Anyone can paint. Don't believe me? Try it yourself. Whitney's method of painting in layers is terrific, and it will definitely get you over the fear of the blank canvas. Even more importantly, it will get you over that "life fear" you have.
Layer 1 is about eliminating that white canvas. We used the blank canvas to experiment with mixing colors and shades using only red, yellow, blue, and white paint. It is absolutely amazing how many shades you can create using only these primary colors. I don't ever need to buy any other colors. I will, of course, but I don't have to:).
After that white canvas is gone, we move on to Layer 2, where we outline the subject of our painting -- taking the outline all the way to the edge of the canvas. This, I must admit, is where I faced my biggest challenge. I just could NOT decide what I wanted to paint! There are so many choices out there. It's funny how that "fear of deciding" relates to my life. I've been talking about starting a business with a friend for years, and we never seem to take the plunge to actually do it. While I will not say we've started that business, I will tell you that after working through the second layer and (FINALLY) outlining a butterfly, I have started researching my latest idea. (More to come on that front in a future post.) Anyway, the outline is all done in a single color. That brings unity to the canvas that draws people into the picture.
With the outline in place, we begin Layer 3, where we fill in all the different areas created by the outline. Remember all those colors we mixed in Layer 1? Now, we get to use them again -- in a slightly more organized fashion. Those outlines lead the way. This is why it's so important to take your outline all the way to the edge of the canvas: It creates those different areas to fill in.
Finally, we get to Layer 4. Here we put finishing touches on the picture. This includes using many of the colors we've mixed already, adding different shades of those desired colors, repeating the colors in more than one area, and adding some of those shades to areas that are a different color. All this brings harmony to the painting, which with my musical past, is KEY.
What I've been able to do with Painting Made Easy is develop a DAILY painting practice. That's right. Just like exercising, eating right, or doing yoga every day, painting is a practice that can relieve stress, get you to exercise your right-brain (the creative side), and best of all, point out areas in your life outside the canvas that may need some attention. For me, the form of the needed attention was made really clear -- WHILE I WAS PAINTING!
This is one practice I fully intend to continue, long after this certification process is over. I feel so much better when I paint every day.
Wanna try but that fear of the canvas is holding you back -- or you just don't know if you want to invest in paints, brushes, and canvases? Give me a call, I'll share mine!!
Until next time, remember…Happiness is a Choice. Choose More!
