Painting is a form of expression which involves the use of paint brushes to create an image on a canvass. An artist has the option of choosing which paints to use; the most popular though are watercolors and oil paints.
It is impossible for an artist to produce a masterpiece without feeling passionate about his work. It is important that the painter is able to clearly visualize what he wishes to express through his painting, and then be able to bring forth his imaginations with accuracy and vivacity. The ability to express oneself in such a way does not involve skill, but talent. One may argue that art can be learned through practice. However, the truth is that individuals, who do not possess an innate talent of drawing and painting, cannot become exceptional artists no matter how hard they try to learn this medium of expression.
The primary talent of a born artist is the ability to imagine. If one evaluates a number of young children on their imagination skills, it will be quite obvious that while some of them have very vivid and creative imaginations, others lack the originality and the panache that a naturally creative individual has. If one were to reevaluate the children after training the less creative kids to be more imaginative; even after a complete and rigorous training the results will prove that training cannot enable less imaginative kids to compete with those who are gifted.
Being able to visualize creative scenarios is just half the job of an artist. The crucial task is to be able to express what one sees with their mind’s eye on paper. This requires the ability to make the right strokes and use the right colors to create a visually appealing painting. Mixing colors with precision so as to get the right shades is also part of an artist’s skill set. Additionally, an artist needs to be able to keep in mind the aspect of perspective. Perspective is the skill of being able to give the right impression of a three-dimensional object on a two-dimensional surface, such that the height, width, depth, and position are proportionate in relation to each other. These are some of the basic skills of a talented artist, which one may attempt to learn, but will never master unless he has a natural flair and aptitude for painting.
It may seem rather unfair to say that all artists are born, not made. It is not that a person cannot become an artist if he doesn’t have a natural tendency towards art and painting; but the fact is that one cannot produce masterpieces and become a famous painter just by enrolling themselves at an art school. There has to be significant innate talent in order to make a name from painting.