I read two articles this morning on being an artists and it struck me that both articles made the same basic point – the number one thing for anyone wanting to make art is to learn the basics of art making—composition, line, and so forth—and be well-versed all things related to the craft. Then you begin to develop your own style.

Matisse, a master of expressionism, believed and taught that artists should begin with learning the basics, he insisted that his students first learn to draw realistically. He later compared this artistic learning period to that of an acrobat, who executes his performance with ease and an facility. He said, “Let’s not lose sight of the long preparatory work which permitted him to attain this result, It is the same with painting.” His number-one rule was “Master the basics, then be expressive.”

Numerous text have been written on the principles and elements of art and design. Most focus on color, form, line, shape, space, and texture as the six elements. The principles of art are generally considered to be scale, proportion, unity, variety, rhythm, mass, shape, space, balance, volume, perspective, and depth. I personally would add composition to the list.

I'm an old man, 78, and I have been involved with art most of my life. A big part of my involvement was (and still is) in learning and practice. I took courses, read books, watched videos, and made every effort to know as much as possible about what I was doing. I eventually got a degree in art. Most of the artists that I admired and still admire were well trained and knowledgeable regarding their art and art in general. None of these artists... absolutely no one … just picked up a pencil one day and decided without any preparation that they would call themselves artists.