How to Choose Your Niche in Art
Find a place to do your chosen art specialty., Choose your niche in a medium., Choose to build-art or make art-prints., Learn/Create your own technique., Find your niche by getting inspired in art.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Find a place to do your chosen art specialty.
Make sure it's away from anything that could get damaged by your materials.
A backyard or an empty basement are good places to consider. -
Step 2: Choose your niche in a medium.
Pick the method and materials that you work well with or want to master or express.
Artists use many kinds of materials to create totally different kinds of artwork.
Some are:
Paint.
Acrylic and oil-based are all good options.
Pencils.
Artists pencils are sold in sets and individually, and come in many different thicknesses for darker or lighter lines.
Clay.
Crayons brand children's clay comes in many textures and colors, and air dries.
You may want to begin with that, if you are new to sculpting.
But professional clay comes in more hues and bakes hard in the oven.
Yarn, string and thread.
Knitting, crocheting, and embroidery are often considered crafts and not really art, but they teach many useful skills and are just as "real" as painting and sculpting.
Ink.
Black ink line drawing requires dots, hashes or washes (watered down ink applied with a brush) for shading and tones.
Watercolor.
This medium is a special cross between painting and drawing, using color washes.
Chalk.
Pastels are something like watercolor (but dry).
Charcoal is a variation of drawing with chalk.
Commercial art.
Illustrations, in books, cartoons, comics, plus animation, maps, technical drawing (and writing) etc. are good ideas.
Computer assisted.
Digital art.
Use art programs. , Some people may consider some of these as crafts, or "artsy stuff"
but that would be a matter of opinion:
Sheet metal.
You can hammer copper relief similar to landscapes or steel to form shapes or bend and/or cut shapes and attach metal parts together for framed wall display or as mobiles (with moving parts).
Found objects.
Buttons and bottle caps (odds and ends/pieces off machines, etc.) are great to use in several kinds of modern art.
Weld or braze metal rods, tubes and cut and shape pieces of sheet copper or brass to make art such as butterflies, trees, and town scenes, and such.
Wooden.
Carve and cut sculpture in wood.
Silk screen.
Create limited prints to sale (even art-Tee shirts as for musical bands).
Lithographs or art-prints.
Draw and paint on smooth marble sheet; then dampen the area with a special solution and apply ink with a roller.
The moist stone repels greasy ink.
Paper is rolled with a drum to transfer the inked image, etc.
Linoleum art-prints.
Cut and peal away non-image.
Ink is applied, and print onto paper by roller pressure. , Not everyone is a great painter naturally.
You may need to learn how to correctly mix paint colors or how to draw the human body proportionally.
Look around at community colleges and craft stores for public lessons in whatever skill you want to improve. , Ideas for great works of art come in many forms.
Magazines, old movies, buildings, and landscapes are all great places to look for examples.
But your own thoughts are also creative.
Draw from your own feelings, experiences, and dreams. -
Step 3: Choose to build-art or make art-prints.
-
Step 4: Learn/Create your own technique.
-
Step 5: Find your niche by getting inspired in art.
Detailed Guide
Make sure it's away from anything that could get damaged by your materials.
A backyard or an empty basement are good places to consider.
Pick the method and materials that you work well with or want to master or express.
Artists use many kinds of materials to create totally different kinds of artwork.
Some are:
Paint.
Acrylic and oil-based are all good options.
Pencils.
Artists pencils are sold in sets and individually, and come in many different thicknesses for darker or lighter lines.
Clay.
Crayons brand children's clay comes in many textures and colors, and air dries.
You may want to begin with that, if you are new to sculpting.
But professional clay comes in more hues and bakes hard in the oven.
Yarn, string and thread.
Knitting, crocheting, and embroidery are often considered crafts and not really art, but they teach many useful skills and are just as "real" as painting and sculpting.
Ink.
Black ink line drawing requires dots, hashes or washes (watered down ink applied with a brush) for shading and tones.
Watercolor.
This medium is a special cross between painting and drawing, using color washes.
Chalk.
Pastels are something like watercolor (but dry).
Charcoal is a variation of drawing with chalk.
Commercial art.
Illustrations, in books, cartoons, comics, plus animation, maps, technical drawing (and writing) etc. are good ideas.
Computer assisted.
Digital art.
Use art programs. , Some people may consider some of these as crafts, or "artsy stuff"
but that would be a matter of opinion:
Sheet metal.
You can hammer copper relief similar to landscapes or steel to form shapes or bend and/or cut shapes and attach metal parts together for framed wall display or as mobiles (with moving parts).
Found objects.
Buttons and bottle caps (odds and ends/pieces off machines, etc.) are great to use in several kinds of modern art.
Weld or braze metal rods, tubes and cut and shape pieces of sheet copper or brass to make art such as butterflies, trees, and town scenes, and such.
Wooden.
Carve and cut sculpture in wood.
Silk screen.
Create limited prints to sale (even art-Tee shirts as for musical bands).
Lithographs or art-prints.
Draw and paint on smooth marble sheet; then dampen the area with a special solution and apply ink with a roller.
The moist stone repels greasy ink.
Paper is rolled with a drum to transfer the inked image, etc.
Linoleum art-prints.
Cut and peal away non-image.
Ink is applied, and print onto paper by roller pressure. , Not everyone is a great painter naturally.
You may need to learn how to correctly mix paint colors or how to draw the human body proportionally.
Look around at community colleges and craft stores for public lessons in whatever skill you want to improve. , Ideas for great works of art come in many forms.
Magazines, old movies, buildings, and landscapes are all great places to look for examples.
But your own thoughts are also creative.
Draw from your own feelings, experiences, and dreams.
About the Author
Paul Gonzalez
Committed to making practical skills accessible and understandable for everyone.
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