How to Be a Good Artist

Truly becoming a good artist takes more than just raw skill and talent. Hard work and developing an individual style are at the heart of being a good artist.

STEP

1

Decide what type of art you are most interested in. You will have a much easier time putting in the time and effort necessary to improve as an artist if you work in a medium you enjoy on a subject you are passionate about. You may know what interests you right from the start or you may have to try a number of different media and subjects before finding what clicks for you. Don't be afraid to experiment.

2

Schedule time to work on your art. The best way to learn any new skill or improve your abilities is through regular practice. Whether you're looking at art as a hobby or a career, setting aside time in your day or week to focus on your art will help you to hone your skills.

3

Take classes. Few, if any, artists are so skilled that they can't benefit from some kind of formal instruction. Art classes can help you get past problems with your work that you haven't been able to solve on your own, identify areas in which you could improve, or just give you some direction and a regular time to devote to working on art. There are courses available for all skill levels at colleges, community centers, local arts centers, and numerous other places.

4

Accept constructive criticism. Constructive criticism is designed to help you improve your artwork, either the piece you're working on now or your future works. A person giving constructive criticism will usually point out both the flaws and the strengths in your piece and make suggestions on how you could fix the flaws. While it isn't always fun to hear, criticism is something you're going to have to deal with as an artist. Learn to identify when a criticism of your work is valid and use that information to focus on correcting your mistakes.

5

Show your work. For most artists, art is a form of communication. You create art because you want to share it with other people. Otherwise, you could just leave the ideas in your head. Exactly how you want to show your work and to who is your choice. You could try to get your work shown in galleries and put up for sale. You could try getting published. You might be more comfortable putting your work online and possibly selling prints of it. Or maybe you would rather just frame some of your best work and hang it up in your home for your family and friends to enjoy.