The "Ugly Stage"

"Phoenix" 9 x12 Pastel on Board

One thing all artist struggle through is the dreaded "Ugly Stage". It is the stage when you feel like your drawing, or painting, is worthless and not worth the time and effort to finish it. This is how I felt most of the time with this painting. The key is to grit your teeth, and keep working forward. For an example, here is the Ugly Stage of this painting:

When I got to this stage of my painting I was so frustrated. The horse is a rose-grey color and I was having a terrible time finding the perfect mixture of colors. Here it's too blue, and the red wouldn't blend right. I almost gave up several times, but I'm very glad I didn't. The end result was worth the frustration. I had to learn to step away first, then to think, and finally to use my imaginaton to visulize my final painting. Once I was able to see past the Ugly Stage, it made everything else fall into place.

Tea Time!

"Tea Time" 9x12 Pastel on pastel board

Sorry I've been MIA the past few months, I've been having major issues with my computer! Namely- my 9 month old computer crashed and I had to get another one!

This painting was a bit of fresh air for me. I normally do not like still lives, but I got the itch to try one out. While I was browsing through a picture reference gallery, this image just popped out at me. I wish I still had the original picture's file so I could show the 'artistic license' I did for it, but you'll just have to take my word on it.

So, that leads to what is artistic license? To put it simply it means that nothing is set in stone. If you want to paint a purple cat, well, then by all means do so. It doesn't matter that in 'real life' a purple cat doesn't exist, you are expressing your creative judgment on the world.

An in depth look at it is how I worked this painting. The original picture was very dark and brooding with other objects cluttering around the tea cup and books. I didn't really like the cropping of the original picture or the composition. So, I played with what I wanted out of this picture in my sketch book until I had a composition that I felt really worked. I de-cluttered the background and lightened the mood. I made the painting mine and not basing it off something someone else took, and that is a big part of what I think the artistic license is all about.

Trot Through the Forest

Trot Through the Forest 4x6 acrylic on canvas paper

This little piece was very fun to do, as well as a little challenging. Artist tend to get stuck in a rut of constantly drawing the same pose , and this was my attempt at trying to get away from that rut. I always tend to draw horses facing left (oops) and standing with a profile head. Action shots are hard, and different angles are annoying. So, I realize the horse is still facing the habit way, but it's not standing still!

In order to improve at anything really, one must constantly challenge their abilities. Getting stuck in a rut is safe, but frustrating. You know what you can do well, and do it over and over and over again. And while you can do that one thing very well, let's face it- one trick ponies are boring. This painting took me awhile to sketch out because of the difficult angle the horse is in, but over all I am extremely pleased with how it came out. From now on I'm going to be trying for more difficult subject matters so I can constantly be on the upraise of my artistic abilities :)

The Secret to a Good Painting

People have always been baffled with what makes a good painting, and it's not just having a good grasp on colors or brush techniques mastered. Although, those things certainly help they aren't the most important part. The key to a good painting is a well thought out drawing. Let me explain, if you were trying to create a painting of a horse, for example, but had a half hearted drawing with lots of errors there is no way you can create a wonderful painting. By making the job more frustrating than it should be- the painting is doomed to fail.
This was a very hard lesson for me to learn as I would rush through the sketching process so I could color it. Guess what? All those paintings were pure crap. They were rushed through making them poor quality and awkward. Art is nothing but checks and balances. There is no one part that is more or less important than the other. Creating a good solid drawing is just as important as painting it. If you rush with anything in the creative process it will fail.
You have to enjoy the entire process of creating a painting, for this is what ensures a warmly received high quality treasure. A treasure that you have put every ounce of your being in.