Each style I painted teaches me something different that I then take into other styles. For example, I learn about holding my brush very flat and scrapping the surface to paint clouds in landscapes. I take that techniques into my roses to give them different looks. Today, I use my hand and brush in so many ways. The brush is just a tool for applying paint. I began using it only for strokes and my paintings were stiff and mechanical. Holding the brush in different ways, using your fingers, pushing the brush just as much as pulling the brush gives your painting more energy and life. I love it.
When I first introduced these technique to my classes 6 years ago, so many had trouble with it. It really showed the habits we have as artists. Many times I will walk around the class and see everyone holding the brush in the same position throughout the painting. Everyone will use a different size brush, but then apply the paint with the same strokes. Painting beautiful objects is all about the movement of the color. Waves, leaves, petals and clouds. Movement. Using the same strokes to capture that movement makes all of the objects have the same look and thus less interest to your painting. Of course everything will look the same because you painted it the same. Add life and energy to your paintings by not only varying the colors, but vary how you apply those colors. Look at each object independent of the others and vary how you apply the color passages to render the shapes. That is the key to making beautiful paintings.
