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Those who create, and paint especially, will know the so called ugly stage. We all go through it. That is the norm. But what if you get stuck in the middle and cannot move forward? Do you give up? Do you abandon the piece and start another one?

I used to do that; a lot, actually until I found out it is much better to persevere and carry on. Not only you finish the artwork but you also practise making mistakes better. You learn from the ugly stage while observing what needs to be repaired or finished.

Observe, observe, observe, and then observe once more. This is the best advice I came across some years ago and I have never looked back since. When you learn to observe with an artist’s eyes you will discover where the problem is. Know that the problem if your solution. You will get accustomed to critique your work constructively without being too harsh on yourself.

There is nothing more disheartening and soul destroying than you putting yourself down. If you work with a source such as photo or collage, you can enlarge the screen and look for more details ( I am assuming you are working with an iPad or tablet of any kind). And I am not talking about the lines or dots here. What I mean is you are looking for a colour, a tone or a value.

How to look at source

Have you ever enlarged a photo and looked at it properly? I am always surprised what I can actually see when doing exactly that. In galleries or at exhibitions, it is desirable to look at paintings from a distance to appreciate the result. And why? It’s simply because the painting looks cohesive, complete. When you look closely, all you see are different colours and brush strokes. You cannot see the subject as whole. And here comes the study of your source. That is how you train your artist’s eye.

Finishing your artwork

Once you pass the ugly stage you will begin to see the difference and where you need to go. The more you practise finishing your pieces the better it will be. You will be more confident and sure you can do it. You can see the final result of my Big In Japan painting here https://www.inherspirit.com/product/big-in-japan-mixed-media-original/