From Real to Abstract

Have you ever looked at abstract art and thought, "But what is it about?" or "How do I even begin something like that?" - This challenge is for you.

We often think abstract art is just random shapes or colors, but most great abstract art starts from a very real idea, then evolves through thoughtful choices. This challenge will walk you through that process, step by step.

🧠 The Goal

Create an abstract painting that begins with something real like an object, a scene, an emotion, and transforms it into abstraction.

Along the way, show your thought process and how your painting evolved.

✨ How to Participate

1. Pick Your Starting Point

Choose whatever subject you like:

• An object (e.g., a coffee mug, a bowl of fruits, a bike)
• A feeling (love, anxiety, friendship)
• A landscape
• A scene (playing soccer as a child)

It can be a thing, a memory, or even an emotion, as long as it's something meaningful to you.

2. Explore the Subject Visually

Make some quick sketches or studies:

• Try drawing the subject realistically
• Focus on shape, structure, or mood

Ask: What’s essential here? Is it the shape? The motion? The color? The feeling?

3. Begin to Abstract

Now gradually move away from realism. You might:

• Simplify forms
• Exaggerate colors
• Focus on rhythm or movement
• Break the subject into shapes or patterns
• Paint what it feels like, not what it looks like

📷 Take photos at key steps, or save sketches to show your journey.

4. Finish the Abstract Painting

Your final piece should no longer "look like the thing", but it should come from it.

Someone might not guess your subject, and that's okay. The goal is intentional abstraction, not randomness.

5. Submit Your Work

Upload your creation and include 3–5 process images (sketches, early stages, final painting), as well as a short explanation (what you started with, what choices you made, what surprised you)

🎇Inspiration

Take a look how famous abstract painters from the past evolved their style starting from realism:

• How Piet Mondrian moved from trees to colorful squares
• Picasso abstracting a bull to a few lines

Use the forum to discuss your approach and share your experiments along the way!