I recently re-read the book Daily Painting by Carol Marine and it really inspired me. 

I am the kind of person who can spend endless time on a painting trying to make it perfect.  But after a time, it really takes the joy out of painting and isn’t helpful.

So I sat down and did three paintings in one day. The first two took a half hour each and the last one took an hour.  I used cheap canvas panels I bought a while back.  If I didn’t have those, I probably would have used painting paper or watercolor paper.

While these paintings aren’t great, I did learn something from each.  It’s very different from spending a long time on a piece.  I learned how to work quickly. That time pressure really helps! Otherwise, I just don’t work the same. I focused less on the details and more on the big shapes and the general colors. Less on how do I get this exactly accurate and more on how do I get this as close to accurate in the time frame?

I could immediately see what a benefit limiting time spent on a painting is! But I had to sit down and actually do it. Actually look at the time I started and time myself, which is difficult for me because I tend to paint here and there, and take breaks, and not pay attention to how long it takes me to finish a painting.

So if you’re looking to start painting, or feel blocked and want to keep painting, this is definitely a great thing to try and it’s so low pressure, you won’t regret it!