This blog is not about making perfect work. It is about understanding the mindset behind abstract painting and giving yourself permission to begin. I am sharing the things I learned along the way that would have made starting much easier for me. Hopefully, they will do the same for you.
Why Abstract Painting Feels Intimidating
Abstract art is a world on its own and it can feel really intimidating. It took me quite some years and a lot of paintings to actually feel free enough to let myself dive into it. Why is this such a hard thing to do?
I see the struggle in my abstract painting workshops all the time. It can be extremely daunting to try to make something without knowing where it will end up.
Abstract art is actually a very accessible way to start and get familiar with your materials and the creative process. The hard thing is that we are required to let go of what we always believed a painting should look like. When creating a still life, for example, we often define if the painting succeeded if it looks like or refers to the object we wanted to paint. You can say abstract art is more about what the painter was feeling or experiencing and also what the viewer sees in the work. Please note I'm not saying one of these two types of art is better or worse - they are just different. Especially if you just started painting.
For me, abstract art is more of a celebration of creativity. About the possibility to paint and the chance to create. No rules, voices or pressure, just curiosity. That same curiosity is probably one of the reasons you are reading this blog.
There are a couple of things that would have been really useful to me if I had learned and realized them earlier on in my abstract art journey. It would have given me much more breathing space and would have let me be kinder to myself. But still, maybe now they can serve you! I am still learning these things every day, it is an ongoing process for all of us.
Things I now know to be true, but took me a long time to figure out:
- It is okay if your work is not depicting anything.
- You are still an artist if you do not use a classical or academic way of painting.
- You do not have to prove you can paint in a classical way to anyone.
- You are allowed to do things for the first time and be a beginner at something.
- Results don't decide if the time you spent on something was worth it or not.
- You do not need a reason to play and have fun.
Let me give you 5 things I wish I could have done sooner. These are not rules. They are small mindset shifts that changed everything for me and might help you in your abstract art journey.
1. Let Go of the Idea of the Perfect Artwork
Aiming for perfection kills play. The things I struggled with were all a result of my perfectionism. Play is such an enormous factor in my work right now, that when I am not playing, you will see it in my creations. I will also feel it while I work, it loses its purpose. The process feels disconnected and my mind is somewhere else than in the studio.
Abstract painting is not about perfection. I honestly don't even know what a perfect abstract painting would look like. I do not believe it exists. It is much more about exploring materials, visual effects and methods - all while staying in that moment right then and there. It is about being guided by what happens on the canvas and about what happens to the artist and maybe eventually, the viewer.
My next brushstroke is always caused by what I see happening on the canvas. You move along with it. That mindset taught me that perfectionistic part of my brain to go take a hike, because it required me to focus on what is right there in front of me instead of what is not.
And that my friends.... is when you enter the zone. Amateur or professional, I believe that is what we are longing for. The goal is not beauty. It's creative freedom. Freedom from your own mind and from others'.
2. Keep Your Materials Simple
Trying too much in one go will demotivate you. It is like going swimming without ever having taken swimming lessons. You will drown. I tried so many things in the beginning. Yes, it taught me different materials but before I decided to focus on something for a longer period of time, I didn’t really learn anything else besides how the different materials worked.
Instead of trying a whole new technique every week, choose one type of material and one type of surface and get familiar with those first. See each work as a way of learning how those specific materials behave and what you feel when you create with them. Within one type of material there are already so many new things you can try in each piece, trust me. Don’t overwhelm yourself because it will demotivate you in the long run.
For example: Start with a sketchbook and experiment with different colour combinations on each page. Once you feel confident about that process, add another tool. A pencil. A marker. Something small.
When you feel comfortable with that, try something new again. Step by step.
After a couple of works, look at them and see what you like and what you don't. Try to take those elements with you into the next pieces and leave behind what did not work so well.
That is how I found out I am all about contrasts and how much I love opaque blocks of colour combined with thinner Posca lines. Not because I consciously decided it, but because I noticed I kept going back to them on almost every page in my sketchbook.
3. Know What to Do Next When You Feel Stuck
Getting stuck in abstract art is very normal. It happens to me in my sketches, my paintings and even in my digital work. It's part of the process, like overworking and killing some pieces you may have liked before.
Sometimes you take things too far and then you need to figure out how to bring the painting back to your liking. It changed for me when I learned we can always start over, let the paint dry and take a step back. I learned to fall back on different approaches.
You can:
Add more of the things you like in the painting. A certain texture. A certain colour.
Cover what is not working with one of your main colours and start again from there.
Add something completely new. A new colour, extra contrast or new value. Often when there is not enough contrast, I add a darker or lighter tone and it changes the scale of everything. Sometimes I use a completely new tool to introduce a different texture. Oil pastels often do that for me.
Create more difference in sizes. If your shapes are all similar in size, add one very large one and a few very small ones. That often brings energy back into the composition.
Add pure white or pure black and see what it does to your colours.
Cover the whole surface with white paint/gesso again and feel the relief of granting yourself the possibility to start over. I do this sometimes and it is such a breath of fresh air: like a burden off your shoulders.
4. Stop Pleasing Others and Make Abstract Art for Yourself
How I would punish myself if my painting session wasn't smooth, nerve regulating or some kind of creative awakening. I would go home and believe I completely wasted my time, I would never sell my work and it would all fall apart. I was overthinking the process and identifying too much with what other people thought of my work.
"Should I spend longer on this to call it finished?"
"It does not look like anything!"
"No one is going to like this."
"How do I explain that I enjoy doing this just for doing it?"
"What if no one loves it?"
"I'm not being productive at all."
Because art is personal, rejection can hit hard. I have people come into my studio and fall in love with my abstracts while disliking my still lifes (and also tell me that to my face).
The thing is, the exact opposite also happens: people loving my abstract expressions and not identifying with any of the figurative work. I took that as a confirmation that I will never ever be able to please everyone. And something so unachievable as pleasing everyone should never be the goal, ever.
When those thoughts enter your head, give that voice a name. Say, ‘thank you, Peter, for your concern, but I am going to pursue what I like anyway. I don’t mind what others think about it, since I'm not painting for them but for myself.’
5. Don't Expect Instant Results
Now, all of these shifts are part of the process, but they are not the full picture. Alongside these lessons, there were hours and hours of painting sessions. In the studio and outside the studio. Some periods daily, some weekly, some monthly. It was not constant perfection. It was simply returning to the work again and again.
Some of my paintings have thirty layers. Sometimes I work on them, put them away, and only feel ready to continue weeks or even months later. This is not about talent. It is about putting in the work and finding your way in a new visual world.
Just please, also give yourself time to explore the map.
Ready to get painting?
You are allowed to begin. Exactly as you are and where you are now. Feel free to try my Abstract Painting Tutorial in Blog or Video format! And yes, please send me your creations, I love seeing your works.
Thank you for reading. I truly hope it helps you take that first step. Creativity belongs to everyone and that includes you!
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