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| Interpretative portrait of guides. Art by Finny. |
When I first started out with spirit/psychic art, I was disappointed with the general lack of information about it. I wasn't exactly sure how to begin or even approach it. There was one friendly woman on Spiritual Forums who gave me a few general tips, but I pretty much figured it out for myself.
The second part will actually feature the tips and techniques, so if you know the basics and are just looking for the "how-to," skip to part 2.
Now, I'm going to assume you're reading this because you've developed an interest in spirit or psychic art (unless you're that bored or just curious). You may have attempted it already. You may not have.
Regardless of your answer, there's one big tip I have for any spirit/psychic artist starting out: work on your intuition. If you're intuitive by nature, great. Work on it a bit more. Focus on intuitive interpretation. When I started out, Spike had me make my own oracle cards so I could practice readings for others and myself. This helped sharpen my intuition (I'm naturally intuitive though) and prepared me for intuitive work associated with spirit art. If you're not sure where to start, keep an eye out for our article about intuition, or consult Google.
I have to mention that my techniques are a little different than most other spirit artists out there. I'll try to cover those techniques, but I'll primarily be focused on my own. If you've done your research, you probably found that many spirit artists use the same method, which I call auto-drawing. Most others consider auto-drawing the pictorial form of auto-writing, but I use this term to describe those who are led to draw "by the hand" rather than by their mind's eye. Keep in mind that the experience differs from person to person, so not everyone will be led only by the hand/intuition/guide. Some may see the image in their head first, and then be led to draw it. Some may see the image and just paint it to the best of their ability.
For myself, I'm an odd mix. Most of the time, I see the image I'm supposed to be drawing. Also, my methods change depending on the type of art reading I'm doing. So don't feel like you have to stick with one precise method if you plan to develop skill in a number of readings.
Spirit/psychic art is a limitless category. You can pretty much do anything you want with it. Here are a few examples that I'm working on myself:
1.) Spirit guide/angel portraits. These are by far the most common and popular type of spirit art. These also happen to be my favorite (they come naturally).
2.) Aura readings. When most others do aura readings, they just describe the colors and their position in the aura. But it's a lot more beneficial to the sitter when you can draw exactly what you see.
3.) Intuitive portraits. These are a broad category in themselves, but are often based on symbols or colors that best describe your sitter or his/her situation.
4.) Energetic portraits. These are similar to aura readings, but are focused more on the shape and movement of energy around an individual rather than simply colors.
5.) Past life portraits. These are more for advanced artists, but as their name suggests, they focus on bringing a face from one of the sitter's other lives onto paper/canvas.
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| One of my aura readings. |
Now here are a few things to keep in mind when starting:
1.) Medium. Find a medium that you'll feel comfortable with. It could be pencil, colored pencil, watercolor, pastels (these are very common), charcoal, or whatever else you enjoy. I actually do the majority of my work digitally for a few reasons - one being that I'm an art student; therefore, I like to save my supplies for school. Plus, my sitters are all online, so I don't have to worry about mailing out artwork. Work with what you enjoy.
2.) Guides. If you're inclined to try spirit art, chances are you've got a standard spirit guide around you to assist you with the process. The majority of us do. If you haven't discovered any of your guides, consider reading our article about various ways to approach them. You don't have to know your art guide to be able to do spirit art; you'll probably learn about yours while you work. In fact, you may want to consider spending some time getting to know your art guide while doing spirit art - ask it to come forth and draw its portrait. My life guide, Spike, is also my art guide. All my info comes through him.
3.) State of mind. You don't have to be in a trance to be able to do spirit art. If you've ever done other art - even doodled - you understand being in the "zone." Same with writing. What you're aiming for is that state of mind where you're focused completely on what you're doing. You can play music while you work if that helps you.
4.) Method of work. There are two primary methods of approaching spirit art: interpretively, or through auto-drawing. I work interpretively because auto-drawing never worked for me; interpretation-based drawing also allows room for more creativity between you and your art guide. When you auto-draw, you basically surrender yourself to your hand, and allow your art guide to - well - guide it. Some people claim to allow their guide to actually control the hand, but I think this is unnecessary unless that's really the only way you can work. Auto-drawing is focused more on "revealing the picture" rather than seeing it in your mind's eye and trying to replicate it. Interpretation is for those who struggle with auto-drawing. It consists of processing information you receive from your guide and making a visual of it. Sometimes you'll get a general idea of what to draw in your mind's eye, but most of your data will come to you while you work. Expect changes if you work interpretively. I'll cover this in more detail in part 2.
Keep in mind that you will really have to experiment to see what works best for you. The most important things to remember are to HAVE FUN, don't take it too seriously, and to try to avoid comparing yourself to other spirit artists!
Part 2 will cover the actual process.
Finny x
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