How you learn new techniques?
By Porcospino
@Porcospino (31366)
Denmark
September 12, 2010 1:51pm CST
How do you improve your techniques or learn new techniques in your art? Do you find inspiration online or in books? Do you learn from your friends? Do you take classes? Do you visit exhibitions? Do you experiment on your own?
I have learned something from my friends and I have have gotten inspiration in online art discussions, but most of my techniques I got from my own experiments. I love experimenting and trying new things. Many of my techniques I developed because of a mistake. The mistake "forced" me to do things differently to save the painting...and then I realized that the result was actually better than my original idea. I am grateful for my mistakes, because they lead to intersting things sometimes 
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10 responses
@Cargoleta (723)
• Spain
12 Sep 10
Experimenting is a wonderful way to learn new things indeed, be it because you make a mistake and are 'forced' to come up with a way to fix it, or be it because you just feel like doing things in a different way :)
It's also nice to get tips from friends or checking art related sites online, which can also give me inspiration. Sometimes I may see some really nice art and then I wonder how the artist did it, or maybe if I could try to incorporate some of the techniques in my own art.
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@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
12 Sep 10
Yes, experimenting is a great way to learn, and it is fun to try new things or do things in a new way. When I see some art that I really like I also wonder how the artist did it, and sometimes I find new inspiration for my own art that way. Some time ago I saw some interesting paintings on an online forum. The artist wrote that she has used a hair dryer to create the paintings. The paintings were very beautiful and I decided to try that techniques one day.
@Cargoleta (723)
• Spain
12 Sep 10
A hair dryer? That sounds really interesting! Do you happen to remember the artist's name or where you saw those pictures? I'd really like to see them, I had never heard of anyone using a hair dryer to create a painting and I'm curious about how it looks like.
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@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
13 Sep 10
The artist posted the pictures on a Danish discussion forum called www.dindebat.dk, but unfortuneately only members of that site are able to see the pictures 
She calls them "splash paintings" because she used a hair dryer to divide the painting on the canvas. She wrote that it was extremely messy and I can imagine that but the results are interesting.
She calls them "splash paintings" because she used a hair dryer to divide the painting on the canvas. She wrote that it was extremely messy and I can imagine that but the results are interesting.
@saqi78 (1402)
• Malaysia
28 Oct 10
Yes, I have the same case, I learned from friends, beside this internet is very good oppurtunity, reading books now a days is difficult because it is electronic media. Instead of books I read different articles on the internet for different techniques then if I need those techniques for future use I take print of those articles. And most important thing, when I read about any technique then I test them depending upon the nature of technique....
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@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
28 Oct 10
I also use the internet a lot. I like to read articles about the different techniques, and sometimes I want to try some of the things that I read about. I am a member of a Danish forum where one of the discussion categories is called "art", and there are many interesting discussions about the different techniques that people use. You can also ask for advice about a painting or a drawing or you can post pictures of your art. I have learned a lot from some of the discussions in that category and I also like to share my own experiences.
@kmaram (2533)
• Philippines
13 Sep 10
in everything we do, we can learn something from it. experience is the best teacher in life. because life is a continuous learning cycle. we can learn from attending classes using books and internet but we can learn most of the precious things that we should know through experiences in life. few things can be learned from other people such as friends and relatives but letting yourself try everything that you want to do will make you feel contented and 'no what ifs' in life even though you made some mistakes that will later on contribute most important lesson in your entire life. 
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@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
13 Sep 10
I agree with that. We are always able to learn something from the things that we do. Sometimes things don't turn out the way that we planned, but we are still able to learn something and we are able to use the experiences in one way or another. I like experimenting and challenging myself. I make mistakes sometimes, but I think that trying and failing and is better than staying away from new things because I am afraid of failure. I have had quite a few failures in my life, but at least I know that I have tried and I don't have to wonder what would have been if I had tried.
@sender621 (14894)
• United States
13 Sep 10
One sure way to learn new things is through practice and repetition. Someone can try to talk you through new techniques. In the end, you have to know how to handle it yourself. Each time that you do it, it gets a little easier.1 person likes this
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
25 Oct 10
Yes, practice and repetition are great ways to learn new things. Many things seem very difficult in the beginning and sometimes my first reaction is: "I will never be able to learn that" but after a while I usually realize how much easier it has become. I haven't kept my first paintings, but I still remember the problems I had in the beginning and I have changed a lot since that time.
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
13 Sep 10
It is nice to share new things with friends and family, that way we can learn from eachother. I have some friends who also paint and sometimes we talk about our paintings and share our experiences, it is very nice that we are able to help and inspire eachother. The internet is also a great source of inspiration and knowledge, there are so many different kinds of sites, and I love looking at online gallaries and similar sites.
@cinjhoxmyltc (334)
• Philippines
13 Sep 10
Learning new techniques in your field of expertise cannot be honed all by yourself. there are lots of ways in order for you to gain more in-hand knowledge and experience. For me, the best way to improve your skill is to spend time listening and watching those experts in the field you are interesting in. I mean, if you want to play piano, you cannot learn it by yourself. You have to llok for someone to help and teach you. you have to enroll it if possible. Then, practice and practice until you are comfortable with that.
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@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
13 Sep 10
Yes, you can learn a lot from the experts. When I see great paintings I am always very curious and I like to study the artist's techniques in order to get inspiration for my own paintings or simply because I enjoy it. I once found some very interesting pictures in one of the online galleries that I visited, I liked them a lot. I didn't use exactly the same things, but the paintings still inspired me.
@bhanusb (5709)
• India
13 Sep 10
Hi Porcospino, I'm neither a painter nor an artist. But I realize mistakes make us perfect. This is applicable for all. We can learn many things by sharing our ideas with others,reading books and gathering knowledge from online.Group discussions also help us to realize the proper thing.
@visualtissue (39)
• Philippines
13 Sep 10
it depends on your style, i practiced the style of drawing "manga" so i exposed my self in how the style evolved and then developed my own styles and picked some techniques
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