Art: Did you deliberately or accidentally create that?

There is nothing more daunting than sitting in front of a blank piece of expensive paper, and having to make the first mark. “What if I ruin it?” is something that often creeps into my mind. Many artists like to work through ideas with multiple sketches before they create an illustration, or art of any sort. For the most part I‘m not one of those artists - I prefer to work with an idea or concept. I may start with a few rough sketches so that I have a basis of what my character and setting looks like. However, most of my compositions aren’t preconceived. They used to be - but they aren’t any more.

Pillar 1: An over-thought-out sketch © Patricia Pinsk

Pillar 2: The resulting art, that is "tight". It lacks expression and feeling. © Patricia Pinsk

Some artists think this approach wastes time, or is more difficult way to work. There are those that argue that you need a well thought out plan or outline. Otherwise, how do you know the direction a piece is supposed to take?

For me, I find it is best if there is an element of surprise, as to where my piece is going to end up. Otherwise, I feel restricted. I like the idea that something may take on a completely different direction than I initially thought it would, but still has the same underlying theme or message that I began with. If I don’t work this way, it stops being fun.

With creativity, being spontaneous is liberating. It allows you the freedom to make mistakes; to try out new things; to work more intuitively versus cognitively. It shuts down all thoughts that your final piece has to be a masterpiece.

Pillar 3: A more expressive style created without a pre-sketch © Patricia Pinsk

Pillar 4: This was supposed to be a painted Pillar vase (the vase broke). It resulted in a mixed media sculpture © Patricia Pinsk

Some of my best disasters have in fact turned out to be my best learning experiences, and resulted in more exciting art. The secret is - pretend that your intent all along was to create the mistake, I mean masterpiece.

As stated by Bob Ross “We don’t make mistakes, just happy little accidents”. So get out there, and create The Mistake that becomes the masterpiece. If you need inspiration, check out some  online groups such as Illustration Age's Illustration Friday and Sketch Dailies.

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