This is controversial advice, of course. I once said that to somebody I knew, to which she replied, “Don’t do that. I did, and look where it got me.” Even so, an openness to new experiences seems, in general, to be a good thing.
I took it as the guiding principle at tonight’s life-drawing class. We had a visiting teacher who had us all working with gouache. This is almost completely unfamiliar to me as a medium, and I must say that in the longer term it would take some getting used to. I tried the technique of “lifting out”, commonplace with watercolour, and it didn’t quite work. Anyway: I’m glad to have had the opportunity to have a go.
The really interesting thing about the evening is that the instructor commented that I typically manage to paint or draw a recognisable likeness of the model, regardless of the medium in which I’m working. That was a nice complement, and it does make me wonder once again whether I ought to make a more serious attempt at portraiture. I’ll have to think about that one.