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 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.