Roadmap to make awesome paintings
Last week, we discussed how to improve your art and start having fun with it. Mainly, I explained the step-by-step you must follow:
Study and practice
Let go of expectations
Set small, achievable goals
Today, we’ll dive into point 3: setting goals.
Many artists make the mistake of setting vague or overly ambitious goals. They dive into their work without a clear direction, hoping to see improvement without a plan.
The result? They often feel frustrated and stuck, with little progress to show for their efforts.
Measuring progress or pinpointing areas that need improvement without clear, actionable goals is a bad idea: ambiguous goals will leave you overwhelmed and uncertain about your next steps.
But it doesn’t have to be this way. There are some steps you can follow to set great goals that will get you to great places.
Start by identifying areas in your art that need improvement. Then, break down your larger aspirations into manageable tasks that you can tackle step by step.
Setting small goals allows you to see consistent improvements, which builds confidence and keeps you engaged.
This approach works because it provides clarity and direction, making it easier to track your progress and stay motivated.
To apply this, first, critically evaluate your current work. Identify aspects that need improvement, such as anatomy, color, or composition. Then, set specific small goals for each area.
But don’t make the mistake of setting goals like “I want to be good at colors”. That is your wish, indeed, but how do you know you’re on the right track to get there?
Result-oriented goals are hard (if not impossible) to measure in art, so you must create output-oriented goals.
That means: instead of trying to measure your evolution by analyzing your art (subjective), measure how many times you did an action that will lead to improvement. For example, if you need to improve hand anatomy, your goal could be to draw 5 hands each week.
I’ll show you what I did with my own art. Here’s how it looked in 2022:
My art in 2021: Not bad, but not even close to what I wanted to create.
I compared it to my favorite artists’ works and realized my art lacked:
Beautiful colors
Interesting perspective
Good composition
Cool designs
I decided to focus first on colors. So I set a goal: making 3 color studies each day for a week.
2022: Some of the color studies I did
That was a measurable goal: I either did or did not make those studies.
Because I did make them, I could see a clear result in my art:
2022: This is so much more interesting because of the light and colors!
After that, I studied perspective for a while. Then, design. Then, composition.
You get the idea, right?
Every few months, I analyze my art and write down what needs to be improved, and create a roadmap to achieve my dream level of art.
Now it’s your turn: make a list of your goals and create a timeline to accomplish them. Focus on one goal at a time to avoid feeling overwhelmed.
By setting clear, actionable goals, you’ll make steady progress and see tangible improvements in your art.
You'll feel more in control of your artistic journey and more motivated to keep pushing forward.
Now, if the part you wish to improve is color, I have an important and exciting announcement for you! 🎉
I've decided to teach my exact process for painting light and color so more artists like yourself can make your art un-ignorable 🤩
This is going to be a small, intimate group that I'll be launching soon, probably limited to just 10 members.
You can sign up for the priority list to be notified as soon as I open it (and receive an exclusive offer!)
Cheers!
Bruna
