How to Become a Daily Painter and do a Painting a Day

Many of you have probably heard of daily painters. Daily painting is the practice of creating a painting a day, for a certain time period. This is something that requires much preparation before taking on the task.

The painting a day movement originally began with Duane Keiser a few years ago, and caught on rapidly. Back then, Duane completed a small painting every single day, posted them to his blog, and auctioned them at Ebay.

 

 

For those who think they are ready to do the same, there are certain preparations and things to consider. Realize that this is an ambitious project and requires time and discipline.

Listed below are some steps to prepare for your own daily painting project.

 

Steps to Prepare for a Painting a Day Project

 

1. Decide on a period of time.

   
   
   Many choose 30 days, especially for their first time doing this. If you are wildly successful, that time can be extended of course.
   
   You can decide to do a painting a day for 5 days a week, then take two days off. The format is up to you.
   
   
   
   
   

2. Create a list of ideas for paintings.

   
   
   If the time period is 30 days, prepare a list of possible themes much more than that, maybe 100. The point is to have plenty to choose from when it comes time to paint, so you never feel uninspired.
   
   
   

3. Prepare reference photographs or subjects to paint.

   
   
   If you work primarily from photographs, have a large number of those on hand. For those who prefer painting plein air or from life, have all your painting subjects ready.
   
   
   

4. Purchase plenty of art supplies.

   
   
   This includes everything from brushes, paint, canvases, painting medium, and everything associated with painting. The surface for painting is typically very small, maybe postcard size, around 6X8”.
   
   To save money, consider purchasing a sheet of board and getting it cut into small sections. Then prime each piece with artists gesso.
   
   
   
   

5. Create a blog associated with your daily paintings.

   
   
   Include the phrase painting a day or daily painters in the title. Write a few posts in preparation for your daily painting project. Maybe include a countdown widget on your blog to build anticipation of the event.
   
   
   

6. Inform all your online contacts and lists about your new art blog.

   
   
   If you have a newsletter, send out an email to those subscribers. Also, end a message to Twitter, Facebook, and Google+ followers.
   
   
   

7. Prepare a sample Ebay auction listing, and write-up for your main page.

   
   
   Include a short artist statement and bio. This can be can be copy and pasted each time you list a new painting. All you will have to add is a photo and details about the particular artwork.
   
   
   

8. Have a camera ready to photograph your paintings.

   
   
   Also have Photoshop or free software such as Gimp installed on your computer to properly resize, crop, and fix brightness/contrast in images. We have tutorials on this subject at the following pages:
   
   Photographing Artwork for the Web
   My Digital Camera Settings
   Preparing Art for the Internet
   
   
   

9. Organize your painting area.

   
   
   Everything should be in its own spot to save you time in searching for painting supplies.
   

 

Bonus Tips for Daily Painters

 

1. Minimize your palette to save on paint, and have less clean-up.
   
   
2. Realize that you will have to budget your time. Set a certain time period for painting and clean-up. Then, allow time for photographing and posting your artwork to your blog.
   
   
3. Try to set a specific time for publishing your blog post, preferably the same time everyday. This will help readers of your art blog know when to expect an update.
   
   
4. After publishing, promote your blog post. Send it out to Facebook, Twitter, and wherever else you have a profile online.
   
   
5. After you sell a painting, update it at your art blog as SOLD right away. Having sold pieces there gives the impression that artwork is in demand.
   
   People who may have been thinking about buying that painting, but waited too long, may try to purchase your next painting before anyone else.

 

Have you ever tried doing a painting a day?

How did it work out? Do you have any tips to share with our readers concerning daily paintings?

Thank-you for your comments!!