Who is your mentor?

When I began painting, I had no idea where to start. I looked around YouTube and found hundreds of thousands of painting videos. Most of those videos are by amateurs and are not real teaching videos. Rookies don’t know how to teach, let alone paint! Many YouTube videos are “Watch Me” videos. The artists seem more concerned with showing you how well they can paint.

I even found an artist on the web whose work I thought was lovely and ordered a set of his DVDs. As I was painting along with the first video, he made this comment. “This probably is too difficult a painting for the first one.”

WHAT?

Then I discovered Bill Alexander. As soon as I saw Bill paint, I realized I was watching a master at work. I also realized Bill was explaining everything he was doing in the painting. Even when he made mistakes, he pointed them out and showed you how to fix them. So I started painting along with his videos.

My first painting was no masterpiece, but I realized I was beginning to get it. And so I painted along with another of Bill’s videos and then another.

You need a mentor

One thing I’ve learned in the many different careers that I had in my life is that you need a mentor. A friend of mine, Brian Kurtz, talks about how you shouldn’t be the “smartest one in the room.” When you have no one to whom you can ask questions, learning by trial and error is the only option, and that stinks!

It is interesting to see how many different painting groups are on Facebook. What is even more interesting is that the same people sign up for many groups. They seem to spend more time poking around when they could be painting. Amateurs make up most of these groups. Those groups aren’t a source of advice. Most groups just post pleasant pictures. Comments like “Wow!”, “Impressive!”, and “Awesome!” don’t help you learn to paint!

Bill Alexander was a master artist and master teacher. He spent over sixty years perfecting and honing his craft. Bill spent decades teaching thousands of students how to paint. On his Emmy award-winning television show, he trained millions more. What made Bill’s videos great was that you could follow along and paint just like he did. You could paint like a master!

Who is your mentor?

So, who is your mentor? Is it an amateur YouTuber who hasn’t sold a painting for more than fifty dollars? Is it a “Watch Me” painter who is just showing off? Is your mentor a group of amateurs who tell each other how well they are doing?

OR

Do you belong to a group that gives you reliable painting tips and techniques every single day? Are you following a professional artist who taught millions?

OR

Are you are jumping around from group to group? Are you are wasting money buying DVDs you don’t even watch? Are you are frittering away valuable learning time watching amateurs on YouTube?

STOP RIGHT NOW!

Find yourself a mentor. Find someone who paints the kind of paintings you like. Analyze that painter’s work. See how they design their paintings. (Paintings are not just slapped on the canvas any which way). Examine the colors and color schemes they use. Copy their work. Learn their style of underpainting. (Bill calls his “conditioning the canvas.” It’s the same thing!) Experience what your mentor experiences by painting along in videos.

In as little as ten minutes a day, you could be on your way to becoming the artist of your dreams. Pick a mentor who is a master artist. The teacher you choose will determine how well you will paint. Join a group that will help you paint not waste your time. If you want to paint like a pro, learn from a pro! Even if you only want to be a “Sunday painter” (as Bill would say), there is no reason why you can’t learn from the best. Learn how to paint like a master.

Who will be your mentor?