Pros & cons of creating monthly painting series
Oil pastels on paper
Yours Truly No 1
The series I’m creating this month are 4x6 portraits on paper. I’ll be creating 31 of these with oil pastels.
Yours Truly No 2
This is the third month I’m experimenting with working on a new series each month. I’ve noticed some pros and cons of working this way, so I thought I’d share some of my thoughts.
Yours Truly No 3
Pro: Having a monthly series keeps me focused. I know what I have to work on before I sit down to paint. No need to think about it.
Con: Being locked into a series takes away spontaneity and the freedom to paint whatever I want in the moment.
Yours Truly No 4
Pro: I’ve been choosing a medium and size before I start each month. So far I’ve been working on 4x6 paper. I’m keeping it small on purpose. My goal is to finish the painting in one sitting.
Yours Truly No 5 Meditating monk
Con: I’m getting bored working small, and sticking to one medium. I miss working on larger pieces, which can take many days to finish.
I also like working on many different sizes at the same time, and not feel rushed to finish any of them by the end of each painting session.
Yours Truly No 6
Pro: I know there’s a light at the end of the tunnel, and I can move on to something new soon.
Cons: Knowing I have to paint 30 or 31 paintings within a four week timespan can feel overwhelming, especially at the beginning of each month. The pace feels fast.
Yours Truly No 7
Pro: It’s easy to build up a huge stack of finished paintings this way.
Con: I already have a house full of paintings, and these are adding to it fast. These are small, and can be stored in a drawer, but at the same time, I’ll have 92 of these 4x6 paintings by the end of this month.
Yours Truly No 8
Pro: Creating monthly series gives me a lot of new work to offer for sale.
Con: It’s making me too work focused. It’s starting to feel robotic & routine. Paint, photograph, list. I’ve been on this hamster wheel far too many times, and I’m concerned I’ll get burnt out.
Yours Truly No 9
Final thoughts: I have two weeks to go, and then I’m going to hit the pause button on creating a monthly series. I think this is a wonderful exercise to keep yourself motivated, and moving forward, which is something I needed when I started doing this in March. I felt lost, and having a series gave me direction. Now that the ball’s rolling again, I don’t feel like I need a series to keep going.
I prefer a slower pace, and I’m itching to get back to painting larger. I don’t want to rush through paintings, just for the sake of getting x number done in a month. I want to forget about numbers for a while, and go with the flow.
I also have a few loose ends I need to tie up, like altering the Vince Van Gogh calendar I started, and never finished. I also have several small art journals I’m working on.
If I feel I need a push some time down the road, I’ll come back to the monthly series. For now, I’m happy to be going back to my old, more leisurely/less intense way of creating.
Yours Truly No 10
These are the first ten in the series. You can find them for only $25 on Daily Paintworks, and eBay, if you’re interested.
What I’ve been reading lately:
How to get to tomorrow - Mike Monteiro
I’m not keeping it real. - Danny Gregory
Buyers Remorse - Gregory Pettys
These are all thought producing, and I think you might enjoy them as much as I did.
Watching:
The Real Reason You Still Paint (Even When It Feels Pointless) - “You’re exhausted and you’re empty”. So true. If you’re an artist who’s struggling to create right now, this might help.