How to Work Fast with Jose Trujillo
If your goal is to work fast, you might want to take some notes from Ep.44 guest Jose Trujillo.
Trujillo is known for finishing many many paintings in a single session. (Although, full disclosure, his painting sessions can sometimes be 12 hours in length.)
He does this by physically working fast, but also by setting up systems that prioritize speed. Here’s how.
First, Trujillo works in a medium where you don’t have to wait if you don’t want to.
As an oil painter working alla prima, his medium (and the way he uses it, alla prima) means he can work a painting until it’s finished. He doesn’t need to wait for things to dry before adding final touches.
Next, he organizes his paint so that he can move as quickly as possible. He does this through buying colors instead of mixing them.
So while he absolutely has the knowledge to mix a magenta from a limited palette, he doesn’t want to. He wants to be able to squeeze it out and use the color immediately.
This is also a reason he has black on his palette. If he wants a dark, he has one ready and waiting. (again, no mixing.)
And finally, he sets everything up the night before so it’s ready to go. He unwraps his canvases. He gets his colors laid out. His brushes are ready. That way he can get in and just get to work.
Put it to Practice:
Trujillo prioritizes speed of process and has built systems to help him do that.
In your own systems, if you find yourself repeating tasks or doing something with multiple steps, ask yourself if you can simplify it or take something out.
But a word of warning: Make sure you LIKE any changes you make.
As an artist, you might feel like you should be working fast. But Trujillo works fast because he likes it. He likes the energy it gives him and he likes the paintings he makes in the process.
You may or may not enjoy it like him. And if you don’t enjoy working fast, that’s 100% OK. It’s OK to work slowly. It’s OK to enjoy a calmer pace.
If you start to change your systems to work faster and then realize you don’t like working faster, that’s important information to have. LIsten to your instincts and slow pack down.
Fast isn’t always the right way to work.