If you think you’re alone in your studio, you shouldn’t be. Right at hand you have your trusty cell phone (or camera), and you can put it to work in a huge variety of ways:
*Every time you put your brushes down, reach for your camera and take a picture to mark your progress. These photos are worth their weight in gold because you can use them on social media to share your artistic progress with your audience.
Other things you can photograph on the way:
1) The tubes of paint (labels visible) you’re using to mix a new color.
2) What each layer of underpainting looks like, before you apply the next one.
3) What effects you get with a new brush, palette knife, or other tool (Be sure to take a second photo holding that tool up against the painting for the camera to see).
The camera’s eye sees things differently. Take advantage of this:
*If you’re a jeweler, a collage artist, or someone who builds assemblages of components, you can take photos of each experimental assemblage before you move the pieces around. Then you can scroll through the photos, compare them, and see what composition jumps out at you.
*If you’re an abstract painter struggling to see which side should be up, take a photo, turn the painting, and take another until you’re done. Then look at the camera’s images…Usually you’ll see something a little different in the photos (vs. the naked eye) that might help you decide.
*Whenever you're experimenting or testing new materials or tools, stop and take pictures, whether or not the results are successful. And if you like a certain outcome, draw a big star next to it before you snap your camera, so that it will stand out whenever your peruse your photo library.
Here's a shot of a test that I did using different lusters mixed with clear acrylic paint:
*Most important, even though you might just be starting out as an artist, NEVER sell or give away any piece that you haven't already photographed with good, even lighting and an uncluttered background. Those photos might someday be your entry into art galleries or contests. At the very least, they will comprise your professional portfolio and remind you of how much you've accomplished!
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