The Most Important Thing for Working Quickly & Confidently
If you watched Ali Kay (Ep.61) lay down a brush stroke, you’d notice two things: she works fast and without hesitation.
And here’s why she can do that with confidence and speed.
It’s because she has a plan.
She’s made decisions before she’s gotten started. She doesn’t have to hesitate and ask, “Is this the right choice?” because she already knows it’s the right choice.
She knows what questions she needs to ask (and answer) before she pulls out her paint. That way, once she starts, she knows where she’s heading.
Put it to Practice:
Think of it like driving: It’s the difference between knowing exactly the route you’re going to take to the airport because it’s in your hometown vs trying to figure out HOW to get to the airport while you’re driving (without Google maps.)
Having a plan means you know when and where you turn.
In your own practice, look for ways to do your planning. If you don’t love the idea of thumbnails, you’ve got options.
Kay does all her planning digitally. She uses apps like Picart and Snapseed to do her value and color thinking. She also does her cropping and composition all on her iPad.
This saves her time and frustration. It also creates very little pushback so she (and her students) can do the necessary planning so that the painting process can be more fluid and fun.
So if you want to lay down paint confidently, try making a roadmap before you get started. It’ll make all the difference.
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