Friday, April 1, 2016

I wanna be just like you...

'I wanna be just like you. I wanna walk like you. And talk like you too' The Monkey Song.

I recently read a comment by a student of botanical art who said she was a great copyist of well known artists but she just couldn't find her own style. I thought it was a brave and honest admission. It is very easy to forget that we should be learning to understand techniques and tips and instead try earnestly to be like our favorite botanical crush.

For several years now I have dreamed to being the next Billy Showell, Fiona Strickland, Dianne Sutherland to name a few. The hours I have wasted trying to make my work look theirs and how dissatisfied I am when I fail. I recently read Jess Shepherds new Inky Leaves post and it was like being smacked in the head with a baseball bat minus the pain. A real wakeup call. Jess wrote about her own struggle with finding her style and how she has now moved on. And boy has she! www.Inkyleaves.blogspot.com

So my advice is to watch the videos, do the courses, admire the professionals, read the books and then step away. Put on your favorite music and just create. Children do it all of the time. We have just forgotten how.

Some of my new cards in the series 'From an Artists Sketchbook'

11 comments:

  1. Absolutely true, Deb! We all have our own styles, we just have to let them out 😄 They may take a bit or even a lot of encouragement, but they will appear as long as we keep painting!

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  2. Love your cards! What you write is so true- our style finds us, not the other way around! Or at least that's what I'm hoping for!! Follow your heart xx

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    1. Of course you are also on my list of wanna be's but I just gave up on trying to copy you. But I do take note of all your hints and it really helps me. xxx

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  3. Lovely cards Deb.
    What you've written is so true and it can be a real disappointment when you feel you've 'failed'. But the only real failure is to believe that you can't be good enough without trying to paint like (insert artist) Your style will develop the more you paint (and mine, and everyone elses)

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  4. deb just keep going..... and ignore everything but what you are painting
    *not ian or tommy

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  5. I agree, I so tried to paint like my favourite artists both old masters like Redoute and new botanical artists recently met online, I won't mention names here but I so admired her work that I wanted to paint like her - I didn't of course and after a great deal of disappointment I began to re-think things. Working on my own is hard but I keep trying and maybe one day I will find my style. EKS.

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    1. EKS I have an idea who you are and your style is already there it just needs stretching a bit. Keep on with it, it's great!

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  6. Thanks for the mention Deborah! Hope you didn't mind me whacking you with a baseball bat ;) Delighted you got so much from the post. I love your work and what you are doing so keep it up. All my love to you and your students, friends and family.

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  7. Thanks for the mention Deborah! Hope you didn't mind me whacking you with a baseball bat ;) Delighted you got so much from the post. I love your work and what you are doing so keep it up. All my love to you and your students, friends and family.

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