Hello everyone!

May 28, 2015

It's Cheryl here from Your Decorative Painting Resource, just dropping by to say Hello.

My Hubby makes me chuckle. Seems that whenever he is looking for something, he can never find it… tools especially. One day he is looking for a hammer and all he can find is a screwdriver. The next day he is looking for a screwdriver and all he finds is… you guessed it… a hammer. I tell him (with love of course) he's looking with his "Man Eyes".

But then, he will tell me that I'm no better. And, you know, he may be right. You won't believe what I found a few weeks ago. I couldn't believe my eyes! I found, hidden in my studio, a number of designs I had started and not finished. Seriously! Can you believe it?

So I set out to complete my rediscovered treasures. I am putting the finishing touches on them now, and when I am done I have a surprise for you. But there'll be more on that later… so keep an eye out for email from me over the next few days.

Right now I have to get on with this newsletter and provide you some info that I know you will love. It's about the discipline of practice.

The Discipline of Practice

How many of you practice your decorative painting skills regularly? Many decorative painters today have stopped practicing their strokework. And even worse, some new painters have never even learned these fundamental basics.

Strokework is like great penmanship. When you master the Comma and S-Strokes to name just two, you have achieved full brush control. Your hand and your brain can look at a project and "see" ahead of the instructions. You absolutely know how you'll need to hold the brush in order to create that beautiful Pivot Float. You'll know where to press and release the pressure to create a flawless ribbon. It becomes almost intuitive.

I'd like to encourage you to go back to the basics from time to time and practice, practice, practice. I love to practice in a sketchbook. I just apply a coat of gesso to a few pages and I'm good for an hour or more.

Some of you may be surprised to learn that I still practice my painting techniques. After all, I have years of experience under my belt. Well, it's not like riding a bike. You have to keep at it or you will get rusty. And then you will get sloppy... and then you will avoid certain techniques because they're uncomfortable or not so easy. That's not how you grow your skills, is it?

If you're having a hard time with a technique, the solution is to learn more about it and keep trying. That's how you grow. You have to push through and give it all you've got.

Reminds me of a story. Many years ago I had absolutely convinced myself I couldn't do an S-Stroke. Nope! I just could not. Period. Refused to even try anymore. Pouting lip and all. Then I was invited to teach Beginner Classes at a local decorative painting studio. I was nervous and excited and then I froze... The S-Stroke is one of the basic strokes I'd be teaching my new students. No way around it.

So without saying a word to the shop owner, I went home and studied and practiced. I read instructions from various teachers. With each explanation a little more light entered my brain and I finally got it. Now I can do S-Strokes backward, forward, sideways and upside down AND I can even demonstrate it to left-handed students!

Was it easy? Ahhh, NO! Was it fun? Ummm, not at first. Was it worth it? YES! It was one of the best lessons I ever learned because now when something is tough or makes me uncomfortable, I know that stepping through the discomfort makes me stronger and better. That goes for life as well as with my art.

Practice your skills and learn new ones. Be bold. Be brave. Have fun. In case you haven't done so already, here's a link to help you practice some basics. You'll find other links on that page where you can learn even more.

Try your hand at new techniques. Experiment with new products. I'm not saying you have to buy every new product on the market, but if something grabs your interest, go for it. I know you've got this!

Coming Next Week

I've just begun writing an article on lighting which I think you'll find very useful. I'll share it in next week's newsletter.

Oh, and between now and next week, don't forget to check your In-box for email about my rediscovered designs. It'll be worth your while.

And the E-Mail Upgrades Continue...

We are still in the process of moving you from our old email service to a new, improved service. To do that we asked you to add your Name and Email Address to my new list. For those of you who did, Thank You very much! As a result you may find yourself receiving 2 copies of The Creative Chronicles.

You may also receive email saying that you have been unsubscribed. Please don't worry. It only means that you have been removed from my old list. You will still be on the new list and will still receive The Creative Chronicles. We will get it all sorted out in time.

For Those Of You Who Have NOT Taken Action

THIS IS IMPORTANT. If you want to continue receiving The Creative Chronicles, you have to take action. You have to add your Name and Email Address to the new list. You can do that here.

If you have not added yourself to the new list and you still want to receive The Creative Chronicles, don't wait another minute. Now is the time to do it.

If you don't take action you will stop receiving The Creative Chronicles in just a week or two. Then you will miss all of the fun.

I would really hate to say "Goodbye" so add yourself to the new list now. Life will be so lonely without you.

That's it until next week.

Talk soon,

Cheryl (Honey, here's your hammer) Poulin

Owner/Developer

Your Decorative Painting Resource

Earmark Purrductions Creative Studios

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