Advice to new art graduates: 10 things I wish I knew after I finished my art atelier training
I graduated from the Florence Academy of Art’s 3 year program in 2017. Here is my advice to new art graduates based on my own experiences:
Your painting and drawing skills are at their highest level. Don’t let them decline!
Keep your skills up by enrolling in life drawing or portrait sessions as soon as you can. If you can’t find long pose sessions, organise them yourself. Do still lifes…complex ones, including outdoor still lifes.Take up plein air painting
It will vastly improve your knowledge of color and might even become ( as it did for me) your main practice. Plus, it is free.Keep in touch with your art community from school and find or build a community where you live.
This is really crucial for continuing to learn and staying inspired.
Do NOT work full time for at least the first year after school.
Your skills are in their best shape right after school so use them to develop a body of work and explore new ideas and more complex paintings. If a year is too much, give yourself at least 6 months to just paint. If this is impossible, then do something that won’t drain your energy and allow you to paint daily for an hour or two….and all day on weekends.
The process you learned at school might not be do-able outside school so be open to other approches.
At school we had 3 or 4 week figure poses, and two week portrait poses, with professional models. You will not find this outside the atelier system. So, learn the constructive drawing method ( proko.com is a great source) and work partially from photos if you need to. The Russian approach to constructive drawing is also very useful.
Create a structure.
Many people struggle with creating a structure and daily work routine once they finish school. I highly recommend reading Steven Pressfield’s War of Art to understand how to overcome your own resistance to working. Enroll in an online course with deadlines, or work with a mentor or artist group that keeps you accountable.
Teach!
This helps a lot with building community and also keeps your skills in shape. You will learn a lot too when you have to explain what you are doing to others.
Build your art reputation by entering art competitions and organizing shows.
Do master copies to continue learning
It is almost impossible to find courses that are advanced enough for someone who has completed an atelier training. The best way to continue learning is to do master copies.
Don’t stop. It may take years before you earn enough to make a living from your art.
What advice would you give a new art atelier graduate?