Wanting to take up art as an adult.

[TheLivelyRose]

Not sure if this is the right place to post.

I'm in a professional career and whilst I enjoy it.I do sometimes feel as if I need a more creative outlet. I spend a lot of time outdoors and I visit operas and ballets.

But in terms of a more hands on hobby I was wondering about having a go at drawing or sketching. I haven't done art since I was at school and I don't remember being very good at it.But that doesn't matter I suppose.
I keep a manual diary in calendar and I enjoy writing words with a pen.

I just thought it would be nice to do something creative.And I d like to try drawing. I've bought a basic kit of hb pencils and some shading tools.

But I sit there with a piece of paper staring at it thinking now what.

I'm not sure I could commit to art classes or if any exist.But any suggestions how to get going??

TikTok is really good for this. I took up watercolor painting and meditative art and that’s where I get a lot of inspiration.

If you can afford a SkillShare subscription there are some fab beginner art courses, which have the advantage over Youtube etc of being well structured in short units and the teacher will often comment on your submitted ‘coursework‘. It has the advantage that you can pick and choose what suits you, and do it at your own pace. I’ve done iPad art courses and embroidery, and DD has used my subscription for digital skills.
I think you can get the first month free to try it out.

Google The Korp Academy. It runs a range of different, really good fun classes. I joined during lockdown and I’m still a member because it’s so good. It’s online live classes and a huge back catalogue of sessions.

YouTube. I haven't got involved with Skillshare or Domestika because they aren't very upfront about the pricing. Korp is not my style.

I got into adult colouring years ago, but during lockdown I decided, on a whim, to try watercolours. It's now my passion. I follow a lot of artists on Instagram and many of them have their own YouTube channel so I mainly follow tutorials there.

I'm not saying don't sign up for courses, but I'd recommend YouTube to begin with, at least until you find your creative muse.

I'd specifically recommend an artist called Kateri Ewing. She does pencil art, watercolour and journalling with ink pens. Her style is quite zen, meditative and gentle. She was definitely my biggest inspiration when I started creating art.

I joined a local six week art course and, honestly, it's one of the best things I've ever done, so I would recommend you finding one of those. I'd not done any art since school, so have been able to start nearly from scratch and ask lots of questions. I've made some great new friends as well.

There's loads of stuff on YouTube, but the choice is bewildering. Having said that, there are a number of people who do online courses (both free/taster ones, and paid for) that you can find through YouTube and they are can be pretty good, especially as you can go at your own pace.

Take a look at Art Prof:

https://artprof.org/library/learn/tutorials-media/drawing/pencil/

I started at age 47 by going on an introduction to drawing holiday with HF holidays. This gave me the confidence that i could do it.

I now go on local sketching events - a lot of museums/wild life places do them. And i take part in online events run by Wildlife Drawing. They partner with wildlife charities. Over the last few months we have drawn wildcats, slothes, hippos, vuktures and others. Events vary in cost but around £20 is average.

Plenty of brilliant tutorials on YouTube. Skillshare etc. aren’t worth the money and they rip off their creators.

Maybe draw things you like. Your family, your house, your cats, for example.

The hardest part about art is making the first line on the page. My old art teacher used to say every week "it's just a piece of paper". Whilst it's literally true, those words taught me not to be scared of going "wrong". Lots of my best art has come from paintings that I thought had started badly... And even if things don't work out the way you intended, you can still learn from it and try again. Just have a go!

That's a good way of looking at it. I just don't know where to start though. I don't get on with YouTube or tiktok, I'm always pausing them and it annoys me. I thought I might start with a book ..

I’ve been doing some of the detailed paint by numbers landscapes. It’s been good to remind myself of the basics and re build my confidence again. There’s loads on amazon. I last did formal art stuff for GCSE’s over 35yrs ago and miss having the time to be creative.