*I’ve moved my blog, this post was originally published on January of 2025
December had some pretty unenjoyable moments for me. Mainly because of the fact that I got sick after the first week of December, and pretty much remained sick the entire month. I never really get sick. I can’t even recall the last time I was sick before this. So, getting sick threw a monkey wrench in all my daily routines. Including my families. I tried to paint once during my illness and got as far as blocking in the background and then had to stop because I was so tired.
January has been spent trying to get back into a routine and mainly a better routine for things I want to happen this year. For my first paintings I decided to do these miniatures.
They feel less intimidating and allow me to get something done in one sitting.
I then painted this 4”x6” on paper.
Before getting sick I had some ideas of series I wanted to paint. Once I started working again it feels like I need some fresh ideas. The old ideas are no longer calling me to be created or at least not at this point. To get my creative juices flowing I decided to work on a master study painting. I enjoy doing master studies sometimes because it feels like less thought, a little more free since all the work has been done by the master painter. It’s more mechanical, I’m simply color matching and copying.
In case you do not know what a Master Study is. Simply put, it is picking a master painting and attempting to replicate it. This allows you to practice color mixing/matching, shadows, composition and so much more. This practice has been one of my best teachers.
My main advice is when you are trying to get back into the routine of painting or any creative practice after being gone for so long I would recommend to take it slow. Don’t put too much expectation on yourself because then you may lose any kind of motivation to even start. The task of just beginning becomes so daunting. Be easy on yourself. Never forget that ultimately you are doing it because you enjoy it, so keep it fun.
Jessica Becker Art 
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