Hello, dear community of Steemit! Some days ago, I thought about how making small paintings can make a huge difference when it comes to improving your art. You can practice new techniques with oils, watercolors, acrylics, and even sketching, and see the results of getting better and better every time.

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Through the years, I've found out that painting in small proportions, only made me want to recreate it in a bigger canvas. That's why I started to paint my idea on tiny surfaces, so I could make myself to the idea of painting a full landscape.

The surface

When it comes to practice, I always use a thin cardboard, which I think it's the perfect material to acrylics and crayons.

Once you've got your cardboard, meassure it until you get as many pieces you'd like to work on. I personally like to cut only 6 mini canvas, and save the rest for another study session.

Pick your color palette

In this case, I decided to make another study on sunsets, landscapes and clouds, that's why I used a limited color palette, which I changed a little later so I could add some blue and violet.

I picked a very warm palette, with simple base colors, such as yellow, orange, brown, red, white and green (for details).

1. Paint using a reference photo

Based on the colors, look for reference photos

Reference photographies, when you're starting to paint, may be very helpful until you get your own style and decide to paint whatever comes to your head.

Having a reference, then, helps you to reach the right values, and the right placement of the elements in a painting.

For the first painting of this post, I used as a reference a picture from a friend of mine, which I felt was very accurate to my personal style.

Get ready to paint

For this kind of sunset paintings, I start from the darkest to the lightest tones, and then I add details, like smooth clouds with vibrant colors, a simple silhouette, or just definition to the colors.

As I painted, I wanted to keep the sky as clear and simple as possible.
(It took me about 30-40 minutes to complete this small study.)

Here are some pictures of the process:

2. Try different techniques while painting

Sometimes, we get used to our very own style, and as we feel comfortabe, we forget that we still have a lot of things to learn. When I feel that I'm running out of ideas, I think about what would my painting look painted from a different artist, or what art movements would fit better. That's how I came with this tip.

My landscapes are usually very smooth. And the main reason I do them that way, it's because I really like to play with the sense of tranquility. I like to cause calm and a warm comfy feeling. However, my favorite painting movements of all times has ever, and will always be the impresionism. So, I split the painting in two sections, a smooth one and a impressionistic one. This was the result:

Finished artwork

3. Paint different landscapes with the same palette

It usually happens that I pour more material on my palette that I actually need, and I used to end up throwing it away because I had already finished my artwork. But as I started to paint as a regular thing, I realized that I was wasting a very big amount of painting, so I started to figure out some ideas so I didn't have to let it dry, but use it instead.

As I started with this small studies, I challenged myself to paint with the exact amount of painting I pour, so I don't waste, and I learn to work with that I have. And if I had a little extra painting, I would make another study with the same palette, but with a different idea.

special mention to my news paper at the back of the artwork

4. Paint exactly what you see from your window

Yes, I know it sounds a little cliché, but painting straight from your eye can help you to meassure the proportions of the elements around you. Also, it can be very helpful for the anatomy's study of clouds, mountains, flowers, leafs...

5. Don't understimate the power of simpleness

It's been a real issue to me to establish what should be considered "important" at the moment of painting, and what should not. But how could an artist be able to progress in his work when he can't take "simpleness" as a challenge? Getting the beauty out of a clear blue sky and know exactly how you want to portray it, it's a challenge, one that I'd love to perfection and discover my very own style about it.

What I find so cool about keeping it simple, is that I can think clearly about what I would add later, maybe a boat, maybe some rocks and the foam of the ocean... it's a infinite spectrum of possibilities.

6. Paint with risky colors

Fauvist painters used to play with vibrant colors to be provocative to the audience. A very interesting way to improve in your art, comes with getting out of a comfort zone with colors you're not used to work with.

Landscapes are usually the easier way to try this tip, because nature has so many vibrant colors you can recreate on a canvas, that you'll never paint them all. However, imagine how cool would it be to see a bright color on a painting to keep it away from flatness and boredom.

7. ... And, don't be afraid of getting stains!

This picture represents my daily bases. I tend to en up with paintings all over my hands, face and legs. Of course you can avoid this wearing special/wasted clothes, but I like to feel the full experience of painting by getting dirty and with the texture of acrylics everywhere.

Don't forget to give me an upvote and resteem!

Original studies: 7 ways to improve your art