A Guide to Spirit Art, Part 2

Interpretative portrait of guide. My own art.

Finny again.

This is the follow-up to part 1 of "A Guide to Spirit Art," so if you're new to spirit art, you might want to consider reading that part first: (Part 1)

I'll first elaborate on actual methods. In part 1, I mentioned two in particular: interpretation and auto-drawing.

1.) Auto-drawing. This is a common method for most spirit artists - especially those who don't care for detailed, polished work. When you auto-draw, you are pretty much depending on what your art guide is telling your hand (and intuition) to do. Most of the time, you probably won't have an image in mind beforehand. There will be an emphasis more on "where the pencil (or brush, or pastel) goes" rather than what you feel has to be drawn or painted, although the latter will probably still happen. When auto-drawing, it's important to loosen up and not focus too much on what you're drawing. When you've had enough practice, you'll be able to coast in and out of the auto-drawing state without disrupting the image on your paper/canvas. 

2.) Interpretation. This method primarily involves processing information delivered to you from your art guide(s). You'll pick up on colors or symbols you'll need to include, but you won't be drawing "replicas," so to speak. By replicas, I mean a "photograph" of whatever it is you're drawing. For example: the image above is an interpretative portrait of a guide I did for a sitter. She/it didn't come to me in a "traditional guise" (like Native American, old Chinese man, etc.) - she came to me as colors, and then, as I worked, I received various impressions of what she/it was like. I then completed a painting based on what I was feeling from Spike. Does that make sense? I wouldn't be surprised if it doesn't. This is one of those methods that you have to experience yourself - and even if you did, it wouldn't be the same, because spirit/psychic art is very personal.

That's why I won't write essays trying to explain these methods. They're really just there to give you an idea where to start, if you're absolutely unfamiliar. Depending on your natural strengths, you'll lean more toward auto-drawing and its sub-methods, interpretation and its sub-methods, or a mix of both. Don't worry about trying to stick to a method. Explore... have fun.

Ready to start?

1.) Gather your materials. Like I said in part 1, pick something you'll work well with.

2.) Find a place free of distractions, if possible. Take a moment to call upon your guide - whether you're aware of it or not - and tell it your intention (what kind of reading/portrait you'd like to do). 

3.) Watch what information comes to you. Do you already feel inclined to draw something? Can you pick up on certain colors? Lyrics? Words? Symbols? Watch what enters your mind, and even your gut. What does your intuition say? Do you have any strong impressions? Any of this will serve as your starting point. If you get absolutely nothing, just put your pencil to paper and start drawing. 

4.) Don't concern yourself with what you're drawing at first. You may be tempted to try to analyze it while you work, but refrain to the best of your ability and instead focus on what your guide is trying to get you to communicate. Do you feel like anything more has to be drawn? Are you tempted to pick up certain colors (if you're working with them)? Follow all nudges. 

5.) When you finally feel finished (you'll probably feel like there's nothing more to add), sit back and study what you've drawn. Now, you can begin the interpretation/analysis. Is there anything that sticks out to you about the drawing? How do you interpret the colors? if you drew a spirit, who do you think the spirit is? What's its personality like? If you drew a scene, ask yourself what's going on. Don't try to be "logical" about it. Take notice of what you "feel" is being communicated.

6.) There will probably be a large "lack" of information. Don't worry if this is the case, because it's a common problem for spirit artists. You may feel as if the picture came from nowhere, and therefore will have trouble acquiring information from it. This is very natural, because in essence, you're a medium. You are the tool that allows the image to come through; in other words, you're like your pencil. The pencil isn't aware of what it's drawing. It just knows it has to draw, because it's being led to do so. The same thing applies to you. You don't know what you're drawing - all you know is that your guide is telling you exactly what to do. This is why many spirit artists team up with mediums who are capable of communicating directly with spirit. The artist draws the image, while the medium communicates the details. It makes a good duo. In fact, I work with a small group of interpreters from Spiritual Forums (Lulu included) for this very reason. Even after a year of practice, I'm still not able to fully interpret my own work. This may or may not improve after a number of years, but try not to be discouraged. This doesn't mean you're any less right.

Visual reading - my own art.

Other tips:

1.) Practice as much as you can. Experiment with different kinds of readings. If you can, experiment on your friends and family (granted they're open to that kind of thing - mine aren't). Like any skill, the more you practice, the easier it'll get. 

2.) Keep an open mind. It's very easy to doubt yourself when it comes to spirit art. You may come up with an image that you don't think can be right because it may be outlandish. Try not to judge what you get. If it doesn't resonate with you or your sitter, let it go. 

3.) Don't doubt yourself if someone gets different results from you. This is especially true for guide portraits, aura readings, and the like. This stuff is very subjective because no one sees the same thing. I certainly don't see old Native American chiefs or monks  hanging around people.   

4.) If you can, have an in-tune friend serve as your interpreter - that is, if you find you can't figure out much about your work. It's better if this friend is on the same wavelength as you - if he/she can pick up on similar things or shares similar views.

5.) Don't overwork yourself. You may be tempted to bite off more than you can chew when you start doing readings for others, but spirit art is just like any other spiritual skill. Take breaks regularly.

I'll probably update this as I think of more to contribute, but I don't want to overwhelm you. This is long enough as is. 

Good luck, and happy spirit arting! 

Finny x