(Un)creative diary 01-Learning to Paint from Scratch

Chap 1. Childhood

My earliest memory of painting was when I was 8. I started drawing one or two portraits from the books I was reading, but I never had the chance to learn properly. In high school, I once used paintings and illustrated storyboards to express emotions—simple sketches, cartoons, and sentences. It was more fun than serious learning.

A few months ago, I suddenly wanted to learn to paint again. I bought oil paints and paper, but the materials weren’t quite right. The tutorial I followed was rigid and left no room for creativity. However, I do remember painting two pieces of watermelon one day. That evening, I went out to buy a real one and showed the shopkeeper my painting. She praised it, and that felt like my first real feedback.

Chap 2. Inspiration from a movie

One day I happened to watch an old movie The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. There was a quote: “To see the world, things dangerous to come to, to see behind walls, draw closer, to find each other, and to feel. That is the purpose of life.” The film’s purity—its themes, scenery, and storytelling—moved me. At some point, I stopped dreaming. It made me want to start again, taking the most straightforward approach.

This time I chose Procreate instead of traditional painting because finding the right physical tools was exhausting. Digital painting is more convenient, offers more freedom, and allows for experimentation.

Chap 3. Daily Self-Evaluation

I have completed 10 days. The 10 photos are displayed in the array below, arranged from left to right and top to bottom.

• Day 1 – Simple imitation of an Apple Watch. It lacked detail and was finished quickly.
• Day 2 – Frustration by the beach. I painted a beach scene, but there were many sofas in the scene, and I struggled to make them look realistic. The palm tree was also difficult. I felt frustrated after finishing it.
• Day 3 – Small progress. I spent hours painting. The hardest part was choosing colors. I realized I’m not very sensitive to colors, and green is especially tricky. But for the first time, I didn’t feel completely stupid. Looking back, there was so much to improve—for example, the cool breeze that day could have been reflected in the painting.
• Day 4 – A coffee mug and shadow. I sketched my coffee mug as a reminder to cut back on caffeine. This was my first attempt at understanding shadows—how to create a 3D effect and the relationship between light and shadow.
• Day 5 – A failed sunset. I saw a stunning sunset and tried to capture it, but the colors were a mess. I didn’t include any sunset reflection in the sea, and the sunlight itself looked wrong. There was no real sunset feeling at all.
• Day 6 – A disaster but a turning point. I tried to imitate a photo I took in front of In-n-out, but it was a complete mess. However, I started paying serious attention to shadows. This painting was the worst so far, and I got frustrated revising it over and over again. Soon I realized the most important thing is not giving up.
  • I started reading the book Color and Light: A Guide for the Realist Painter by James Gurney, which was incredibly inspiring. His blog, where he posts frequently, showed the power of consistency and passion.
  • I searched for tutorials on shadows and color selection. I discovered Gaussian Blur in Procreate, which softens edges and makes paintings feel more realistic—similar to how our eyes perceive the world.
  • From here, I started questioning: How do we perceive colors and objects? How can I use observation and intuition more? Since I also do photography, I noticed a fundamental difference between the two, photography is about removing distractions—focusing on a subject, and simplifying a scene. Painting is about adding—starting with a sketch and building up details. Doing both makes me see things differently.
  • I also began paying attention to shadows in real life—on the street, on objects, everywhere. Once I noticed them, I couldn’t unsee them. It became an obsession. This also made me realize that we don’t always need additional chemical substances to enhance our sensations—just living in the moment and paying more attention can be enough.
• Day 7 – First sense of accomplishment. I painted at a cafe. The fork in my drawing looked weird, but I liked it! The plate was frustrating because I still struggled with light sources and objects, but I could see improvement.
• Day 8 – My favorite so far. I painted a surveillance camera, not because I love surveillance but because I liked the colors I chose. Still, I need to improve how elements connect.
• Day 9 – Learning color through fries. Think about the color of the fries, what do you see in your mind? I realized there’s much more to color than I had thought.
• Day 10 – Inspired by Interstellar. I watched the IMAX reissue, and it still hit me emotionally—especially its themes on time. Does love transcend time and space? I don’t have a strong opinion, but at least I shouldn’t avoid the question.

Chap 4. Other Struggles

I experimented with MidJourney a few months ago. Hours of work can be replaced by a few well-written prompts. AI tools even provide pre-made prompts for better results. People nowadays won’t need to code but will need to communicate effectively and efficiently with computers to make them code. I don’t want to be overly sentimental about this, but today’s technology advancements—and the anxieties that come with them—stem from the pursuit of efficiency.

Next, what Makes a Painting “Good”? Intuition feels like a blend of subconscious experiences. I watched tutorials on creating perfect shadows using Procreate’s tools, but realistically, we don’t perceive shadows in a mathematical way. Through evolution, we intuitively understand light and shadow without needing calculations. That’s what makes painting interesting—imperfection can be beautiful.

Also, Craft and improvement matter. For me, if something is too hard, it’s easy to give up. If something is too easy, there’s no motivation. The balance is key. There’s always more to learn and explore. Painting has made me observe the world differently—light, shadow, and colors have taken on new meanings. It’s an ongoing process, and I’m excited to keep going.