Changing the Way You Paint

How do you change the way you paint, loosen up your style and get more paintings done? This is the question Mary K. has posed in the Painting Forum:

"I’m eager to try and adjust my techniques to allow for more flexibility so that I can accomplish more work in less time. I’ve gotten myself into a groove of outlining everything so precisely; this approach is terribly time-consuming. Any tips on how I can loosen up a little? My rigidity is a nuisance ... I have tons of great ideas but my timeframe for production seems unreasonable given how simple my pieces appear. How do you practice changing one’s style?

Dave Armstrong (aka Squatdwarf) has offered some great advice, saying "I do think in adult artists there can be this idea in the back of your mind that you should really get this painting 'right' by which the little voice means accurate probably as close to a photograph as possible, so you may need to challenge your ideas about what is 'right' in art, you need to believe it is okay to be looser, messier, freer etc.

...I think it is difficult to draw or paint loose if you are siting close to your work, I think that posture tells your brain that you are doing something careful. I find standing with the canvas or paper at arms length and working with the whole arm rather than from the fingers and wrist helps to work more broadly and freer ...

I think I have learned to loosen up in part through working quickly so as to demonstrate a paining to a class in the shortest possible time so as to leave them plenty of time to get on with their work, you will be surprise with what you can achieve in one hour, half an hour and even in five minutes.

Lastly using a bigger brush or a different shaped brush can help change your painting habits, I know some people reach too early for a tiny little brush and this won't make for loose work. Read what advice other painters have given and join the discussion here...