You CAN release the realism and make looser, more expressive, more abstract art
Does your art often get tighter and tighter until your paintings feel overworked?
Do you find it hard to stop yourself making realistic art, especially when you use reference images?
Do you want to loosen up your painting style so it's a bit {or a lot} more abstract?
You're not alone and you can change this!
Ready to Loosen Up?
This is one of the most common frustrations among both beginner and more experienced artists.
You want to shake ingrained habits of making detailed, representational art.
You want to make drawings and paintings that feel more reflective of your emotions, experiences, and inner world ...
... but it's not always as easy as it seems.
The mainstream educational system, history, and the dominant culture here in the West tend to prize realism and accuracy over wild abandon.
It can feel hard to break out of that mindset that says 'good art = realistic art', even if logically you know it isn't necessarily true.
Not to mention that taking off all the parameters and safety nets you're so used to, and stepping up to a blank canvas with no prior plan or starting point can feel completely overwhelming.
But you know there's more - inside you, within the process, and in terms of what you could create - and you want to find out how to access it.
Welcome to Loosen Up!
This course is for you if:
✔️ You're tired of getting stuck making tight, realistic art
✔️ You want to make art that feels as deliciously free to create as it looks when it's finished
✔️ You want to learn how to make your art more abstract, whether just a little or all the way
✔️ You're open to moving beyond your own boundaries, perceived limitations, and 'yes buts'
✔️ You love to explore and experiment and don't need {or no longer want} step by step instructions
"I feel I have finally loosened up with the brush and that I can honestly say that I'm not so worried or indeed stressed about having things 'looking right' all the time."
CB
Hello, I'm Tara
Your friendly artist, author, teacher, and creative encourager. 😊
I believe that deep down we all want our art to be a true expression of who we are and how we experience the world.
My courses are about uncovering that part of us and allowing our art to reveal it.
It takes time and perserverence, but when you develop a process that fits who you are, that's what makes being an artist so rewarding.
I used to find myself continually frustrated by my apparent inability to make the kind of expressive, free art I knew was inside me.
Like many, I was taught that realism was what proved you were 'good at art'.
And while that stood me in good stead in many ways, it wasn't where I wanted to stay.
For more than 15 years, I've been exploring, experimenting, and making a lot of mess in the name of freedom of artistic self expression.
And in this course I'm sharing some of my favourite discoveries for loosening up your art.
I share different approaches, tips, advice, and little tricks I've learned along the way, so that you can broaden and deepen your repertoire and understanding, and explore a variety of 'ways in' to painting to find those that suit you best.
Loosening up your art is, I've found, a process. It takes time to find your groove.
But it's a fantastically fun process because of its inherent freedom.
Realism can be a bit more like maths - being based on outside reference, you can 'get it wrong'.
Free, expressive art comes from inside you, so there IS no right and wrong beyond what you feel.
"What a liberating course - I learned so much about letting go!"
MB
If the following sound like what you're looking for next in your art...
✔️ Greater artistic freedom
✔️ More 'you' in your art
✔️ A looser approach
✔️ A more naturally playful attitude
✔️ Greater confidence and joy in what you can create
✔️ Varying ways in to more abstract art
... Loosen Up was created specifically for you. 😊
What's included:
Lesson 1: Warm Up & Setting the Scene
Something fun and easy to get you started, plus a little trick I like to use to keep me focused when making abstract work
Lesson 2: Make Your Own Brushes
A fun and creative way to make unique marks and explore notions of freedom in mark making
Lesson 3: Sketchbook Explorations
Using sketchbooks to experiment and inspire yourself without pressure and with a great deal of playing
Lesson 4: Making Multiples
Harnessing the power of many to keep your work loose and spontaneous
Lesson 5: Asemic Writing
Painting is about discovering your own personal language; now we're going to put it into 'words'!
Lesson 6: Monoprinting 3 Ways
Harness the inherent lack of control in this fun technique to explore further freedom in your art
Lesson 7: Wet on Wet Colour Portraits
Forget about trying to 'get a likeness' - this exercise is going to open up the idea of what a portrait can be!
Lesson 8: Abstract Landscapes
Discover how to take a landscape you love and make it your own
Lesson 9: Discover the Painting
A fascinating, intuitive approach to avoiding realism and making true-to-you art
+ Bonus Lessons + resources
Articles and videos to support you in your loosening up practice
"I already made such a huge difference to my art and it's given me much confidence and pure joy in making art without the anxiety."
KV
GET INSTANT ACCESS TO
LOOSEN UP
✨ Ready to release the realism & make more expressive art? ✨
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