When I tell people that I started painting when I retired, at the ripe old age of 57, people often ask “Did you know you could paint?”
The quick and easy answer is that everyone can paint … it’s just whether you think your paintings are good enough to show other people! I freely admit that I only publish pictures that I’m happy with (or at least reasonably happy with). There are many that do not make the grade; they are either destroyed or I paint over the canvas with another test piece.
The more accurate answer is … well, I knew that I used to be able to draw and colour reasonably well. I think I was 12 or 13 when I received a gift of a sketch pad, a ‘how to draw animals’ book and some pencils and an eraser … and it started from there. I used to draw as a teenager. I found the old sketchbook recently and it’s clear that I drew things that interested me at that age … like rally cars.
After leaving school, starting work, getting married and having kids, there just never seemed to be time for drawing, so it just sort of unconsciously stopped. I did the very occasional piece, like a copy of some characters from one of my daughter’s favourite books when she was young to hang in her bedroom, but it’s probably fair to say that when I started to paint it had been well over 30 years since doing any drawing.
So, did I know that I could paint? … no, not really … but like everything in life, you never know unless you give it a go.
I’d encourage anyone to try … the satisfaction when a piece turns out well is awesome. You just need to persevere long enough to give it a chance to work …. unless you are an absolute natural, it takes time to learn. There are lots of educational videos on YouTube that can get you started so why not give it a go.
With art particularly, it’s also important to try different mediums. I’ve found that my comfort zone is acrylics and I struggle to manage to control watercolours on the paper (although I refuse to give up on them). Your niche might be different … oils, pastels, or mixed media … just don’t give up too easily.