The demonstration video challenge!
When I set out to create the videos for the Abstract painting for beginners online course I had to be really careful about the approach I took.
The challenge? Create a course filled with value-packed accessible demonstration videos while staying true to my core values of authenticity and originality.
The in-person classes included a few key demonstrations around handling paint and understanding possible ways to get the most out of acrylic paint, but not demonstrations showing the complete start-to-finish steps of making a painting.
The intention there was to hold space for people to explore their own way rather than having them feel they should be limited to replicating my one example.
So I wondered –– how could I show the making of a painting from beginning to end in one of the many possible ways, without automatically painting in my own unique style and way? I couldn’t invent a whole new style or copy anyone else’s style and uphold my values.
I had to get Meta about it!
I had to step out of my current artist-self and imagine that I was a complete beginner experiencing the structure and guidance of the step-by-step process as a brand new painter!
It was quite fun!
The beginner stage can be one of the most exciting stages of painting. Once you get past the fears around starting, it’s all fresh and there are so many possibilities and options to explore!
The paintings I created using the course work are still my own original works, but the process is something that I am happy to share.
An exciting thing that I noticed when teaching this process in-person is that in a class of 12 participants, there would always be 12 very different paintings created!
In the same way, this process can be repeated to push an existing idea forward to create different results. To illustrate the potential for wildly different outcomes using the same process, I created videos showing the making of a second painting for my online students.
Keen to explore the process?
Find out more about the online course for beginners.
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