I’ve been painting for years, and I still ask myself the same question. How to Be a Good Painter. Maybe that’s the point — the moment you stop asking, you stop growing.
Here’s what I’ve learned along the way.
1. See before you paint
Painting begins with seeing. Not glancing, not assuming — seeing. Look at the light as it moves through the day, at how color shifts with air and distance, at the edges where blue turns into gray. Painters paint what they truly see, not what they think they see.
Take walks with your eyes wide open. Let the world teach you how to look.
2. Paint a lot
There’s no secret formula. You become a better painter by painting — again and again. Each piece, even the bad ones (especially the bad ones), leads somewhere new. The failed paintings are compost; they feed the next bloom.
3. Develop your own visual language
At first, it’s natural to imitate — to learn from those you admire. But at some point, you have to mix what you love with what only you can say.
Ask yourself: What am I really trying to express here? A memory? A mood? A question? That’s where your voice lives.
4. Know your materials
Learn the texture of your paints, the personality of your brushes, the way different surfaces drink color. The more you know your tools, the freer you become. Once technique becomes second nature, intuition can take over.
5. Balance discipline and intuition
Painting is a dance between structure and freedom. Sometimes you plan; sometimes you let go. The painting changes as you paint — let it talk back. A good painter listens.
6. Stay connected to your inner life
Technique matters, but truth matters more.
Bring your emotions, faith, questions, contradictions — all of it — into your work. Paint what’s real to you, not what looks “right.” A painting with soul will always be stronger than a perfect one.
7. Look at art — old and new
Go to museums, visit exhibitions, flip through old art books in flea markets. Let other painters feed you, not to compare, but to expand your vocabulary. We don’t paint in isolation — we paint in conversation.
8. Keep your curiosity alive
A good painter is a curious human being. Curious about color, people, places, history, the sea, the sky, the self. Curiosity keeps your work breathing.
Being a good painter is about mastery, yes, but also about staying alive inside your work — curious, humble, and open to the world. When you approach painting this way, technique, skill, and recognition become natural byproducts. The rest will follow.
