Why Is Painting So Hard? – Beginners Should Know!

If you want to learn how to paint or create something, you make a good decision. The idea of accurately representing what you see on paper is incredible and fulfilling. But sometimes, being overwhelmed could make you ask why is Painting so hard?

Fear could be a huge limitation in creating any meaningful artwork through painting. The art of painting is never accomplished without some mistakes. When you focus more on your mistakes, you will see painting as complex for you.

In this article, you will discover why painting is hard for many individuals and how you can work through it. Also, you will understand what may be the most difficult thing to paint and the type of painting that is best for beginners. Keep reading.

Can You Paint If You Can’t Draw?

You can paint without having excellent drawing skills. However, with enhanced drawing abilities, you can produce great painting works.

Though there are different thoughts and opinions on the relationship between painting and drawing, they reached a common consensus. You must not be perfect at drawing to create paintings effectively, especially if you’re focused on abstract art. Nevertheless, drawing skills are a great credit to the art of painting.

You shouldn’t give up on your painting desires when you can’t draw. There are no set rules for drawing and painting that should discourage you when you’re determined to move forward. You can still paint without drawing. Based on the category of painting that you’re creating, you may likely not need any form of drawing.

Drawing is a different way of creating art. Not every painting begins with drawing as a preliminary step. Drawing skills will definitely help with your painting, but if you hate pencil sketches, it does not mean you can’t learn to paint. Drawing skills are not one of the requirements for becoming an artist. Painting is totally different from drawing. Drawings are not artworks that have to be painted over; paintings are not drawings that have to be coloured within.

A creative mind and natural talent give you a leg up regarding painting or drawing skills. To master the art of painting, you must desire to create and be disciplined enough to keep practising. So here comes our theory: If you do not like drawing, or you are afraid of it, for whatever reason, then forget about drawing and dive directly into painting.

Is Painting Difficult To Learn?

Painting is not difficult to learn. Some beginners may find it difficult at the preliminary stage, but every great artist starts from that stage.

Every painter took off from somewhere in the course of fulfilling their career. It’s entirely okay to start from scratch and get confused sometimes. Also, you will inevitably make mistakes, but mistakes are necessary for learning. Most importantly, the key to painting is the process, not the result.

Furthermore, having the right tools for painting goes a long way in reducing difficulties you may face during the process. Also, correction is an essential part of a painting. It usually involves some training from trainers while you’re still at the beginning stage. However, you should structure your practice to avoid repeated errors that could make it look quite difficult to learn.

We believe that it won’t be hard if you have a passion for painting. All you need to do is to make a plan to organize your practice and flow with the process.

Why Is Painting So Hard?

Painting can become very hard when you fail to create a link with your mind, eyes, and hands. Though you may be working with your hands in response to what your eyes are seeing, your mind’s connection enables the process to produce great output.

Representing what you see in an accurate, believable, and exciting manner on paper requires a lot of different skill sets. Not only do you need to see it accurately, but your mind also needs to process it and figure out how you want to lay it on paper. The painting process will not work without technical skills of connection and processing.

The stages of processing and turning it into a piece of art is the most challenging part because this is where you’d have to gather up your creativity. But some of the things that can help you are below.

Breaking through Symbolism

Have you ever seen where a kid draws a hand? It is very symbolic because he doesn’t know that a hand doesn’t look like fingers close to each other. There is a structure to it, and if you think about a natural hand and look at the kid’s painting, you won’t see anything like that. The reason is that it is a symbol, simplified and easy to express by the kid. When you go past the symbolism phase, you can see things more clearly and differently as well.

Self-Expression and How you See Things

Being able to see things clearly will help you to avoid all the optical illusions and interferences. Also, you will gain the ability to lay out your plans, putting them on paper. These processes could be some difficult parts of the painting for unconnected or loosely connected minds.

Repetitive and Consistent Practice

Continuous Practice of the techniques is hard. But with a connected mind, you will keep up with every iteration and attempt. With time, your artwork will no longer be complicated. Instead, it will seem like the best of the bests, and you’ll become proud to say your work is truly yours.

Related:Why Does Paint Crack?

What Is The Most Difficult Thing To Paint?

It could be tricky to pinpoint the most difficult thing to paint. However, anything could be difficult to paint if there’s no connection of the mind with your hands and eyes.

In painting, you define difficulty in any area you are not getting correctly. It might be the face, part of a body, or wildlife. What might be difficult for you could be very easy for another. Some people would say realism or hyperrealism are the most difficult aspect to paint. This’s because they usually see painting as a creative art that resembles a thing like a photograph.

Some people may see the difficulty in creating portraits. You may claim not to paint faces very well because you need to integrate the proportions, the value, the colour theory, and the perspective when you capture a likeness. Some may avoid landscapes because they have an issue with a particular colour like green. But when they practice, they seem to get it right!

However, there are different painting styles for correcting such impressions, each displaying its peculiarity. The painting will only be difficult for you if you lack practice! Also, you should know that whatever you do without preparation will only look poor and unappealing.

Which Type Of Painting Is Best For Beginners?

Acrylic paint is one of the best types for beginners as it’s pretty easy to work with. Also, it forms great mixtures with water and dries very fast. It comes in a wide range of different colours that will boost your painting works. When you make mistakes, cleaning up using acrylic paint is very easy.

If you are a beginner and just starting with painting, you may find it challenging to decide which painting medium is best. Paints of some types are better to use than others. Water-mixable oil, acrylics, oils, watercolours, and pastels are the most commonly used types of painting. They all possess their features and properties and look unique in their ways. Oil paint, for instance, has been around for centuries and is known for its rich, deep colours. Watercolours, on the other hand, are transparent and delicate.

“High maintenance” paints, such as oil paints, require additional cleaning solvents. Also, they are more expensive and can interfere with the learning process.

Here are some of the paint you can try out as a beginner.

Acrylic Paint

The simplicity of working with acrylic paint, particularly for beginners, makes it an excellent choice. Acrylic paint is best for beginners because it dries up very fast. It mixes perfectly with water forming a homogenous mixture for your painting. Also, it is convenient, and easy cleaned-up quality makes it suitable for beginners who want to do the at-home painting. In addition, you can use Acrylic paints on paper, canvas, or board or on just about any surface.

Watercolor Paint

Watercolour paint is also beginner-friendly for an at-home painting that is convenient and easy to clean up.

While watercolour is a complex medium to work with, acrylic paint is also challenging to control due to its quick drying time. Hence, some people will recommend oil or water-soluble oils for beginners. This’s because oils can be easily scraped off and reapplied when you make mistakes. Moreover, it might be possible for you to try out the different types of painting mediums that best suit you and your style.

Is Painting Harder Than Drawing?

It depends on the personality of the individual. Generally, most artists learn to draw before they can paint, making them think painting is more complex. If drawing is your first skill, that will make the painting seem like an advanced skill. In contrast, drawing would probably be the more difficult skill if most artists begin with painting.

You may have likely received different answers to this question from a dozen artists. The reason for this is that there has been no clear answer. However, what distinguishes painting from drawing is how forms are created for each of them. In painting, you can fill in forms by filling in areas using different mediums, such as acrylic paint or oil paint. While in drawing, forms are created with shading or crosshatching using only lines.

Also, some people claim to understand painting more easily than drawing, and vice-versa. On the other hand, some people understand both quickly. This is a result of knowledge, skill, and passion. Without these, painting might seem complicated for you. It is strictly a matter of preference to decide if painting is more complex than drawing.

Final Verdict

Individuals who seem not to be making some headway with painting may often wonder why painting is so hard. Painting is not hard, and there is no wrong way to paint. You might find new painting techniques when you let your creativity take over.

Creative artists often did unconventional things that were considered silly at the time. However, an artist is never restricted by his technique. Knowing some basic painting methods ensures beginners remain confident and enjoy themselves as they learn.

Although, sometimes painting appears complex when you’re restless, stressed, and need a break. Remember that you need to connect your mind with your hands and eyes to produce a unique and creative painting. The absence of such connection will always make you think painting is hard.