One of the keys to enjoying your painting is to not obsess over it. That said, who doesn't obsess over the good and the bad when you're working on something you care about? I just call it my "magnificent obsession" and try to quit working by 6:30 p.m. so it doesn't keep me up all night.
I solved the problem I was having with the water and am not really sure what I did that made the difference. If you had seen it at 4 p.m. yesterday, you would have thought I was out of my mind because the colors were all over the place and it looked doomed. But, scraping and paper towels took off what I didn't want, and adjusting the hue on some shadows really did the trick. Had I not been obsessed with "getting it right", I surely would have given up.
One of the other keys to happy painting, I've learned, is to give it a rest. Sometimes it's just a matter of leaving it in your studio and getting on with other things that take your mind off of painting. In my case, with this painting, I will be leaving town for a few days and so will let it rest here at home without me.
No, I don't always book a trip to get away from my paintings, but it seems to be the case with this one, haha! I did the major drawing and then left town for 9 days. I immediately had to get ready for a camping trip, so it had to sit all by its lonesome another week and a half until I had finally cleared my calendar and my life for some dedicated painting. I've put in something like 12 hours this week, so that's why it's moving along so "fast".
Now that I have the bridge in, I will turn my attention to the clouds. I actually love them a lot, but know that they need to be lightened up some to be a reasonable part of the scenery. If you encountered clouds that dark, you wouldn't expect to see any defined shadows, but the day we were up there, the sun peeked through in different parts of the sky, so I have to represent what you aren't capable of seeing from the view I'm painting.
So, I'll give it a rest and plan out where to hit it next week. It also gives you "followers" a rest from this dialog. Enjoy your time off!
Monday, November 08, 2010
Let It Rest
One of the keys to enjoying your painting is to not obsess over it. That said, who doesn't obsess over the good and the bad when you're working on something you care about? I just call it my "magnificent obsession" and try to quit working by 6:30 p.m. so it doesn't keep me up all night.
I solved the problem I was having with the water and am not really sure what I did that made the difference. If you had seen it at 4 p.m. yesterday, you would have thought I was out of my mind because the colors were all over the place and it looked doomed. But, scraping and paper towels took off what I didn't want, and adjusting the hue on some shadows really did the trick. Had I not been obsessed with "getting it right", I surely would have given up.
One of the other keys to happy painting, I've learned, is to give it a rest. Sometimes it's just a matter of leaving it in your studio and getting on with other things that take your mind off of painting. In my case, with this painting, I will be leaving town for a few days and so will let it rest here at home without me.
No, I don't always book a trip to get away from my paintings, but it seems to be the case with this one, haha! I did the major drawing and then left town for 9 days. I immediately had to get ready for a camping trip, so it had to sit all by its lonesome another week and a half until I had finally cleared my calendar and my life for some dedicated painting. I've put in something like 12 hours this week, so that's why it's moving along so "fast".
Now that I have the bridge in, I will turn my attention to the clouds. I actually love them a lot, but know that they need to be lightened up some to be a reasonable part of the scenery. If you encountered clouds that dark, you wouldn't expect to see any defined shadows, but the day we were up there, the sun peeked through in different parts of the sky, so I have to represent what you aren't capable of seeing from the view I'm painting.
So, I'll give it a rest and plan out where to hit it next week. It also gives you "followers" a rest from this dialog. Enjoy your time off!
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