How to continue painting in a dorm room. These are the tried and true rules to painting while living at college.
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Going to college and moving into a dorm room is very exciting. If you’re anything like me, you are planning what to pack. When moving into a small, shared dorm room, you must decide what is essential to pack and what is not. Don’t let your creative side be left at home! These rules are what I followed while painting in a dorm room and they were terrific.
You will learn what to pack, how to make time to be creative during busy schedules, the best locations to paint, and more.
After learning these rules you will be an expert at painting in a dorm room.
How to Paint in a Dorm Room with 9 Easy Steps
1. Find a medium that dries quickly
While oil painting is fun, it can take days to dry. When in a dorm room there isn’t space to allow the painting to dry. Plus, it can be a pungent smell that you and your roommate won’t want to sleep or study with. So, pick a low-hassle medium.
I use watercolor and acrylic, but charcoal, ink, or colored pencil would also work. These don’t require a lot of space or drying time.
The link above is the watercolor paints I use. I love having so many colors, but you can also mix colors to create new ones.
Acrylic paints do dry quickly, but they can also smell. If you want to use acrylic, try it first in a well-ventilated area, or make sure to have a fan going or crack a window.
Are you new to watercolor and looking for ideas on what to paint? You’ll want to check out this post:
2. Have one crate where you keep all your art supplies
If you require more than a notebook and a pen, you will need something compact and easy to store your art supplies in. This convenient and affordable crate is perfect for just that.
It’s large enough to hold multiple supplies yet compact enough to fit underneath your bed or in your closet. It was also convenient when I moved 8 times in 4 years (10/10 would not recommend haha).
3. Have a spot to go to paint
This can be at the library, in an empty classroom, or in the common area. Whenever you need a break from everything, go to that spot and paint.
For me, I would set up my hammock and paint. This can be a bit tricky because there isn’t a good place to set your supplies. If you’re doing watercolor try out this cute sketchbook, 1-3 paint brushes, a water bottle for water, and travel-sized paints from rule #1. It works out great for when the setup is not ideal but you still want to paint.
4. Get a group together to paint
Painting alone can be a great way to de-stress but doing it with others can be an easy way to make new friends. Hold a “Bob Ross” paint night and invite others from your dorm or classes to come. Often there’s a common area that you have access to for free but may need to reserve it for activities.
5. Download an app where you can create artwork digitally
I used pastels in Procreate to paint this.
If you have an iPad I recommend Procreate. This app gives you access to multiple different mediums and allows you to save your favorite customizations.
The nice thing about creating art on your electronics is that you don’t need to pack art supplies. You can paint whenever and wherever you want. Instead of mindlessly scrolling through social media to fill the time between classes you can create something beautiful while having fun.
Do you want to know more about Procreate? Check out this How to Use Procreate:
6. Find ways to incorporate art into your schoolwork
I used Notability to create these notes.
While taking notes doodle something that relates to the lecture you are listening to. Color coordinate your notes so that they appeal to the creative side of your brain. When you make study guides draw a picture that relates to the answer. It’ll make it easier to recall the answer if you have a picture in your mind that you created.
I started using Notability when I started nursing school and it was life-changing. I wish I had had it the first two years of college and even before then. The app makes it easy to make creative notes.
7. Schedule time to paint
Being in college is busy! With lectures, homework, studying, hanging out with friends, socializing, dating, working, exercising, and sleeping there is a lot to juggle. Prioritizing life is one of the hardest things to learn.
If you want to paint, you are going to need to make time to paint. Depending on how busy your life is at the current moment depends on how often and how long your painting session will be. I like to use a planner to keep track of everything I need and want to do. I have used the calendar on my phone, but I have noticed that switching to an actual planner has made me more productive. Probably because I can see easily what I have going on in the week and I get the satisfaction of crossing off things I’ve done.
Try to paint at least once a week. I found that Sundays were my chillest days, look at your average week and see where you can fit in time for yourself to paint.
8. Paint your own wall art
Use your talent and skills to create your own wall art. If you do watercolor buy a frame and paint multiple pictures that size so you can store them in the frame while you don’t use them.
When someone asks you where you got your cute decorations, proudly tell them that you made them! Offer to create one for them for a small fee.
9. Take an art class
The progress I have made while in my art class
If you are studying anything other than art in college but enjoy painting, enroll in an art class for fun. Not only will this ensure that you paint, but you’ll also learn techniques to improve your artwork. It doesn’t have to be through your university. I am taking a class from a small business run by a woman with a degree in educating artists. It has been an amazing experience. Before signing up for another class through college hop on Google and look around for classes.
This post was about rules to follow to continue painting while in a dorm room.
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