It takes a lot of patience, persistence, and consistent practice to achieve success in the art world. Stay the course by mastering your basic skills, staying open to opportunities, and collaborating with artists in your community. As artists, the reality is that we can only copy what already exists in nature. Even abstract art is actually an abstraction from reality, so one of the best things we can do as artists is to study nature.
This can relate to any topic, and it can mean a simple observation when going to a photo shoot, drawing living objects or scenes to study lines and values, or perhaps developing color studies in which we try to match colors or observe color combinations in nature. And don't hesitate to take reference photos for inspiration. Sometimes time is running out and we need to complete the effort in the study. The bottom line is that there is always something new we can learn from life by painting.
Perfecting your technique will result in fewer rejections and faster acceptance in galleries and contests. It's hard to express yourself if you can't control materials or draw well. With good instruction, three to ten hours of practice a day for four to twelve years, you'll become an expert artist. If you have the passion and discipline, you will dedicate yourself to your art for the long term and accumulate the experience you need to be good.
Take a look at some of the early works of people who are considered great today. They started out as badly as anyone else. If you look at images of artwork from large Western art auctions, such as the Scottsdale art auction, the Coeur d'Alene art auction, the Jackson Hole art auction, the Santa Fe art auction, the Altermann gallery auction, Bonhams, Heritage Auctions, etc. It takes a long time to train your eyes and learn skills.
