A Different Approach To Improving Your Art
by Helen Theron
Anyone who has worked in a medical field, human or veterinary, as I do, will be familiar with the term Continued Professional Development or CPD. For anyone in these fields to continue to hold their qualification and be allowed to practice medicine, they need to accumulate a certain amount of CPD points each year.
A Migraine of Stripes, the first piece of my Collective Noun series, celebrating my love for both language and animals. Colored Pencil on Drafting Film
Gaining your CPD points requires you to attend seminars, webinars, and any training that is applicable to your specific field. The purpose of CPD is to keep everyone up to date on the latest techniques and science, and to ensure that you are the best you can be in your chosen field. Most people choose their CPD by identifying areas where they would like to learn more, and areas where they feel that they need more knowledge to improve their level of care. They don’t just select training on things that they already know or are comfortable with. They actively seek to learn those things that make them uncomfortable and things that would make them better at what they do. I believe that this approach is something we should adopt for our artistic pursuits too.
I spent so much time trying to learn…
that I didn’t spend much time
trying to create things of my own.
When I began using colored pencils several years ago, I consumed every little snippet of information I possibly could about the medium, the surfaces, the techniques, essentially everything I could find. Initially, this was wonderful, because I was building my foundations on colored pencils. I had a voracious appetite for learning more about them. But it was done in a very haphazard manner, with no direction in how I wanted to improve, I just wanted to know anything that was available! And in doing this, I made a mistake with regards to my learning. I spent so much time trying to learn, watching others and listening to others, that I didn’t spend much time trying to create things of my own. I was learning things that I was already comfortable with and not growing at all by doing things that way.
Drinker of the Wind, Colored Pencil and 24k Gold Leaf
Once I noticed what I was doing, I realized that I needed to take a more structured approach to my learning, and it occurred to me that what I really needed for my artistic development was some kind of CPD. So, I put my head down and started creating, and as I worked took note of where my struggles lay. I knew those were areas I needed to improve on and grow as an artist.
Remember, if what you are doing feels uncomfortable and difficult, it doesn’t mean that you aren’t a good artist, it means that you are growing. Artistic growing pains are a very real thing. If what you are currently doing feels comfortable and safe, perhaps think of pushing those boundaries a bit!
I identified problem areas in this manner, and then started seeking out the information and training that I needed to help me. I began including CPD in part of my goal setting every year and whether that was improving my backgrounds, lessons in Photoshop, or even an online marketing course, I began to plan how I wanted to develop in my profession, much as I would have if it was Veterinary CPD!
Last year I chose to try and improve my sketching and decided to do an ink sketch, every day for one month. I knew that the work wouldn’t be amazing because I was just starting out with the medium, and I placed no stress on myself over this period, it was all about the joy of creation and discovery and nothing about trying to achieve perfection. But, as each day passed, I realized I was improving with each stroke. I suddenly started seeing values in a completely different way, and my confidence grew with each day that passed.
A selection of the ink pieces that I worked on in my month of Ink in 2024
What has that got to do with colored pencil? Everything! After my month of ink was over, I went back to my first love, colored pencils, and immediately noticed that I was tackling values in a different way. I was being more confident in how I was applying my darks, seeing the values better than I had been able to before. I had inadvertently created a form of CPD for myself in one medium and it had spilled over to improve my color pencil work.
I have read countless times on social media how someone has started playing around with a different technique/style/surface and almost immediately given up. We look at our current level of expertise within our colored pencil work, using all the techniques and surfaces that are familiar to us, and forget that once, long ago, we were beginners in those areas too. We are too quick to give up on something new because it is not at the level that we are accustomed to seeing ourselves produce. By doing this, we are doing a disservice to ourselves and our artwork. Have fun, experiment, allow your inner creative to explore and don’t be so hard on yourself at the end of each day. See your struggles as development, see them as opportunities to grow and change.
I believe we should never stop learning, never stop striving to improve on our own work. I realise we are a couple of months into our new year and many will have already written down their goals. But, if you haven’t put a professional development goal on your calendar, take the time now, to include them for yourself for this year, and every year from now onwards. It can only improve the work that you produce and who you are as an artist.
HELEN THERON:
Helen Theron is an artist based in New Zealand. She is most well known for her work celebrating the purebred dog and it's connection to human history and advancement. She believes that “their history is our history” and that we should be preserving and protecting breeds in much the same way we preserve and protect ancient artifacts. Her work always features animals strongly and mostly utilises drafting film in a nod to working on the “blueprints” for her concepts.
FACEBOOK: Helen Theron Fine Arts - Pet & Wildlife Artist