With regard to brush technique, coloring and composition, Au says that a painter has to master these in his youth. "Nurture a flexible brush style when young, and from your middle years onwards develop countless variations in that style, variations that are inseparable from the thinking of the artist. Then, when older, simply follow your inclinations, free of restrictions."
對於水墨筆鋒、設色、佈局等繪畫技巧，歐豪年常說，這些少年時就要練得純熟──「少年就把手筆靈活起來，中年以後將它發展成無數的變化，並且變化需與藝術家的思維緊扣，到了老年，自然隨心所欲，意便意、工便工，無所限制了。」