This is a hair's breadth away from the trash can, but I thought I'd show it anyway, if for no other reason but to remind myself what not to do in the future.I will redo this painting of my mother, as the watercolours just weren't working for me. The muse was off doing other things and she obviously was not guiding my hand on this one!
So what is it that makes us know when a painting or drawing isn't going right? A drawing that is off is one thing, but often I find it is values that are lacking, or simply the vision that is in our head just doesn't appear on paper or canvas. Or fatigue, lack of inspiration - the list could go on and on to help justify why what I want to do doesn't turn out as I want it to.
I also accept that not everything I do will be pleasing. I haven't calculated numbers of drawings and paintings, but should for perhaps a month to see what I think works and what doesn't. If I note time of day when I draw, mood, weather, level of fatigue, and the other things that all seem to feed ability the create, perhaps I will see some pattern emerge that leads to success or failure when creating an image.
I'll let you know the results when I figure out just how to analyse the process.
6 comments:
Thanks for posting this - it always helps to know that I'm not the only one this happens to!
Your portraits are always so top-notch that I know you'll get it right soon.
Every time we get it wrong we sort of get it right too because whatever the result there was the process in which we learned and played and made a drawing or painting that didn't exist before. Well, that's what I tell myself when I get it wrong, anyway. {thrive!}
I have had so many "failures," but I was at a class recently where the instructor took "failures," literally scrubbed them up and came up with amazing images from them, afterwords, which made me think I should be doing the same. I think it'd be easier for me to be that brave with failures anyway. Your "failures" are pretty darned good, I'll tell you...
Hi Jeanette, I presume your drawing is quite a likeness, maybe just the colour? Don't know if this colour is a likeness of the actual, but the general application is fabulous anyway. The shading on the fore-head, the cheeks and chin, very good.
I've found that sometimes it's not our abilities at the moment but our perception that is 'off'. Maybe you can set this one aside for a few days(or weeks)and then take another look and see how you feel. If it still isn't working for you, it's time to start over.
I think it's good to post a few failures. I've started doing it and it's liberating! And you know every artist can relate to failures.
Interesting take about looking to see if any of those environmental aspects consistently effect your work. I agree with Billie that your assessment may change as time passes.
Despite what we deem as "failures", we paint on! Bravo!
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