The Art of Practice

We all know we have to practice, everything from squiggles and dots to full on designs.

My girls (I have two girls who work for me) and I get together once a week to work on stuff but then I practice at least one, if not more, hours a day- but I only recently started that.
This brought up interesting discussions with the girls and my hub and I.

Our supplies aren't cheap. Do you buy a "practice" set of cheaper- lower quality stuff to practice with? One of my girls practices with watercolors but they have such a different consistency that it is a hard transition. And this certainly doesn't help with split/arty cakes and such. Not to mention the wear on the brushes.

How often do you practice?

Since we often are practicing alone, how do you know if you're actually teaching yourself bad habits that you'll later have to break?

I also have a practice head- which is where the bad habit thinking came from. I really am not fond of it but it's better than practicing always on a flat surface, yeah? However, when I want to get something on it, sometimes I'll just flip it. Obviously I can't do that with a kid. lol Bad habit. See?

What are your tips, tricks, time and budget-saving ideas for practicing?

Darn, that's tricky. I was just taught to practice on my own arms and legs. Throughout the week, I haul in my friends and their kids to work on. Its funny cause my friends always want to pay me... I keep telling them that the fact I can use successful designs on display boards is enough. As far as the cost of the paint, I just chalk it up to the cost of good practice. When I am at a big event, all that practice pays off as customers are more than happy to not only pay full pop for the designs, but tip on top of it.

I have complete second mini kit...which serves double duty my( travel/"at home" practice kit). They are the same quality paints as I normally use. I also have a complete set of brushes I use just for me. I will usually try to get in practice most nights after little people are in bed....although as they get older bed times seem to be getting later and later...lolol

Oh I know about those later bedtimes! My little one is 16 and 6'1". He stays up later than me most of the time! lol Older doesn't make him less demanding although now if I bust out my paints it's normally enough to chase him from the room!
I practice while he's at school because after that all bets tend to be off.

Unfortunately, practicing with our own kits is a necessary evil.
I try to only practice small things on my legs and arms and get my daughter or hubby ( sometimes my own face) to do a full practice face on with intentions of taking pictures... so it's not really a waste.
I don't use a practice head, mainly for the same reason you listed above but also because they are never the same height or angle, and they don't squint when you get close to their eyes etc etc the designs never look the same as they do on a practice head. oh and that constant staring freaks me out.
I would buy the cheapest brand to use at home... like snaz, maybe a carry around pallet and use that for practice.
There is no cheap way to practice with split cakes unless you make your own.
Why don't you and your girls practice on each other? Then you can use the pictures of your work, and it's not really a waste is it?

Use the icky colours to practise with. We all have them... ones that we bought but don't like, or use often. That we got free or as prizes/gifts or in a convention goodie bag.

And as for practising with water colours... works for me. I find it quite easy to transfer brush work practise on paper to a face. It is all in how to hold the brush and the pressure you use. Granted a face is MUCH different but any practise surface will help with technique.

Most of my practice is on my girls and I use the finished results as photos for advertising etc.
Occasionally I will practice tear drops and swirls on my legs but never so much that I would notice the cost of it.

Funny, I practice on my own face (that is, when I do practice), which makes me great at painting myself, not as great painting on anyone else!

I just practice with my kit...but not so often anymore...but i use all paints...even the good stuff!

I just consider it part of the cost of doing business. When they pay me a lot per hour, they're not just paying for that hour, they're paying for all the supplies and time I put into practicing, taking photos, etc. Plus, per oz, I find it cheaper to just use my own stuff and I can get an idea of what colors I like together and sometimes get good photos for my board.

I think I'll start using my icky colors to practice dots, lines, swirls, tear drops though! Good idea Shannon.

I don't, I'm terrible... but I want to! I just don't have the space/ time.

If I'm not painting I'm granny-sitting, housework or looking after my toddler. We are living at my in-laws busy farm, currently so aside from our room no space is our own - my dream is to have our own place and a studio or at least a room I can actually get my kit out in!

So I sort of practice on customers (shhh), maybe not the whole hog of a new thing at once but I intro bits at a time to see if it will work. Still, it usually is OK - I had a new butterfly idea I wanted to try and as I never work from photo boards I did several on my 1st day back on my weekly gig at Bewilderwood this weekend, yay:)

Cat x

I use all of my normal paints to practice with... Except black and white, when I started I had a Snaz black and white which I don't use anymore so I use them for practice... But sometimes I forget and wander back towards my DFX black and white.

I guess I'm kind of lucky. At the park they supply all the paint and everything. I work long shifts 4-5 days a week. I practice there on myself and guests. I only use my paints whenever I want to practice a full design or I'm teaching private lessons. Cost of the lesson covers the paint.

I think it is important if you can to put together a practice travel kit, especially if you practice alot like me. I enjoy the practice it is my wind down in the evening. I don't have touch my working kit for any reason which allows my paints to last much longer.

Everything in my working kit is in my practice kit from glitter to gliter gel to gems to bling stickers stencils splits colors neons metallics and so forth. It's all just a scaled down size.

My pocket/ purse kit that I keep in the car for those moments when I have time to kill or for the impromptu "oh do you have your paints with you?" kit even has everything I need in the cutest pouch my daughter colored for me.

I also just bought in the swap shop a second smaller working kit to send my apprentice out with once she is ready to do jobs.

Yes it is an investment but one I think you will see is a benefit. You can take you time and slowly put together the things you want, and the swap shop is a great way to do that.

I will post pics on my FB page and post the link here for you to see.

By no means am I saying go out all at once and incur the extra debt, am just saying it can be acquired over time and it will benefit you by making your working paints last longer