4/22/2022 8:33:41 AM
Which leads me to the question: When is the painting finished? I sometimes joke that I could paint one painting my entire life. As an artist, you keep growing and expanding your knowledge so; theoretically, you could continue to rework a painting indefinitely. There comes a point where you have said all you can say with a work and it is time to move on.
Am I Done Yet? How to Know When Your Painting is Finished
Goldfinches and Sunflowers
I admire artists who let the viewer into their process. They leave visual clues in their paintings on how they achieved a certain effect. Perhaps it's a thick brushstroke or the hint of an underpainting revealed. In trying to incorporate that idea into my own work, I struggle with how much of that "incompleteness" or view into the artistic process I am comfortable showing.
This painting has been "stewing" for quite a while. It has been on an extra easel in my studio where I look at it, maybe add a few strokes and leave it for weeks. Several collectors have expressed an interest in it and my response has always been. "It's not finished yet." I mean, there were obvious (to me) areas that needed refining. Or maybe I was wrong...but then, maybe another vein in this leaf here...
close up of Goldfinches and Sunflowers
Which leads me to the question: When is the painting finished? I sometimes joke that I could paint one painting my entire life. As an artist, you keep growing and expanding your knowledge so; theoretically, you could continue to rework a painting indefinitely. There comes a point where you have said all you can say with a work and it is time to move on.
It's a struggle I see with my students as well. Here are some guidelines that might be useful in making that decision.
Some clues that you might be finished:
You add paint to an area, and take it right back off.
Perhaps you think an area might be improved with a stronger highlight, yet when you place it, it just doesn't look right. Or maybe you choose to add an entire element, like a flower or rabbit and now everything looks off balance. When adding something doesn't improve the section, it may be time to stop.
There’s something is wrong but you can't put your finger on it.
It's time took at the work with fresh eyes. Put it away or turn it to the wall for a few days or weeks. Try using some of the following tricks, or ask some questions from the checklist at the bottom of the page.
You really don't know what else to do.
Sometimes you hit the wall of your current ability. It's okay to say this is the best I can do right now.
Lina’s Bag of Tricks
- Turn the painting upside down. Often glaring perspective or symmetry issues will pop up when you flip the work upside down or look at it in the mirror.
- Use a filter. I hand out red filters in almost every class I teach. The filter blocks color so you are essentially looking at a black and white version of your painting. Often an area will disappear or look out of place. That will give you a clue that you may have a problem with values.
- Take a photo of it. Seeing your painting in a different format may help you be more objective.
- Call a friend. Ask someone you trust to look at your painting with you. Choose your person carefully, it should be someone non competitive and whose work you admire. Go in to the process with the right mindset. Plan to not get offended if you don't agree with their opinion. If a comment resonates with you, consider the suggestion. If not, let it go. It's okay to trust your own instinct. There are some people whose opinions I won't ask because their suggestions will take my painting down a path I don't want to travel. My style is not hyperrealism, so if the comment is “add a highlight to the third eyelash from the left”, I ignore it
- Ask a kid. Children are honest and don't have an agenda. I once brought home a portrait of my daughter, painted in a workshop and my 5 year old son asked why she was wearing lipstick. Hmmm… I hadn't noticed the intensity of the lip color I had used.
Checklist of questions to ask yourself:
- Is the drawing believable? Are the proportions correct? Are the eyes on the same level line or does my building recede into space or look "wrong"?
- Is the light source consistent? Are the shadows consistent with the light source?
- When viewing the painting from a distance, are all the elements distinct or does something get lost or become unidentifiable?
- Is there an effective center of interest or does the eye jump around from area to area? Will the viewers’ eyes return to the focal point after moving around the painting?
- Is there variety in shapes of the negative spaces?
- Are the colors related to each other or is there an isolated color?
- Is there a variety of color intensities or is every thing dull, or maybe the opposite, is everything bright?
Perhaps this quote resonates with you:
"Art is never finished, only abandoned"
Leonardo DaVinci
I finally signed my painting a few days ago. That doesn't necessarily mean it's finished. Perhaps it’s just abandoned in an interesting place...
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