Chair Painting Exercise: A Loose Watercolor and Mixed Media Workout
Try this chair painting exercise to loosen up. Paint one simple subject several times, starting with watercolor and adding ink, crayon, graphite, and acrylic.
Progressions are basically calisthenics for your creativity. A simple subject, different approaches, lots of reps.
In this chair painting exercise, I paint chairs several times, starting loose with watercolor and adding more materials with each pass.
Why chairs?
Chairs are kind of perfect for this. They’re simple, everywhere, and full of angles, but nobody expects a chair to look perfect. The chair doesn’t care, and honestly, neither should you.
Set 1: The warm-up
Start super loose with watercolor, with no pressure. Just move paint around. Think of this as your warm-up set, with no heavy lifting.
Want to Create Loose Mixed Media Art, Slacker? Learn the fundamentals, experiment with collage and layers, and develop your own expressive style.
Set 2 and beyond: Add more materials
Later passes can layer in more. Add whatever you want:
- Ink
- Crayon
- Graphite
- Acrylic
Throw the kitchen sink at it. Each set gets a little different and maybe a little more intentional. You’re not trying to make one perfect painting or sketch. You’re exploring the same idea over and over.
Personally, I like to start a little tighter and get looser and more gestural with each one.
Why this helps
If you’ve been ignoring your art lately and feeling a little stiff, this is a great exercise. Simple subject, multiple passes, different media. That’s where a lot of growth happens. I can’t promise it’ll drop a few pounds, but I do think it improves your mental and creative health.
For another take on progressions, see loose painting progression: tight to loose. For drawing versions, try how to draw loose and loosen up your drawing.
Try it yourself
- Pick one simple object, like a chair.
- Paint it loosely in watercolor.
- Do it again, adding ink, crayon, graphite, or acrylic.
- Repeat 3-5 times, getting looser each time.
- Lay them side by side.
Learn Structure. Paint Loose.
Construct. Deconstruct. Explore. Repeat.
Chair painting exercise FAQ
What is a progression exercise?
Painting the same subject several times with different approaches or materials, usually getting looser each time.
Why paint chairs?
They’re simple, familiar, and forgiving, so you can focus on experimenting instead of getting them right.
What materials can I use?
Watercolor, ink, crayon, graphite, and acrylic. Mix whatever you have on the same page.
How many versions should I do?
Three to five is a good set. Each one should be a little different from the last.
