DAY 19: SKYLINE

Welcome to Day 19 of the Painting Challenge!

Today’s challenge is not to finish your painting. When we begin our painting journey, or we leisurely paint, we often start and finish a painting in one session. We’re excited about the subject and we want to take advantage of the often short lived ‘creative flow’. We view finished pieces in galleries, museum, books etc. but never really see the dedicated practice it took to create them. If you were quilting a blanket for example, you wouldn’t expect to finish it in one sitting, but for some reason we have this notion that we can/should/have to finish it.

I started sharing the behind-the-scenes of my pet portraits over a decade ago on social media to give insight into what my painting practice looks like. My pet portraits take 30-80 hours to complete and are made up of many 20 minute – 3 hour sessions. I never finish a painting in one session, and today we’re practicing not finishing a painting to experience what that feels like.

In the beginning it can feel strange or uncomfortable to not finish a painting in one session. To put down our brushes when in reality we could continue. And that’s how the painting practice supports and guides you along the way.  You have spent 20 minutes each day for the last 18 days painting, with the satisfaction of seeing a finished painting at the end. Now, let me guide you in not finishing a painting and instead rely on your painting practice to support you as we return to finish this painting tomorrow.

Today we’re focusing on the sky and putting down the brush after 20 minutes.

The Painting Practice

Remember to turn off your phone notifications before you start.

  1. Sketch a rectangular the size of 4×5 or a 8×10 inches on your paper.
  2. While looking at your reference photo as your inspiration, do a simple outline on your paper.
    • I used a ruler for this row of houses in this ‘Skyline’ painting which is an homage to the roadsigns in Sweden as you enter a new town.
  3. Choose your colors: Today we’re focusing on the sky only. While my painting depicts a scene from a summers night in Sweden with hints of the Northern Lights, your sky can daytime.  Your row of houses can be different colors, and not the silhouette that I have. Your lines can be crisp or you can use dots to complete the whole painting – whatever taps into your joy today. The only thing we’re practicing is not to finish the painting! We’re painting the sky for 20 minutes and leaving the rest for tomorrow.
  4. Grab some water and your brushes, and don’t forget a towel to clean off your wet brush.
  5. Now, set a gentle timer and paint for 20 minutes for some meditative joy and playful painting. Put down your brush after 20 minutes.

SHARE YOUR CREATION:

Take a photo of your UNFINISHED challenge and share in our Facebook Group. How did it feel to step away without finishing the painting? Let me know when you share your photo.

SAVE THE DATE

On Day 21 at 1 p.m. E.T. Join me for a LIVE group painting session where we’ll paint the last subject together and I’ll share my top tips for keeping the creative momentum going.