life’s not a paragraph

it is exactly one month until i am in prague! exciting right? but there is so much stuff to do beforehand, i really need to focus on that stuff first. i can’t get too ahead of myself.

on saturday, however, my professor got most of us together to have a pre-departure painting course so we could practice using oil paints and make sure that we all have the right supplies. it was kind of a long day… almost six hours. but in the end it was really helpful. i figured out all the supplies that i need to get before i go, what i am going to be shipping to prague with everyone, and then what i am going to have to bring on my own. i also got to dabble in some oil painting.

my professor set up a still-life and then did a little demonstration. i felt pretty confident when i picked up the brush for the first time, but then it’s so different when you go to actually paint. only people who have painted will truly understand this, but every type of paint is different. it feels different. it coats the canvas/paper differently. and depending on how much and what water/thinner/medium/oil you add, the paint changes and you have to adjust.

so i really had no idea what i was doing. haha it was more of experimenting, kind of like a science lab. i experimented with my brushes, with how much thinner/linseed oil, and all the ways i can layer the paint on the canvas. i think i now have a better idea of how it all works, but the first few days in prague are definitely going to be a bit frustrating. i guess it’s a bit easier to fix mistakes with oils though. acrylics dry so fast you just have to paint over it. with oils, i can get a rag and just wipe it off. haha i have a feeling i am going to like that a lot. haha