Sometimes it feels that when you are painting you could be feeling that it is too robotic. It seems that your painting really doesn’t have any life and energy. They say a painting is really what the artist feels and thinks. Maybe your painting is pretty robotic because you are too tight about it. Try to loosen up. This article will give you tips on how to loosen up to make your painting livelier as well.

1. Use the right hand by using the wrong hand. I.e., if you’re left-handed use the right hand and vice versa. You will feel awkward and won’t be able to paint precisely because you are not using your dominant hand. When you lack coordination it means that you won’t enter into an automatic mode. The mode that since you know what an apple looks like, you’ll paint it just right instead of adding some certain uniqueness to it.
2. Try painting in a darker place. This will help because you won’t be able to see every detail. If you’re painting still life try to light one side strongly. If you can’t seem to change the lighting squinting your eyes will do. Just avoid doing it for a long period as you might always squint after.
3.  You won’t need to capture everything. Our mind set is usually to paint every little detail. Instead try to leave certain things out and you’ll be amazed at how different the identity of your painting will be.
4. Paint the object as a whole instead of painting or starting with outlines. Remember objects are 3 dimensional and not made of outlines.
5. Load your brush with lots of dripping different colors. As you apply it to the right place, let it run down the surface of your painting. The drips will add fluidity.
6. Experiment with colors; try to make colors more unrealistic. By doing so it will give more emotion and the painting could be more dramatic.
7. To familiarize yourself with the subject try using water first. But only if you are not using oils. The colors will then flow into the wet areas. Don’t be nervous into stopping the colors from spreading or go wrong. You might like the result.
8. Masking fluid will help block out colors that are not supposed to be painted in the following areas. If one object is supposedly to be so detailed, try painting masking fluid to other objects near it first. This will help avoid spills.
9. Using big brushes makes you avoid painting in a detailed manner. You will be encouraged to make big broad strokes. You would want to increase significantly the strokes you make so use a flat brush instead of a round brush.
10. Use a long brush. This might seem like a joke but tape the brush to a broom stick. The long brush handle will also make you exaggerate the movement of your hands.

By practicing these you might be able to create an abstract painting at first. At least you will no longer be the stiff painter you are.