Keep a Painting Journal

What does writing have to do with painting? For a dedicated painter—especially one just starting out—writing serves to anchor the experience. It allows you to examine your time spent painting outdoors and extract the most value from it.

After spending hours navigating the elements, physical fatigue, and the demands of oil paint to complete a piece on location, you finally reach a moment of repose. You are done, perhaps sitting with a cup of coffee, simply staring at your work and enjoying the satisfaction of the effort.

It is easy at this point to return to the distractions of daily life, allowing the lessons you learned to fade. However, a more effective practice is to sit down later that same day to record the specifics: the location, the subject, the canvas size, and any notable events from the session. A brief critique of the work and a resolution for your next session are equally valuable.

Choosing a Painting Journal

For that purpose, choose the kind of journal notebook that appeals to you. Perhaps a simple spiral-bound will do, or you may want to use a blank ledger/journal notebook like the one show here. They come with a ribbon for marking your place. They have hard covers and lined paper.  Make it a habit to write in your painting journal after every painting and keep up this habit as long as you like, but at least for a couple of years. It isn’t recommended to “write”, just make notes. Don’t worry about making it a piece of literature. In fact, just assume that no one but you will ever read it.