8 Diverse Ways To Approach Abstract Painting as a Beginner in 2021

One could say that almost all art is Abstract art, if we consider that Abstraction is a process of drawing inspiration from the shape, color and texture of objects. After all,  artists have “abstracted” from the world around them since prehistoric times. 

Artists, art critics and historians have entered many different sides of discussion, debate and contradictory opinions about Abstract art over decades. It all comes down to the 3 basics: composition, color, and texture. If you go into an abstract piece without keeping these three things in mind, you will be totally lost. 

The 3 Conponents of Abstract Art

Composition:

Composition is the placement of objects or the focal point of your painting. It’s the shape, size, and placement of your objects on the canvas.

Colour:

I'd advise against throwing a load of different colors on a canvas and calling it a Jackson Pollock.. Really think through your color palette. Choose a few colors to start with and be creative. Mix colors instead of using them straight from the tube (you should never do this anyway in my opinion) I recommend using just the primarys (red, yellow, and blue) and you can create endless colors from there.

Texture:

Texture can really make an abstract painting stand out. There are various ways to create texture in your painting and the simplest being to apply the paint thickly. You can also use various mediums to achieve different looks but the important thing is to keep your texture consistent. Don’t go overboard and try to do a load of different things in one painting because it just won’t work. I recommend that you try out a bunch of different techniques before hand and learn what works for you.

8 Ways To Get Started With Abstract Painting

Flip that Canvas: Start off by painting something, anything that's close by. Then turn the canvas around and continue painting but of something else near by. Keep flipping the canvas as you paint until you reach a point where you're satisfied with your painting.a

Intricate Background: This is one method I constantly use. Try let some paint drip down the canvas, fuck some glue on top of that. Incorporate different textures and mediums. Use your imagination and go wild to create a unique and captivating background.

Fuck the rules: We’ve all heard of artists completely letting go of control over the brush when they create abstract pieces. Let the brush do the work for you or even better, dont use a brush! Use your bare hands, an old sponge or a 16/32-bit Motorola 68000 CPU

Play some chooons: Throw on some banging choons as you paint. Let the music control the colors that you mix, the brush strokes you put down, and the flow of the painting. This will give your painting some peronality!

Collage: Collect unique articles or paper to use in your piece. This will also add a unique texture to your artwork, even old phone books will work. Cut out various shapes and use them in your work. 

Photography as a reference: An easy way to create reference photos for your abstract painting is to take pictures of interesting objects and crop them in a unique way. Make it fun and include objects with different colors, textures, and shapes.

Create semi-abstract paintings: Maybe total abstract pieces aren’t your thing and that’s cool. An alternative option for you is a semi-abstract piece, this would be a recognizable object painted in a unique and abstract way.

Mess around with mediums: Abstract art doesn’t have to be a painting, it can be whatever you concieve it to be! You could also use pastels or charcoal. Get creative and try out different mediums in your abstract piece.

If abstract art is totally foreign to you, you may become frustrated if your painting doesn’t come out the way you wanted it to. Here’s my advice for that: PAINT OVER IT! 

Phresh canvas! Do it again. Or try something different. It doesn’t have to (and probably won’t) be perfect the first time around. Take a breather, smoke a doober and pick up your paintbrush again to continue on. You will get it. 

Tell me, what’s your best abstract painting tip? Leave a COMMENT below!