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  • #477976
    Kam99
    Default

        Hi,

        I’ve been painting and drawing for quite some time, I went to art school but did poorly, and I’ve always, since art school have been having the same problem: I can almost never finish an art piece.
        I feel that I’m skilled enough, and I feel that in my mind at least it all seems easy enough, but once I sit down to paint or to draw something, it takes me hours to decide on something to paint, and once I finally find it 9 out of 10 times I abandon it, or I just hate it when I finish it.
        I’ve filled volumes of sketchbooks with drawings and paintings that almost seem unfinished I always feel that there’s something I’m lacking in my style, I really wish I could start consistently finishing pieces. I wish I had artistic friends I could surround myself with, but I’m very shy, I moved to Chicago 4 years ago and I’ve attended some drawing meetups and whatnot, but I’m pretty shy to approach other people and make artist friends whom I could exchange ideas with or just get inspired by and learn new techniques.
        Even though I went to art school, I’ve never worked on anything art related (I work in the software industry) which makes me feel a bit unfulfilled and sorry for myself even though I tell everyone this is what I decided to do and that I feel happy with my decision, the truth is I would feel better about myself if I could devote more time to art instead of just chunks of my time. Every now and then I really think that maybe this is not for me and that I should stop all-together, but when I draw and when I paint I really like how I feel, I just wish I could do something with it, I wish I could find what I want to say with it and communicate it in an effective way.
        I was wondering if anyone felt the same way I do, and how have you coped with it?

        "[FONT=Times][FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]I remember Francis Bacon would say that he felt he was giving art what he thought it previously lacked. With me, it's what Yeats called the fascination with what's difficult. I'm only trying to do what I can't do."
        - Lucian Freud
        Find my artwork here: http://www.instagram.com/camilo_carreno

        #878862
        hmshood5
        Default

            I have many unfinished paintings in my basement right now. I eventually go back to most of them and complete them, but there are a few that I simply gave up on. But the ones that I do complete always feel good to finish… then there’s always the let-down of wondering what to do next.

            "All of us get lost in the darkness... Dreamers learn to steer by the stars"
            www.brianfioreart-aviartisa.com

            #878854

            I look at your artwork before I decided to comment. I can see some is not quit finished. That aside, you have a well developed skill in rendering the body and head, neither of which I possess. You and I are a “Jack Sprat” pair. I have difficulty getting started and you have a problem getting finished. I too worked in software 1973-2009. The 0/1, yes/no, linear mode of thinking is difficult to break out of particularly if you been in that mode for a substantial time.

            I found that placing an artificial limit on the subjects I paint greatly improved my sense of artistic fulfillment. It just a suggestion, but you could try just using your S.O. as a subject. Only paint/draw her, 20 times. Further, if you are up to the challenge, get a large pad, 20 sheets or more, 18×24 or there about and a large black marking pen. One with a tip that is no smaller than 1/8×3/8 Yes big paper and big marker. Pick one pose. Photograph it and then draw the same pose 20 times.

            Somewhere around number 5,6 you will decide that this is a waste of time. By 8,9 you will be angry with me for ever starting on this useless exercise. By number 14/15 you will see that you can do really creative things with the same pose: a break through.

            This exercise is not an original idea but I have heard and seen it used elsewhere with quite outstanding results. The originator of this exercise, Mike Bailey, started painting a still life. The first I read about him/this exercise, he had complete about 30+ paintings. When I re-visited this subject a couple of months ago, I found a video and Mike’s paintings was 100+ and still going strong. Here is a link to the video. It may help.
            https://national-watercolor-society.teachable.com/courses/224097/lectures/3486698

            You have to ‘sign up’ but it’s free and well worth 90 minutes of your time to watch all three videos.

            It is only on a basis of knowledge that we can become free to compose naturally. -- Bernard Dunstan
            blog.jlk.net

            #878856
            Kam99
            Default

                I look at your artwork before I decided to comment. I can see some is not quit finished. That aside, you have a well developed skill in rendering the body and head, neither of which I possess. You and I are a “Jack Sprat” pair. I have difficulty getting started and you have a problem getting finished. I too worked in software 1973-2009. The 0/1, yes/no, linear mode of thinking is difficult to break out of particularly if you been in that mode for a substantial time.

                I found that placing an artificial limit on the subjects I paint greatly improved my sense of artistic fulfillment. It just a suggestion, but you could try just using your S.O. as a subject. Only paint/draw her, 20 times. Further, if you are up to the challenge, get a large pad, 20 sheets or more, 18×24 or there about and a large black marking pen. One with a tip that is no smaller than 1/8×3/8 Yes big paper and big marker. Pick one pose. Photograph it and then draw the same pose 20 times.

                Somewhere around number 5,6 you will decide that this is a waste of time. By 8,9 you will be angry with me for ever starting on this useless exercise. By number 14/15 you will see that you can do really creative things with the same pose: a break through.

                This exercise is not an original idea but I have heard and seen it used elsewhere with quite outstanding results. The originator of this exercise, Mike Bailey, started painting a still life. The first I read about him/this exercise, he had complete about 30+ paintings. When I re-visited this subject a couple of months ago, I found a video and Mike’s paintings was 100+ and still going strong. Here is a link to the video. It may help.
                [url]https://national-watercolor-society.teachable.com/courses/224097/lectures/3486698[/url]

                You have to ‘sign up’ but it’s free and well worth 90 minutes of your time to watch all three videos.

                Hi Claude! I really appreciate you sharing this exercise with me, for some reason the idea of repetition sounds appealing to me, even if in the back of my mind I’m already regretting it, but in general I find it interesting to try and see what the results end up being. Thanks for the video as well, I’ll take a look!

                "[FONT=Times][FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]I remember Francis Bacon would say that he felt he was giving art what he thought it previously lacked. With me, it's what Yeats called the fascination with what's difficult. I'm only trying to do what I can't do."
                - Lucian Freud
                Find my artwork here: http://www.instagram.com/camilo_carreno

                #878857
                Kam99
                Default

                    I have many unfinished paintings in my basement right now. I eventually go back to most of them and complete them, but there are a few that I simply gave up on. But the ones that I do complete always feel good to finish… then there’s always the let-down of wondering what to do next.

                    In my case, everything I do (and because of the size of my work which is pretty small) ends up becoming sketches, or feeling like sketches so coming back to it afterwards or thinking about working further on it most of the times feels pointless, but I actively avoid working big, and the sole thought of it overwhelms me

                    "[FONT=Times][FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]I remember Francis Bacon would say that he felt he was giving art what he thought it previously lacked. With me, it's what Yeats called the fascination with what's difficult. I'm only trying to do what I can't do."
                    - Lucian Freud
                    Find my artwork here: http://www.instagram.com/camilo_carreno

                    #878852
                    La_
                    Default

                        [COLOR=Silver]Hi,

                        I’ve been painting and drawing for quite some time, I went to art school but did poorly, and I’ve always, since art school have been having the same problem: I can almost never finish an art piece.
                        I feel that I’m skilled enough, and I feel that in my mind at least it all seems easy enough, but once I sit down to paint or to draw something, it takes me hours to decide on something to paint, and once I finally find it 9 out of 10 times I abandon it, or I just hate it when I finish it.
                        I’ve filled volumes of sketchbooks with drawings and paintings that almost seem unfinished I always feel that there’s something I’m lacking in my style, I really wish I could start consistently finishing pieces. I wish I had artistic friends I could surround myself with, but I’m very shy, I moved to Chicago 4 years ago and I’ve attended some drawing meetups and whatnot, but I’m pretty shy to approach other people and make artist friends whom I could exchange ideas with or just get inspired by and learn new techniques.
                        Even though I went to art school, I’ve never worked on anything art related (I work in the software industry) which makes me feel a bit unfulfilled and sorry for myself even though I tell everyone this is what I decided to do and that I feel happy with my decision, the truth is I would feel better about myself if I could devote more time to art instead of just chunks of my time. Every now and then I really think that maybe this is not for me and that I should stop all-together, but [/COLOR]when I draw and when I paint I really like how I feel, I just wish I could do something with it, I wish I could find what I want to say with it and communicate it in an effective way.[COLOR=Silver]
                        [/COLOR][COLOR=Silver] I was wondering if anyone felt the same way I do, and how have you coped with it?[/COLOR]

                        given your talent with portraits, and your shyness, i suggest:
                        find a local old folks home and sketch/paint/photograph them – with permission of course. they make good models ’cause they tend to sit a lot … they tend to be friendly/kind … lonely … bored …many would appreciate seeing the processes of portraiture … the finished products could be quite desirable for the folks themselves and/or for their surviving families after they’re gone, And, they’d probably appreciate the attention/conversation/story sharing, etc.
                        win win win
                        and a little shovel of tough love – get out of your own darn way and quit wasting the talent you have, it’s shameful.

                        la

                        _____________________________________________
                        When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know Peace

                        #878858
                        Kam99
                        Default

                            given your talent with portraits, and your shyness, i suggest:
                            find a local old folks home and sketch/paint/photograph them – with permission of course. they make good models ’cause they tend to sit a lot … they tend to be friendly/kind … lonely … bored …many would appreciate seeing the processes of portraiture … the finished products could be quite desirable for the folks themselves and/or for their surviving families after they’re gone, And, they’d probably appreciate the attention/conversation/story sharing, etc.
                            win win win
                            and a little shovel of tough love – get out of your own darn way and quit wasting the talent you have, it’s shameful.

                            la

                            Thanks for taking the time to reply! the old folks home thing never occurred to me, there’s one nearby I will see how to approach them about it, also thanks for the much needed dose of tough love, one of the first steps to get out of my way, I figured, was to come back to the forum (for lack of a community of local artist friends) and share thoughts and feedback with other fellow artists, and it has helped me a lot to get back on the saddle and put in a little more time in the easel

                            "[FONT=Times][FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]I remember Francis Bacon would say that he felt he was giving art what he thought it previously lacked. With me, it's what Yeats called the fascination with what's difficult. I'm only trying to do what I can't do."
                            - Lucian Freud
                            Find my artwork here: http://www.instagram.com/camilo_carreno

                            #878853
                            Use Her Name
                            Default

                                I never have finished work. I leave parts of it undone. At some point I throw my hands up and say Blank-it, it is DONE! Then the party starts! I purposefully leave places where people can see how it is done. Have you ever seen a straw bale house? They leave a little window in the wall (on the inside somewhere) that shows people that yes, there is actually straw making up the walls of the house. It is called the “Truth Window.” To me, finished work is too smooth and toy-like. I like to have some roughness in my work. old rusty nails, or crumbling walls. Nothing is perfect or permanent. (I seem to say).

                                So what areas are unfinished? Can they be selectively unfinished? What is your concept of finished and unfinished? Are you emulating some art you have seen and are unsatisfied with the emulation, or are you creating your own art? There is a lot to uncover, a lot of digging. Perhaps purposefully refuse to finish parts of the work. Allow yourself to un-finish without regret. Possibly it is your style, the style you have been saying you do not have or have not found. Possibly this unfinishedness is part of that style?

                                No longer a member of WC. Bye.

                                #878850
                                Perry
                                Default

                                    I think it is important to have an idea of what you want to accomplish in the painting before you even start. Having that idea will help you know when
                                    it is finished. Many times my mindset was “I’m going to paint this subject
                                    and see what happens” and that usually didn’t work out very well.

                                    #878851
                                    ianuk
                                    Default

                                        Better unfinished than never started.

                                        #878864
                                        LakeDoesArt
                                        Default

                                            I was having a lot of problems getting finished. Never could. Nothing was ever good enough. Nothing was ever interesting enough. Then I got invited to show my work at two very minor art shows. It was enough to get me going. At some point, you have to start crying, “Good enough! Good enough!” while struggling to get a bunch of canvases just presentable, and trust that you will continue to develop as an artist and show future improvement.

                                            Lake, of lakedoesart.com (NSFW)

                                            #878859
                                            Kam99
                                            Default

                                                I never have finished work. I leave parts of it undone. At some point I throw my hands up and say Blank-it, it is DONE! Then the party starts! I purposefully leave places where people can see how it is done. Have you ever seen a straw bale house? They leave a little window in the wall (on the inside somewhere) that shows people that yes, there is actually straw making up the walls of the house. It is called the “Truth Window.” To me, finished work is too smooth and toy-like. I like to have some roughness in my work. old rusty nails, or crumbling walls. Nothing is perfect or permanent. (I seem to say).

                                                So what areas are unfinished? Can they be selectively unfinished? What is your concept of finished and unfinished? Are you emulating some art you have seen and are unsatisfied with the emulation, or are you creating your own art? There is a lot to uncover, a lot of digging. Perhaps purposefully refuse to finish parts of the work. Allow yourself to un-finish without regret. Possibly it is your style, the style you have been saying you do not have or have not found. Possibly this unfinishedness is part of that style?

                                                Your answer is providing a lot of insight, because the way I was seeing it, was mostly that what I do most of the times looks like it needs more work, and that’s the feeling of “unfinished” but I never thought about making it part of my style, and embrace it rather than feel bad about it

                                                "[FONT=Times][FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]I remember Francis Bacon would say that he felt he was giving art what he thought it previously lacked. With me, it's what Yeats called the fascination with what's difficult. I'm only trying to do what I can't do."
                                                - Lucian Freud
                                                Find my artwork here: http://www.instagram.com/camilo_carreno

                                                #878860
                                                SarahY
                                                Default

                                                    Hello Kam99 :wave: I’ve seen on your Instagram (which has a lot of superb stuff on it) your two recent oil paintings. On both you’ve made a superb start, but I wonder if you would get more out of painting alla prima? I couldn’t paint figurative oil paintings in layers because I have absolutely no desire whatsoever to paint the same image over and over again in slight variations of saturation. It’s just not for me. If I painted in layers, I would literally complete nothing. One session with a touchup session a few days later does it for me. I just wondered if you’re having the same trouble?

                                                    Maybe try daily painting for a little while; one complete painting in one session, every day. You can’t fiddle forever and you have to call it finished, it’s extremely freeing in many ways.

                                                    I love a lot of ‘unfinished’ looking work by a variety of artists. I like that bits have been left undone, it gives the work a sense of immediacy, of vibrant life. I love that those guys have the ability to go “yup, it’s done” whilst looking at a half-finished, but somehow whole, work. I particularly like those paintings where the work has been drawn in charcoal and only partly painted in oils. This painting by Mark Demsteader is a favourite of mine and I’d totally buy it:

                                                    So stop worrying and keep painting, I really like your work :thumbsup:

                                                    http://www.shyeomans.co.uk
                                                    \m/ neue deutsche härte \m/
                                                    Nothing left but smoke and cellar, and a woman with a black umbrella...

                                                    #878855
                                                    mshaiku
                                                    Default

                                                        Hello Kam99 :wave: I’ve seen on your Instagram (which has a lot of superb stuff on it) your two recent oil paintings. On both you’ve made a superb start, but I wonder if you would get more out of painting alla prima? I couldn’t paint figurative oil paintings in layers because I have absolutely no desire whatsoever to paint the same image over and over again in slight variations of saturation. It’s just not for me. If I painted in layers, I would literally complete nothing. One session with a touchup session a few days later does it for me. I just wondered if you’re having the same trouble?

                                                        Maybe try daily painting for a little while; one complete painting in one session, every day. You can’t fiddle forever and you have to call it finished, it’s extremely freeing in many ways.

                                                        I love a lot of ‘unfinished’ looking work by a variety of artists. I like that bits have been left undone, it gives the work a sense of immediacy, of vibrant life. I love that those guys have the ability to go “yup, it’s done” whilst looking at a half-finished, but somehow whole, work. I particularly like those paintings where the work has been drawn in charcoal and only partly painted in oils. This painting by Mark Demsteader is a favourite of mine and I’d totally buy it:

                                                        [IMG]http://s3.amazonaws.com/wetcanvas-hdc/Community/images/25-Sep-2019/1713772-Mark_Demsteader_01.jpg[/IMG]

                                                        So stop worrying and keep painting, I really like your work :thumbsup:

                                                        I agree with SarahY. I very much enjoy sketches and what looks like unfinished pieces and the above image is a perfect example. Only you can decide what your art should be and it will always be changing :).

                                                        Stay inspired! Michelle

                                                        Always celebrate the small successes to build confidence for tackling life's bigger challenges. :thumbsup:

                                                        #878861
                                                        dustlilac
                                                        Default

                                                            Looking at your art, the only thing that separates it from finished and unfinished is better paper and a frame. As others have suggested, make the “unfinished” part be part of your style and keep going.

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