Zen and the Art of Art: Foundations: Learn to paint and draw with the step by step guidance of a kind Zen Art Master

Table of Contents

Zen and Art

Chapter 1 Three Emperors

Chapter 2 Emperors Unite

Chapter 3 Kissing Frogs

Chapter 4 Reality Check

Chapter 5 Weaving Marks

Chapter 6 Brush Magic

Chapter 7 Colour Secrets

Chapter 8 Charting Course

Chapter 9 Palette Ingredients

Chapter 10 Heated Hues

Chapter 11 Dancing Duets

Chapter 12 Mixing Maestro

Journeying On

Gratitude

Resources

Glossary

About the Author

End Notes

© 2019 Jacqueline Hill

The moral right of the author has been asserted. All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced, or transmitted, or used in any manner without written permission of the copyright owner, except where permitted by law.

Cover Image by Jacqueline Hill — original painting © 2019

Interior Images by Jacqueline Hill — © 2019

Cover Design and Interior Design by Art at Heart — © 2019

ISBN: 978-0-6487007-0-8 (paperback)

ISBN: 978-0-6487007-1-5 (ebook)

Published by Art at Heart Press

artatheart.com.au

Zen and the Art of Art

zenartart.com

Zen and the Art of Art

Foundations

Jacqueline Hill

zenartart.com

The Master smiled.

‘The power of your mind is mightier than

the hand that wields your brush,’ he said.

To Phil

With his feet on the ground,

he lets me fly

and catches me when I fall.

He who loves practice without theory

is like the sailor who boards a ship

without a rudder and compass

and never knows where he may cast.

Leonardo da Vinci

Zen and Art

Jojo’s eyes widened. She looked up at the simply carved wooden building rising from the leafy bamboo forest. This must be the art dojo¹, she thought.

Off to the side she saw a clearing under the canopy of tall bamboo foliage. In the clearing, dappled with shadows, were some large stones that looked like comfortable seating. Beyond the forest a huge mountain rose through a fine mist. An ancient monastery clung to the side of the mountain.

This was the place she had heard about. The place she had come such a long way to find.

She took a deep breath. She was glad to leave behind all her appointments, her computers and mobile phone for the time she was here. In this beautiful place in nature, far from the busy cities, she could focus on her art.

She heard a soft creak and turned back to the dojo building. Standing in the open door was a man who looked as old as the mountains. He was wearing soft grey robes.

‘Welcome,’ said The Master.

About this Book

This series of books distils all the teachings I have created, given and refined over the last decade of teaching art to complete beginners.

You have in your hands the Foundations book, which is the core information of every class that I teach. This information works for every medium and every technique, from drawing through to painting and mixed media.

This book is the foundation of the entire Zen and the Art of Art book series². I recommend that you read this book before any of the other Learn to Draw or Learn to Paint books in the series.

Why Zen and Art?

Over the years I have blundered my way through, in the school of hard knocks, trying to learn this fascinating science of drawing and painting.

While I’ve attended some short workshops with artists I admire (some great teachers, some awful), I’ve also had to fight my own inner demons along the way.

I’ve found working on my mindset to be one of the most powerful pathways to success. I’m constantly amazed at how much the practice of art reflects, imitates, is affected by, manifests and represents life and mind.

My teachings have a strong flavour of Zen and mindfulness, and I’m sure that’s why we achieve such success with our students. We do as much work with the mind as with the hand on the pencil or brush.

Hundreds of beginners have attended structured Learn to Draw and Learn to Paint courses in my studio and on my international art retreats. I taught these complete beginner adults using the same method written down in this book for you. This teaching method, refined over the years, ensures each student really understands the whys and the hows of painting and drawing.

It’s an easy set of guidelines that anyone can understand and learn. I’m amazed (and so are they) at the fabulous art they produce. Their success comes from having a methodical pattern to follow and unlocking the blocks in their minds.

The Power of the Mind

I know a woman who was an Olympic target rifle shooter and broke records at both national and international levels. She enhanced her technique by studying Zen and the Art of Archery and Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, along with autogenic meditation. The sport of target rifle shooting is around 10% physical and 90% mindset. This woman is my mother, Yvonne Hill.

For many years I was a member of an Ironman Triathlon training squad. I learned from a very experienced coach how to train for, race and healthily survive competing in these 10 – 14 hour endurance events. Ironman triathletes endure 226km of ocean swimming, cycling and marathon running in a single day (without even a lunch stop). We called it ‘a long day at the office’. After completing two Ironman Triathlon events, I’m sure it’s true that the race is 20% physical and 80% mental.

It is difficult to ignore the power of the human mind.

Art Reflects Life: Your Art Mind

When creating art, sometimes your art can reflect your life.

While teaching beginner classes, I am surprised how much students' personal issues and lives show up while they are painting.

People who are timid and nervous in real life will be timid and nervous when trying to draw or paint.

People who are bold and brave will be more open to taking a risk with a brush in their hand.

People who have low self-esteem will mentally beat themselves up, which really hinders their learning.

People who are determined to succeed in many areas of their life will do every exercise and every homework task; they will overtake many other students, solely because they’ve practised and practised.

We play with mind exercises in class that help students overcome the barriers in their minds. I’ll share many of them with you in these pages.

When something shows up as an issue or a block in the process of creating art, try asking:

How is this like my life?

You may be surprised at what the answer shows you.

Zen Mind in Art

I have found that I need to work with people’s minds in the classroom as much as with their techniques and skills. So my classes focus on the mindset approach and students have had amazing success as a result.

There are two mindsets to be aware of. In the Zen and the Art of Art series I’ll call them Modern Mind and Zen Mind. Your understanding and awareness of these two minds, as they apply to your art learning, is crucial. It will unfold as we cover each lesson in these books.

*

Jojo had all the time in the world to play with her art in the beautiful dojo. Woven mats cushioned her bare feet. Her tunic felt soft and comfortable. The walls of the dojo were unadorned but one opened out to a dark wood balcony that overlooked a clearing in the bamboo forest. She could see across to the monastery on the side of the misty mountain. The Master sat silently, hands tucked in his sleeves. Everything was just as she’d hoped. Well, almost everything.

She tossed her brush down with a sigh.

‘What is it?’ asked The Master.

‘There are so many choices with painting that I get overwhelmed,’ she said. ‘Why can’t painting be a step by step thing like everything else in the world? Why is it such a big secret?’

She looked at her blank paper and frowned. ‘I wish I had a nice, neat plan to use while I’m being all creative. To help when I’m starting. And to help when I get stuck.’

The Master smiled. ‘There is a plan,’ he said.

Jojo looked up at him, eyes wide. ‘Really?’ she asked. ‘I’ve never seen it! What’s in it? What do I do? What’s the secret?’

The Master held up his hand. ‘Practise patience,’ he said. ‘And patiently practice.’

She frowned.

‘With your eyes wide open,’ added The Master.

Jojo looked at her discarded brush. ‘Patience is one thing I don’t have a lot of,’ she mused. ‘But I really want to learn.’ She looked back at him. ‘Will you tell me the whole plan now? Right now? Please? Sensei?’

‘Patience, Little Grasshopper,’ said The Master. ‘You first need to understand your Modern Mind, which wants to know everything and do everything in a rush. Then you’ll need to awaken your Zen Mind, which is patient and timeless.’

The Master

In my journey I would have loved an experienced and highly skilled artist in my studio to answer all my questions. I would have learnt the skills I needed in one-tenth the time, without all the frustration.

In the 1970s there was a TV show called Kung Fu, starring David Carradine. His old Master was called Sensei, and the young student was called Grasshopper.

The Master you will meet in these books is my imaginary Sensei. He’s the person I wish I'd had close by for all those years where I stumbled and fell with my art. In these books you will also meet Jojo, his Little Grasshopper.

You can imagine Jojo is the young version of me (or maybe you): a little green Grasshopper starting out in drawing and painting.

I tried at first to keep the two roles gender-free, but it became too difficult to avoid referring to ‘he’ or ‘she’. Please forgive the genders I have assigned; they could easily have been a female master and male student.

I hope The Master can help you in your journey, through these books.

Play Time — The Doing

In the movie The Karate Kid, Mr Miyagi advises the boy to repeat a ‘wax on, wax off’ exercise hundreds of times.

You will achieve success in your art by getting the miles in the brush (or pencil), just like the Karate Kid.

I have included exercises in this book for you to enjoy. They are called Play Time for a reason. Don’t think of them as tests, or exams. There is no judgment here. They are a chance for you to experience and play. Keep a fun mindset while doing them!

If you are too excited and need to read the book right through first, make sure you allow for a slower, second reading and take the time to enjoy the Play Time sessions. You will be amazed at how much better your understanding becomes.

The Master says, ‘Remember, it is in the doing that the mastery comes.’

Panic Stations

‘When I’m learning all this new stuff I sometimes feel really panicky,’ said Jojo, adjusting the straw basket in her arms. The vegetables inside shifted. ‘Like I’m never going to get it. Sometimes I just want to run away.’ Jojo dropped her eyes to the