Portrait Artists of the Year Australia and the Myth of Making Art the Hard Way

<p>KerriDixon talks about what she learned from watching <em>Portrait Artists of the Year Australia</em> and why it challenged her assumptions about how “proper” portrait art is made. The episode is a reminder that tools like photos, grids, iPads, tracing, and mixed media are not shortcuts to avoid real art, but practical parts of the creative process.In this episode, Kerry connects portraiture practices to wildlife art, showing how the same principles apply when your subject moves, changes light, or won’t cooperate. She also shares a simple challenge to try one reference three different ways and see which method supports your best work.</p><p><strong>Key topics</strong></p><ul><li>Kerri explains why she started watching <em>Portrait Artists of the Year Australia</em> and what surprised her most about the artists’ process</li><li>The episode challenges the idea that professional portrait artists must work only from life</li><li>Kerri discusses how artists use photos to capture a specific moment, expression, or angle before the subject changes</li><li>She connects portrait techniques to wildlife art, where taking your own reference photos is often essential</li><li>Kerri explains the difference between simply finding a photo and creating a reference by making artistic decisions first</li><li>She describes the use of grids, measuring, loose sketches, tracing, and digital overlays as tools for accurate proportions</li><li>The episode reframes grids and transfers as scaffolding, not the artwork itself</li><li>Kerri highlights how different artists use the same medium, especially pastels, in very different ways</li><li>She encourages experimentation with pastel sticks, pastel pencils, broad marks, layering, and mixed media to discover personal style</li><li>The main takeaway is that there is no single “proper” way to make art, only the method that helps you create the artwork you want</li></ul><ul><li>Choose one reference photo and draw it freehand, with a grid, and with a squiggle grid</li><li>Notice which method feels most accurate, most freeing, or most frustrating</li><li>Focus on strengthening your foundations before adding detail</li><li>Ask whether a tool helps you make the artwork you want rather than whether it is the “proper” method</li><li>Experiment with materials and mark-making to discover what naturally shapes your style</li></ul><p><br></p>