Most artists are good at starting a painting and getting it about 90% done. The hardest part of finishing a painting is that last 10%. Those finishing touches can make all the difference, and take a painting from GOOD to GREAT.
I used to tell myself that a painting was done when I was tired of messing with it, but in reality, I lacked the expertise to TELL whether or not my painting was complete. Some of these paintings got into local shows, but many did not. These "almost finished" paintings languished in my garage until years later when I unearthed them, and examined them from a more experienced perspective. Suddenly, I knew what the paintings needed! In many cases, they lacked dark and light values, a good variety of shapes, soft and hard edges, or CONTRAST (one of my favorites).
I'm proud to say that I've shortened the length of time that a painting languishes in the "almost finished" stage before I can call it DONE! These days it only takes me a few weeks or months (instead of years) before I figure out how to put those last important touches on my painting.
I'm grateful to members of my trusted critique group for helping me take second look at my paintings to make sure there's nothing further I need to add or take away. It's not about being "picky" or perfectionist, but rather about making the painting the best it can be. In the end, I want viewers to focus on the story of the painting, and not the mechanics or techniques I used to create it.
I first painted "Determination #1" (acrylic on paper, 11 x 17") last year and I THOUGHT it was finished. I entered it in a few shows, but it was not selected by any juror and I couldn't quite figure out why. A few months later, I showed it to my trusted critique group and they made a few suggestions for improving this painting. I followed some, but not all, of their advice but the tiny corrections made all the difference. "Determination #1" was one of 95 paintings chosen by juror Linda Daly Baker from 591 submissions for the 42nd Annual San Diego Watercolor Society International Exhibit.
If you look at the before and after images, you'll see 2 small but important changes. First, the black sweater was at a diagonal and formed a point where it met the green in the background. To correct this visual tangent, I overpainted the skirt and shortened/straightened the sweater. I had to sacrifice the transparency of the green skirt by adding opaques, but I think it was the right decision. I slightly enlarged her left boot so the pointed heel was minimized. Now her feet were properly grounded and her body/stance communicated the story I was trying to tell. Those 15 minutes of additional brushstrokes were well worth my time!
I used to tell myself that a painting was done when I was tired of messing with it, but in reality, I lacked the expertise to TELL whether or not my painting was complete. Some of these paintings got into local shows, but many did not. These "almost finished" paintings languished in my garage until years later when I unearthed them, and examined them from a more experienced perspective. Suddenly, I knew what the paintings needed! In many cases, they lacked dark and light values, a good variety of shapes, soft and hard edges, or CONTRAST (one of my favorites).
I'm proud to say that I've shortened the length of time that a painting languishes in the "almost finished" stage before I can call it DONE! These days it only takes me a few weeks or months (instead of years) before I figure out how to put those last important touches on my painting.
I'm grateful to members of my trusted critique group for helping me take second look at my paintings to make sure there's nothing further I need to add or take away. It's not about being "picky" or perfectionist, but rather about making the painting the best it can be. In the end, I want viewers to focus on the story of the painting, and not the mechanics or techniques I used to create it.
I first painted "Determination #1" (acrylic on paper, 11 x 17") last year and I THOUGHT it was finished. I entered it in a few shows, but it was not selected by any juror and I couldn't quite figure out why. A few months later, I showed it to my trusted critique group and they made a few suggestions for improving this painting. I followed some, but not all, of their advice but the tiny corrections made all the difference. "Determination #1" was one of 95 paintings chosen by juror Linda Daly Baker from 591 submissions for the 42nd Annual San Diego Watercolor Society International Exhibit.
If you look at the before and after images, you'll see 2 small but important changes. First, the black sweater was at a diagonal and formed a point where it met the green in the background. To correct this visual tangent, I overpainted the skirt and shortened/straightened the sweater. I had to sacrifice the transparency of the green skirt by adding opaques, but I think it was the right decision. I slightly enlarged her left boot so the pointed heel was minimized. Now her feet were properly grounded and her body/stance communicated the story I was trying to tell. Those 15 minutes of additional brushstrokes were well worth my time!
 "Determination #1" (Before final changes) |  "Determination #1" (Final Version), 2022 |
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