THE OTHER DAY I WENT OVER TO MY MUM’S HOUSE, we have tried to get together for a painting day together for years now and have never got around to it. 

Well, finally it happened. 

One thing that stuck me was the differences and similarities of styles and application method, and I thought it would be fun to paint the same painting, same size canvas using the same materials. Coming from different artistic backgrounds, she is more of a traditional artist and I have ventured down the digital route and although I paint; I default to a digital canvas as a security blanket. 

Looking back, I realised I was at a disadvantage, as the picture I choose was one of her own paintings. Why this didn’t click, I don’t know. Plus, she not only was so used to painting this canvas as it is one of her popular paintings and had painted it so many times before.

I wonder if next time she will try one of my paintings using the iPad.

I don’t think I will ask that of her. For purely selfish reasons, I got to be the student and enjoyed the process a lot. And watching another artist work is so helpful. If you ‘re open to learning, you can see how to improve your process.

I am more of a fine artist, finding comfort in the details, the shadows and the highlights But mum taught me, that they can also achieve those details by a different application, to be free and let the paint do the talking. Stepping back, you see the paint strokes recreate those lines you spent 30 minutes applying.
After about 40 minutes, mum had finished and started a different painting, no pressure or anything, but I felt cheated. I wanted to labor over this £55 painting, which of course makes no sense. 

Like a wonderful book, you paint for a sense of escape, and when it comes to the final chapters, you slow the reading so as not to lose those good feeling. There here is always one more line to crisp up, or an addition of shadow you might have forgotten.

I loved painting these beach huts on a canvas using acrylic paint. No iPad, no procreate.

So our results. I went back and add a few more elements to my painting, as I felt it was lacking. Check out the one before the bike addition and see for yourself. 

Now I guess the next part of the challenge is who will sell theirs first.