Art is about colour, line and form, but it’s also about decision making and trusting your instinct. Perhaps it’s not even so much about trusting your instinct as your unique creative voice.
One of the ways you can understand your creative voice is through practice. Practice mark making, choosing colours, deciding which piece of collage paper goes where. That’s the magic of a sketchbook. It’s not finished art; it’s playtime. A sketchbook lowers the stakes, freeing you to play and experiment.
Playing doesn’t waste time or materials; it’s the work of being an artist. Finished pieces that feel authentic, whatever finished means to you, are the result of time spent playing. Some artists worry they’re wasting paint, or only use cheap materials when they’re playing. The trouble with that is you practice with cheap materials, then when you swap to your “good” ones, you don’t have an in-depth understanding of them – the variations in handling, texture, colour and tone that matter so much. Buy the good things, use the good things!
The pieces shown below are exercises inspired by a Jane Davies class, and are about practicing my decision making as an artist.
Cath Sheard Art 
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