of them. This is how you progress quickly- keep the commitment of each piece manageable. Occasionally reward yourself with something larger. If you go too ambitious too early in the process, it's easy to get bogged down.

Growing up when ever i was flipping thru channels and he was on id always stop and watch. Defenently a joy, hes got that kinda david attenborough thing going on.

I have exactly the same theory. I honestly believe that everyone can become whatever they want to become if they have the motivation for it. A few years ago I could barely draw a stick figure, but then I found psychedelics. Then for a whole year I thought that I could draw only on psychedelics because they relayed a signal into my antenna from some creative dimensions. Now during the last month I'm finally realizing that I can actually draw something non-ugly even when sober. The key is to just put the pen into the paper, and stop thinking. Thinking and especially critical inner-voices restrict you sooo much. You just have to brainstorm and then brainstorm some more, and at the same time you're gaining experience, no matter what it is.