I picked portraiture as my primary goal. It’s the best and the worst of efforts. The worst because recreating a human’s face with all it’s vagaries is difficult, and the best of efforts because with billions of faces in the world, it’s unlikely that I’ll ever run out things to paint. My point? As you progress (if you progress) you’ll settle into a direction — a groove — that will keep you busy for the rest of your life.

My personal mission is to paint free for parents the young men and women who have given their lives in the wars of 9-11. I’ve been at it for about 15 years and, so far, I have painted about 250 portraits. I won’t live long enough to paint them all.

Look around . . . find something that lights your fire.

It happens to me too. Though I am on a bit of a “hot streak” now, that is definitely not always the case. What I do is I draw or paint something from a photo, just to keep my head in the game, and before I know it, a new idea comes to me out of the blue.

What you experienced happens to everyone. The best thing to do is step back away from it, take a deep breath, count to 110: then, only if you are feeling right about i, come back. You might try some relaxed sketching out doors. No paint, just a pad and pencil. Good luck. Jules

Sometimes I think people think inspiration is really a thing that comes from inside their own beings. The human mind is just a n interpolator and extrapolator of patterns. You need to experience patterns and stimulate the mind so it can give you new extrapolations.

Go to a new place, read a new book, watch a new movie. The output of a brain is always restricted to its input.

Well, I’ve been painting for about 30 years, now, and I will tell you what offers me the most inspiration for my continuing work. First, I seldom find myself for lack of steam, or becoming frustrated with my work, as I enjoy painting nearly every type of subject that I encounter.

But, what inspires me while I’m seeking some ideas for a new painting is to google “oil painting youtube” on the internet, and I enjoy watching the hundreds of youtube videos that there are on the internet.

I am always inspired, or re-inspired, to try many of the METHODS that some of those painters use. I’m especially interested in portraiture, and landscapes, in terms of learning the techniques that other artists employ.

Although I’ve been painting for over 30 years, I still enjoy learning new methods, and even learning new styles. Awhile ago, the idea of impressionism intrigued me, and I studied a few paintings by Richard Schmid, and others. I tried a couple using that method, and I was actually quite successful, and managed to receive a couple of major awards for the first painting that I ever created using such a method.

I have learned that nearly any “style” can be learned, and learned quite effectively, by watching the youtube demos that so many artists have posted on the internet, as well as Googling “images” under whatever artist you may choose. But, don’t copy their paintings–emulate their style!

Just watch a few of those youtube posts, and then use the ones that inspire you the most. I guarantee you that you’ll never run out of steam, or become frustrated. And, my best advice to you is to never throw any painting away, or set it aside merely because “it doesn’t seem to be working out.” That is the death knell for beginning artists, because it begins to develop a habit–and a profoundly BAD habit, to boot! Finish every painting that you start, no matter how “bad” or “poor” you may consider it to be! You will learn from your mistakes on that one, and you will improve when working on the next one.

WFMartin, what a brilliant suggestion! How fun!