About MyArtMentor

I've always been drawn to art, but like many working adults, I thought serious painting was something you had to start young or dedicate your life to. About two years ago, I decided to stop making excuses and signed up for beginning oil painting classes.

I was painting and practicing, but I kept hitting the same wall: there are so many fundamentals to remember that I'd focus on one and completely forget about another. I'd work hard on getting my values right, then realize I'd completely ignored color temperature. Or I'd focus on edges but my composition would fall apart. It felt like whack-a-mole—improve one thing, neglect another.

My teachers were excellent, but when I was alone at my easel, I couldn't hold all the fundamentals in my head at once. I needed something to help me see which fundamental I was neglecting in this specific painting.

As a software developer working with AI, I built MyArtMentor for myself. It picked up on exactly what I needed to focus on—not just "work on color temperature," but why it matters and how to practice it. That's when I knew I had to share it.

Important note: MyArtMentor doesn't replace art classes—I still take classes and highly value my teachers. Think of it as a practice partner between lessons, helping you remember and apply what you've learned when you're working on your own.

Here's what I learned from my research: professional artists don't skip the basics—they master them.

Every painting, no matter how expressive or experimental, is built on five core fundamentals:

• Value Shapes — The foundation of light and form
• Plane Changes — Understanding three-dimensional structure
• Color Temperature — Creating depth and atmosphere
• Brushwork & Edges — Guiding the viewer's eye
• Composition — Arranging elements for visual impact

These aren't "beginner skills"—they're the building blocks that even professional artists continually refine. The challenge is remembering them all when you're practicing alone. Classes teach you the fundamentals, but at home, it's hard to know which one your current painting needs most. MyArtMentor acts as your practice companion—analyzing your work and telling you the single most important thing to focus on next. Not ten things. One thing. With a specific exercise to practice.

An art teacher once told me: "Great art invokes emotion from its viewers." But you can't evoke emotion when you're stuck solving technical problems. When I was struggling to mix the right color or create convincing form, all my energy went into problem-solving, not expression.

That's why MyArtMentor starts with fundamentals. Once those technical barriers are removed, your authentic voice can emerge naturally. You stop thinking "how do I paint this?" and start thinking "what do I want this to FEEL like?"

The Current Focus: Building Your Foundation

Right now, MyArtMentor helps you master the technical language of painting—values, temperature, edges, and form. Every critique gives you one clear focus, explains why it matters, provides a specific exercise, and offers encouraging guidance.

What's Coming: Beyond Fundamentals

Once you've mastered the fundamentals, there's a whole new level waiting. In the future, I plan to add features for compositional storytelling, mood and atmosphere analysis, personal style development, and conceptual feedback. But first—let's make sure the fundamentals are solid. Everything else builds on that foundation.

MyArtMentor uses a structured teaching approach designed for self-directed learning:

• One focus at a time — We identify the single most important thing to practice next, not a list of everything that needs work.
• Break it down — Complex skills are broken into manageable sub-skills. Instead of "improve your painting," you get "work on value separation between the foreground and background."
• Explain why it matters — You learn why each fundamental creates the effect you're after, making practice meaningful, not mechanical.
• Give specific exercises — Every critique includes concrete practice instructions, like "create three grayscale studies of this scene using only three values."

This isn't generic AI feedback—it's structured learning designed for people who are teaching themselves and need clear direction between classes.

Whether you're painting your first canvas or your hundredth, mastering fundamentals is the path forward. I built MyArtMentor because I needed it—a practice partner that gives clear, actionable guidance when I'm working on my own between classes.

If you've felt that same frustration of juggling too many fundamentals at once, I think this can help you too.

Hi, I'm Mary. I'm a software developer who fell in love with oil painting and got frustrated with trying to remember all the fundamentals at once. After struggling to keep track of everything I was supposed to be working on, I built the tool I wished existed.

MyArtMentor is my attempt to help other working adults navigate the messy, confusing, beautiful process of teaching yourself to paint—alongside your art classes, not instead of them.

I'm still learning—both about painting and about building this platform. If you have feedback, questions, or just want to share your art journey, I'd genuinely love to hear from you.

Email me: MyArtMentor@gmail.com

I read every message. Seriously. This started as a tool for me, and every person who uses it helps make it better for all of us trying to improve.

P.S. — If you're a professional art instructor interested in bringing your teaching style to MyArtMentor, reach out. I'd love to explore partnerships that help more artists access great teaching.