“Get The Best From Your Art And Design… Be Prepared To Make Mistakes”

By Michael Dale

As an artist and designer, here is an admission… “I get things wrong all of the time”

When I start to do something I often get it wrong. I make mistakes… Big mistakes.

In Art, only the most expert artists can create perfection…

• What you don’t see in their masterpieces is the planning and preparation sketches that show the mistakes made along the way
• You don’t see the changes of mind and indecision that are covered and hidden by deep layers of paint

In Design, it is the craft development that generates invention from a simple crazy idea…

• You don’t see the years of pain and toil that goes into the design and manufacture of the car you drive
• You don’t see the mistakes and failures that have been made
• It doesn’t matter to you that the car you drive has been crafted and honed from a few simple sketches and a clay model
• You don’t care about the arguments and discussions
• You don’t give a thought to the long hours spent by experts searching for solutions to ever changing safety regulations that protect you in a crash
• You don’t think about the commitment and knowledge that go towards improving engine emissions that try to keep the air you breath clean and clear of pollution

“What you want is a car that looks good, goes fast, and gets you to where you want to go.”

As an artist, it doesn’t matter what intentions you have at the beginning, the end result is often different to what you expect. When the painting masterpiece you planned so carefully turns out to be rubbish… “Is it lost?”

No! The artist inside you sees that the plans were flawed and finds new inspiration from the failure. With your determination, the imperfect artwork develops into a new masterpiece you couldn’t have imagined at the beginning…

“Like a caterpillar transforms into a beautiful butterfly, you create your own form of artistic magic”


Great Art and Design can come from humble beginnings. Great inventions come from silly ideas. The best design can come at strange moments…

• Like when you are lying in a hot relaxing bath
• While sunning yourself on the beach.

You can even be influenced by the way your children play with their toys. Their minds are pure invention and experimentation. Without invention and experimentation…

• Would Galileo have ever thought that mankind could explore the depths of outer space, as he looked through his telescope at the distant stars?
• What would Leonardo Da’ Vinci think, when he drew ideas for flying machines, of the latest triumphs of aircraft design and innovation?
• What would they have both thought about the realities of flying machines and space travel today?
• Could Einstein imagine the full impact of his theories? Could he imagine the extents that incredible computers allow scientists to prove or disprove them?
• Who can imagine the impact of genetics on the future?

Progress comes from everyday people being prepared to act and work through miscalculation and errors…

Look forward to making mistakes...

Be prepared to make plenty of mistakes. There is far more to be learned from making a mistake. You can’t get everything right with everything you do but you can learn plenty when things go wrong...

• If you want to learn to paint, look forward to making as many unpleasant marks as you can
• If you are an artist who has lost inspiration… go back to basics and rediscover the magic of letting unexpected paint splatter and splodges revitalize your artwork
• If your drawing has become mechanical and dead… lose control of your line work… scribble, scratch and doodle until your drawing finds new life
• As a designer working on computers, let your mind release itself and go wild and free… design the largest hotel in the middle of the desert… with a pencil or a pen and some paper.

See what your imagination brings when you let yourself go…

• Your drawing will get better
• Your painting will improve
• Your use of color will create life
• Your designs will inspire

You will be inspired and inventive… “Look forward to making mistakes”

Get your Free Drawing Lesson and discover how simple lines and circles help you create a Moonscape Drawing.

Michael Dale is the author of 1- Color Is Best (the quick and easy way to learn to paint watercolor) and 3- Colors Are All You Need (mix any color you want fast using only 3 colors). Go to  http://www.paint-and-draw.com/ to find out more.

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