14 Ideas to Build Skills as an Artist & Designer

Visual Art:

1.    Draw from observation in your sketchbook. For example, look around your room, your house, garden, park, school, out your window, or bus ride. What do you enjoy sketching and what gives you excitement?

2.    Set up and draw or paint a still life arrangement. This can be from objects in your room or home. Notice how you feel doing this activity. Do you feel energized or relaxed?

3.    Work on self-portraits in any medium you desire. Study self-portraits by artists you like. Do you like to work from a mirror or from imagination? What famous artists inspire you?

4.    Experiment with new mediums or materials. Digital, watercolor, oils, vine charcoal, pastels, printmaking, sculpture, wire, beads, fabric, found materials, or collage are some examples. Who or what do you turn to for support when you are trying new materials and styles?

5.    Draw from your imagination for enjoyment. How do you catalog your ideas? Sketchbook? Journal? Collages?

6.    Research artists and movements you like and take notes in your journal. Read biographies of artists & designers you like. What does this research teach you about how you want to express your art?

Technology/Community:

7.    Photograph or video the world around you. Edit your photography in Photoshop. Notice the large and small things in your environment. What catches your eye?

8.    Photograph your work in good lighting and organize your digital files. What do you learn about yourself when you review your artwork and organize your documents?

9.    Follow a Youtube channel that teaches a skill you want to learn. If you had all the time in the world what would you like to learn?

10. Join or found a local teen sketch group. How do you collaborate & engage with your community?

11. Learn digital skills through an online class or experiment with a digital stylus and tablet. Are there ways you can earn certification for your technical skills, such as through a Coursera or Masterclass?

12. Start a free website on wix.com or a blog on WordPress.com or document your artwork on an Instagram account. When you think about your body of work as a whole what messages, themes, and concepts do you want to emphasize?

13. Volunteer at a local gallery or museum or participate in a virtual internship. Are there ways you can engage with your community and use your skills to help others?

14. Select several pieces of your artwork to submit to be published in an online magazine  like www.teenink.com. What goals do you have for yourself and your artwork? What steps can you take to get there? Who or what can you turn to, to help you achieve those goals?

You don’t have to do all of these! Give yourself some grace and begin with one step and build upon that if you enjoy it and have time.

Thank those around you, like teachers, family, and friends, for supporting your dedication to your art.

If sleeping in and napping appeals to you more over the holidays, definitely do that! But keep your sketchbook or journal close by because that spark of a great idea just may come into vision after you rest and rejuvenate your mind and body.

If you feel overwhelmed by all the chatter, commotion, and family over the holidays, that’s okay. Find time in a quiet corner to spend with your sketchbook so you can still be near the social activity but doing what makes you happy.

I personally find making handmade cards therapeutic and relaxing. I like to cut up old cards and magazines and glue them onto new paper or use old buttons and ribbon. I also enjoy making winter arrangements with berries and pine to give to teachers, family, or neighbors.

Also, turn on those tunes that speak to you and guide you to create, because music makes the atmosphere you wish for a tangible reality. Hawaiian Christmas here I come! Just put on those ukulele tunes!