If your resolution is “to actually do my resolutions this year”, then you know what’s up. Resolutions are tough; we usually ditch them because let’s be real, they’re not always fun. Working out? Ugh. Becoming a ‘morning person’? UGH. Being less sarcastic? Yeah, that’s totally gonna happen. So this year, why not commit to a resolution you’ll actually want to do that will also improve your artistic skills? Here are a few New Year’s resolutions for artists – eh, let’s call them ‘artistic goals’ – to commit to and OWN in 2018.
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Try new mediums
Having a style as an artist is important, but that doesn’t mean you can’t experiment with new ways of bringing that style to life! Using different mediums can help you expand your creative mind and brainstorm in whole new ways. Trying new materials, switch from traditional to digital, draw over photos, whatever you feel. Bucketfeet artist and Artist Shop owner Blake Jones did this recently with his work, switching it up from markers to colored pencil.
Bri Buckley also does this with his art, using mixed media to add creative textures to his work, mixing together gauche patterns, paper, inks, etc. He explained, “I am self-taught and have found using those different elements all in one suited me with what I was trying to achieve.”
Experiment with Color
Take a hint from the PANTONE of the year tradition (which, btw, is Ultra Violet) and experiment with new colors in a new way. Try limiting yourself to using just two colors in a piece. Or maybe you can challenge yourself to just use CMYK colors (and then submit to our CMYK challenge!) If you use a lot of colors, give black and white a shot, or vice versa!
Do a daily comic or drawing
Remember how doing a drawing every day for Inktober beefed up your art skills in just one month? Think about what would happen if you did that for a whole year? ART SUPERPOWERS!
Try drawing on the daily(ish)). Keep an illustrated journal, drawing something funny that happened to you or that you thought of that day like artist Julia Bernhard does. Just keep it consistent and see what happens.
Use your skills to write a blog post
Biased blog writer advice? Maybe. But great visuals can bring a fun blog post to life. Give blogging a shot this year and tell a story with your art! Our designer Katie Lukes did an amazing job illustrating this blog post about creative habits. The advice was good (again, biased), but the visuals are really what made the post pop.
Creating a blog for your work and, better yet, using your illustrations to make those blog posts unique is a great way of providing useful and fun content to fellow artists and readers while, at the same time, boosting visibility for your own work! Give illustrated blogging a shot; create a post giving advice to fellow creatives, write a piece about “The 5 Biggest Struggles of Artist’s Block”, illustrate what you bought on your vacation and tell a little story about it, etc.
Try out a new art technique
Never tried hand lettering? Give it a shot! Looking for new ways to shade your work? Try out pointillism or crosshatching. Trying out a new style – especially ones you can fit in with your own to give your art a new edge – flexes your creative muscles helps add more flair to your current style.
Step up your social media game
Love it or hate it, we live in a digital world. And utilizing social media is a great way to get more eyes on your art. Try stepping up your social media game this year just to see what you can do (here are some tips on how to get started!). You can make it fun! Artist bbtamagotchi (above), for example, uses a variety of techniques to post about her art, including drawing on lifestyle images, posting product photos, posting drawings, etc.
Meditate more
“Which of these things is not like the other?”, you may be wondering. I know, this might seem like the odd one out, but sometimes clearing your mind can do wonders for making room for new ideas. Try out some mindfulness and meditation techniques to slowww down and give yourself time to think of new ideas.
Do you have any new year’s resolutions for artists that you’re trying out this year? Tell us about them in the comments!
Featured image is “Create” by Claire Bischoff – found on Discover!
