Having recently retired and deciding I wanted to have a go at Watercolour painting, I somehow, with the help of Google, came across ArtTutor. Though there might not be a lot of free content with not being a member, I soon decided to take a monthly option and take a good look.
My month’s subscription was well spent and very informative. Having looked at the gallery and the members’ contributions, it would be fair to say I was overwhelmed and a bit daunted by the quality of the work. Where are the beginners? I wondered. So I took the bull by the horns and nervously asked the question. What a response. You can see the item on the Wiki List, a great resource provided by one of our members Dragongirl. Here is the link to the page (only available to ArtTutor members)
https://www.arttutor.com/group/watercolours-group/discussion/where-are-all-beginners
I had so many replies, members welcoming me, offering advice and telling me that we are all beginners at one time and that this was the place to be. That was enough for me. I quickly upgraded my subscription to a yearly one.
They all proved to be right. The cornerstone of ArtTutor must be its members, not forgetting the staff who must work tirelessly on our behalf – but the members’ help and support is invaluable. I suspect, like me, you might be a little ‘shy’ at uploading your work as the members’ work uploaded is so good, and I understand if you feel intimidated. (I’ve been there.)
However, if you wait until you are producing work to a high standard, you will wait forever to get involved, and getting involved is the key to the learning process.
OK, a lot of beginners (and some not so beginners) out there might hide their work away, but they are missing out on so much. The camaraderie and enthusiasm provided by my new-found friends is unbelievable. My wife is quite jealous of my worldwide friend network, and I thank them all for everything.
I decided to post my own work, good, bad or indifferent, and I get such good feedback and encouragement. Watercolour is not easy, I didn’t expect it to be, but with the help here I am enjoying my journey.
So, if you’re thinking is this for you or you’re new here, let me assure you, you will be amazed by everything ArtTutor has to offer. No matter what medium is your desire, help and advice is here in abundance. Try the lessons, look at the Academies as they become available and read all the posts.
As a beginner, I cannot recommend it enough – come on in and get involved.
Jim (aka Jimbo24)
I'd like to thank Jim for this article and I hope that others will be able to contribute in their own way in this new year. Stay tuned for a piece on brushes by Jen (aka JAKA).
This week's artist find is Emmanuele Cammarano.
Have a good week,
Danielle
I totally agree with you Jim. I joined this year and am a total beginner, never painted anything except the walls in my home...and lots of times and lots of colors...!
ReplyDeleteI have never met a more friendly group. Everyone is encouraging, many members started from scratch and their work is amazing now! I too was leery to post my pictures but you just need to take the plunge for the first time, after that it's easy...and people do give you great advice, they know what level you are at and they don't criticize! Lastly, I have found so many new artists through others recommendations. Besides all the great lessons here, people (me too)are always trying out someone else's video's or books or youtube and I have discovered so much just googling their recs, info I'm sure I wouldn't have found on my own