When you hear someone say they need to do warm ups, athletics or singing likely comes to mind.
Fun fact: it’s just as important for artists of all skill levels to warm up before diving into a painting.
- Start by prepping your area. I hate starting or resuming a painting without my tools being organized. Paint tubes, brushes, paper towels, apron, water cup, cling wrap, my palette, coffee and some good tunes are usually all it takes to get me set. If I’m using palette knives or a reference photo, I also make sure those on hand.
- Get to sketching. It doesn’t really matter what. The point is to loosen up your arm and shoulder muscles and get into the right headspace for producing powerful work.
- Extra tip: drawing simple things like lines, circles and doing some basic shading is a great way of waking up those muscle memories!
- Paint your little heart out!
Willow Artistry by Christine Wueste 