6 Ways Van Gogh Can Make You a Better Artist
Have you had an opportunity to visit the immersive Van Gogh Experience that’s been traveling around the country? My husband and I were thrilled to experience it in 2021, and it was a profound and inspiring outing!
I think that Van Gogh gets a bad rap. When people hear his name, they think of mental illness and “the ear incident.” But there is so much more to Vincent Van Gogh than these unfortunate aspects—and there are many ways that emulating Van Gogh can make you a better artist, whether you like his art or not. Here are six of them:
Practice Your Art—A LOT
Van Gogh didn’t begin painting until the age of 27, and he received little to no formal training. But once he began, he pursued art with extreme gusto. He believed he needed to create a foundation of drawing skills. He created over a thousand drawings, allowing him to capture shape and expressions before adding the complication of color. Once he began painting, he painted at a furious pace, as if acknowledging that his time left on Earth was running out.
This hardworking, focused practice is something we can all benefit from. While you may not be interested in mastering drawing like Van Gogh was, what do you need to practice 1,000 of? Hand-mixed colors? Small studies? Textures or mark-making? We need to create lots of art in order to make good art. Are you doing that, or are you getting derailed when you make a painting that you’re not happy with? Be like Van Gogh and toss it onto the mountain of practice artworks, and keep going!
2. Take Charge of Your Art Education
Van Gogh was not formally trained, but he set out to master his art in a purposeful way. No matter what your art training background is, it’s up to you as an artist to create an educational path for yourself so you can continually grow and improve. This can involve personal art challenges (such as the 100 Day Project), attending live art workshops, taking online courses (I’ve got a few you might be interested in), hiring a coach or mentor for personalized support, or joining a membership such as The Painterly Way. Unlike in Van Gogh’s days, there are a multitude of ways you can get the guidance you need—often without leaving the studio.
3. Evolve Your Style
Van Gogh began painting realistically. Later, he was inspired by the Impressionists and completely changed his style of painting. When he became interested in Japanese prints, he changed his style once again to explore the excitement and curiosity he felt about the prints.
How about you? Are you still creating the same kind of art year after year? Are you afraid to deviate from the style that you’re known for—the style you’ve had success with? It’s important to keep in mind that being an artist is all about taking a journey and growing. If you let fear hold you back from going in new directions with your style, you are thwarting your growth. I encourage you to be brave and take risks!
4. Fight for Brilliant Color
The paints that Van Gogh used had exciting colors, but they were not colorfast—and Van Gogh knew it. Because he knew that his colors would soften, fade, and even change, he factored that into his palette choices. The painting he’d create was different from the painting he knew it would change into; he reverse-engineered the final result.
Thankfully we live in a time with better art materials, but we acrylic painters still face the fact that acrylics become duller when they dry. Can you plan around this or use multiple layers to achieve the bright colors you desire? Just like Van Gogh, you need to master your materials and bend them to your purposes.
5. Experiment with Tools and Techniques
Van Gogh is known for his impasto paint technique, using thick applications of color. He also used small, thin brush marks for an impressionist style. You can take inspiration from Van Gogh by experimenting with these styles of brushwork—or by experimenting with making new marks as he did.
Van Gogh experimented with making his own mark making tools: He’d cut reeds and use them as a dip pen. He liked the marks these reed pens made as well as the fact that they were free! What mark making tool can you create to make unique marks?
6. Try Painting from Memory
If you’re accustomed to using a reference photo as a jumping off point, consider trying a technique Van Gogh used: painting from memory. What better way to create a unique abstract painting that represents the way you see the world? Our memories are not 100% accurate, so this technique is a good way of identifying what details are important to you. It can help give you the license to create your own world in a painting, divorced from the reference photo that began the process.
The Art Greats Are There to Inspire Us
We all have our favorite art greats. I think it’s helpful to learn about their work and their process and to apply that to your art journey. Whether or not Van Gogh is one of your favorites, I think this list of ideas will inspire you to stretch yourself and grow.
Which of the above ideas excites you the most? Who are your favorite art greats? I’d love to know—simply leave me a comment below.
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