How many of you still write a diary today?
Sometimes we may have lots to say, but words don't come easy all the time.
Pablo Picasso once said, "Painting is just another way of keeping a diary."
It's true that a picture paints a thousand words.
That's the power of images. It can immediately transport us back in time, where we can immediately remember a person or an event that is associated with the image.
Perhaps, you should start exploring the world of painting to record the new memories that you are about to make in the new year.
In this article, we will look at five different types of painting activities that you can pick up and master in 2024.
For Nature Lovers: Explore Leaf Painting
Leaf painting is naturally easier to start and engaging if you already have a garden. You can even buy some potted plants from the nurseries and grow some of them indoors.
Even if you don't, leaves are easily found as compared to other painting materials and they come in different variations and shapes.
This means every leaf painting is unique, depending on how you style them according to their shapes, colours and positions.
The most common method of leaf painting is by placing the leaves on art paper and painting over them.
And then, once you remove the leaves, the patterns of the leaves will be imprinted on the paper. You can even experiment with different leaves layering with different colours.
Another method of leaf painting is glueing the leaves on the paper and leaving some space between the leaves to draw other floral motives to complete the painting. For instance, you can glue the leaves according to the pattern of a house, flower, or even animal.
Some of the common plants with distinctive leaves that you can find in Malaysia include:
- Golden pothos
- Arrowhead plant
- Dieffenbachia
- Zanzibar Gem (also known as ZZ plant)
- Monstera and many more
Having said that, immersing yourself in beautiful creations of nature can certainly benefit your mental health and overall well-being.
This painting activity is suitable for anyone, from kids to adults. You can enjoy this as a solitary activity or a group activity whereby you can explore and "exchange" leaves and insights as you paint.
Photo by Gustavo Leighton on Unsplash
For Tea and Coffee Lovers: Explore Mug Painting
I think we all know mugs used to be (or still are) one of the most popular housewarming gifts to give or receive — which means every house always has an excess of/extra mug.
You don't always need to paint on walls or paper. You can personalise your paintings on mugs.
The best of all, it is more than just decorative art. It adds a touch of identity and style to your daily routine when you pick it up during your morning coffee, or during tea time with your friends.
Think about it. Your favourite tea or coffee mug is now painted with lovely colour motives or patterns, it instantly becomes a gem of form and function. There is no fixed way to paint a mug, so you can unleash your creativity.
If you are thinking of gifting a mug to someone, you can even come out with a painting that reflects the recipient in terms of their favourite movie characters, favourite celebrity, favourite lyrics or quotes, favourite colour or something that reminds you about your relationship with them.
There are many people who love to buy and collect mugs for aesthetic and sentimental value. Who knows, you can even set a goal to paint several mugs and create a pop-up store for charity as a New Year's Resolution!
For Holiday & Celebration Lovers: Explore Watercolour Card Painting
You'll be surprised that many people still love receiving DIY handcrafts as holiday or birthday celebration gifts.
If you are one of those who still fancy receiving a handwritten card during holidays and festivities, why don't you take this to the next level — by making a watercolour painting greeting card?
It takes only 15 minutes to 20 minutes to complete a watercolour card.
For instance, you can paint a Christmas tree at the centre and paint the background with vibrant colours or leave some space for some words. You can either handwrite them or incorporate some calligraphy style as a finishing touch for the greeting card.
The best part about watercolour painting?
It is very beginner-friendly because it does not require many materials and equipment to start. Not only that, it is also very affordable and time-effective because watercolour painting dries up pretty fast as compared to oil painting or acrylic painting.
Once you have your watercolour palettes, watercolour paints and watercolour brushes ready, you're all set to go for your first watercolour painting.
It's easy to feel flustered in the beginning when it comes to mixing the right amount of paint and water or deliberating between different colour mixes and brushing styles for different images.
Don't worry if your card appears to be a little too dull because the colour mix is too watery in the beginning.
Remember, progress and improvement come with lots of trials and errors and consistent practice.
You can always begin with simple patterns or images. These days, there are plenty of easy tutorials on YouTube where you can review step-by-step and follow what they are teaching.
If you prefer to master the fundamentals of watercolour painting and other painting styles through one-to-one tutoring, that's totally fine too.
That way, you can receive immediate feedback to identify any mistakes to improve your painting techniques in real-time.
Most importantly, you also get to receive a personalised learning experience that is tailored to your pace and interest.
For example, your tutor can guide you to discover your artistic style and help you to express your inspiration and creativity through your painting.
Photo by Elena Mozhvilo on Unsplash
For Details Lovers: Explore Portrait Painting
Another type of painting that people would love to receive as a gift is definitely a painting of themselves aka portrait painting.
When you dive deep into portrait painting, you need to pay attention to every detail.
You can start by using a photograph as a point of reference. That way, you can take your time to observe and paint every expression, every curve, every line and feature in the most accurate manner.
Portrait painting is all about capturing the signature essence of a person. Sometimes a single addition can make a huge difference. It could be a person's dimple, a mole, gloomy and quiet eyes, for instance.
Once you are more confident, you can then transition into live portrait painting whereby your subject is sitting right in front of you as you paint.
If you desire to master portrait painting for the new year, we have the perfect solution for you!
Head to Superprof to enjoy a flexible and engaging learning experience. Not only can you find a home tutor who is near your city, but you can also read through the basic information of the tutors in just a few clicks.
Superprof is a tutoring platform that is dedicated to helping students pair with the most suitable tutors according to their desired subjects.
As of this time of writing, there are more than 11000 tutors ( a mixture of home tutors and online tutors) that are available to teach painting in Malaysia.
The average rate for the painting lesson is RM57 an hour.
Important tip: Do note that the hourly rate is dependent on several factors such as the location of your lessons, the teaching experience of your tutor, as well as the frequency and duration of your lessons.
Once you have reviewed the tutors' details, you can proceed to contact them via the messaging feature on their profiles.
When it comes to portrait painting, you can also learn and improve by becoming a model for your tutor's portrait painting. From there, you can review how he or she composes your facial expressions and features and how they use different brushing techniques to create different effects for different emotions too.
Want to look healthier and fitter when your tutor is painting your portraits? Read more on the benefits of learning a new sport while you master a new painting technique during the new year.
For Sceneries Lovers: Explore Landscape Painting
We have reached our final recommendation for this article, which is landscape painting.
It is a great painting activity that you can enjoy both indoors and outdoors, depending on your point of reference.
You can either paint while looking out of a window or bring the necessary equipment outside and start painting. For instance, you can paint a neighbouring house from your study desk or you can paint a picture of the sunset when you are out on your porch.
Exploring landscape painting also serves as a great reminder to care for our planet and natural environment.
When you are immersing yourself in observing the trees, the hues of the sky, the butterflies that are flying, and the sunlight, it offers you a new perspective on the beauty and diversity of nature.
Photo by Hakan Nural on Unsplash
There might be even a few moments where you need to pause and observe the changes in your surroundings, like different colours at different times of the day.
Before you realise it, you are relaxing and reflecting. Landscape painting is an activity that will cultivate your appreciation towards nature and help you rejuvenate after a stressful week.
We hope you will be inspired to pick up any of these five types of paintings at some point (if not all, on different occasions) in 2024.
Now, let's start shopping for some brushes and colour paints to start the new year, shall we?
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