Art Lessons that Every Student Can Use

Have you ever wanted to take an art class? Here are some lessons I’ve learned that you can apply to your own studies, even if you aren’t an artsy person! 1. You Have to Start Somewhere Art Tip: Experiment with Thumbnail Sketches and Sketch Out Your Idea Everyone has to start somewhere, and thumbnail sketches are a good idea for everyone, not just artists. Laying out several ideas, plans of attack for big assignments, or having multiple ideas for an essay, are all ways that you can experiment and figure out your game plan! Having a breakdown of your process can ultimately be a game changer for your work. If it’s an essay, take a look at this guide which has a great list for starting an essay! 2. Have All of the Requirements Art Tip: Double Check Your Guidelines! You might have to go back and redo the assignment if you don’t double check the guidelines! In art, there are certain specifications you have to meet for color spaces, sizes for printing or image resolution, and you learn really quickly to double and sometimes triple check the specs! I’m a big fan of to-do lists to manually or digitally check off tasks for a project, and it’s always nice to have an idea of what’s expected by gathering all of your instructions in one place. Once that is done, it’s pretty easy to go down the list in order, delete instructions as you accomplish them, or check off parts as you complete them. 3. Everyone’s a Beginner at Some Point Art Tip: Learn the Basics Before You Break Them If you have to learn the rules, it’s for a pretty important reason. There are “rules” to various things in many different disciplines. For art, the foundations of alignment and sizing are one of the first things you learn. It’s only after you learn what looks correct and how it all layers together that you can then bend the rules and find your own style for the assignment. If you have a certain set of instructions you have to follow, figure out where there is a bit of room for self expression or creativity. 4. Balance Means Everything! Art Tip: A Balanced Layout Means Everything Flows Well! The principle of balance isn’t only exclusive to art, but it is a nice reminder that balance is key. If there’s too much or not enough, or if your layout isn’t quite looking right, its a good idea to take a step back and see where you need to balance things. The flow of elements can be thought about in many ways, similar to a grid or in pairs, and it’s pretty easy to line them up once you figure out where you have a lot of content and where you’re a bit light. Balance in what you’re working on is essential, so if you plan out your time well, you can balance the workload too! 5. Details, Details, Details! Art Tip: It’s the smallest details that can send your project from good to great! Look at the small things that might add up to be a pretty big mistake! If you keep track of all of the details, you’ll be in good shape. Small art slip-ups like a perspective line that’s just a bit too much to the left, or a smudge you didn’t see, could impact your presentation of the piece or your grade. If you are working on something that has a lot of details, it’s worth the time to check them. 6. Ask for Another Set of Eyes Art Tip: Another person’s perspective or review is a big help! Critiques aren’t exclusive to art, but they are a large part of the collaborative art community. Critiquing is when small or large groups point out the good and the bad about your piece. Asking for feedback on what you are working on is always a good idea! 7. Don’t wait until the last minute to print! Art Tip: Don’t rush your work! Per usual, time management skills should be a pretty important factor. There’s an often heard saying in my art classes: Don’t wait until the last minute to print! It’s usually because you don’t want everyone to be printing at once, but it also can extend to another common held idea. Plan out for obstacles or mistakes, and you will be fine! If you rush your work, you risk missing a key idea or, in this case, printing it wrong! Even though we all can’t be art majors, these art tips can help you in your studies! If you’re feeling like all of these are right up your alley, look on Fastweb for some creative scholarships to apply this list to! There are some Festive Holiday Scholarships or three huge scholarships that you could apply for, right now, in December!! Good luck with finals!