Painting

I pulled out a canvas I’ve been meaning to use for years and gave myself permission to use it.  “But I’m not good at this.  I’ll ruin it.”  Right.  How is a blank canvas helping anyone, and who is going to cry if it’s been painted on?

The first face came out the way I wanted it to, the second one has the perspective wrong, especially for the eyes.  But, it was fun to make, and I’m not angry for “wasting a canvas.” Instead I’m thinking of how I will finish it, what I need to learn about perspective, pre-sketching, and color balance for noses.  I’m thinking about getting real paints instead of the 50 cent bottles of acrylic I got (blue, red, yellow, white, and black).  I’m thinking about brushes and techniques, books to read and artists to study.

Creativity is often about giving yourself permission to take risks and mess up.