Delightful, and so useful. One of the reasons I love doing demonstration paintings for my students is that the possibility is always there to f...mess up. Then, try to solve it. The one I love to resort to in class is painting out the most finished area of the piece, on the principle of "kill your darlings". If that doesn't work, wiping the thing down to a haze and starting over usually elicits some groans. Then, if I can't make it work after all, I tear them in half (illustration board, I'm not Hercules) and throw them in the trash. Whether it works or not, they've learned something!
I have hosted a painting bonfire for friends who are artists. It’s been a few years. Probably time to do this again. We stand around the fire and explain why each piece is being relegated to the flames. It’s very cathartic.
Something helpful when a piece isn't working for me is the old, but sometimes forgotten technique of looking at it in a mirror. I prefer not to tear pages out of the sketchbook, love the idea of noting why something isn't working.
I had an oil painting that was taking forever to dry, so I stuck it in the oven set on 170 degrees, the lowest setting. The mfd panel out gassed, and that was trapped by the oil paint that stretched into hideous blisters. It didn't catch fire and I learn something from both mistakes and successes. It's dry now, and will make a great archery target.
Huge fan of the Canvas Oblivatron 3000. I've recently gotten into carving and decorating eggshells-- let me tell you, there are some *extremely* satisfying ways to dispose of the duds.
This is great! I'm getting on this immediately and will show my many clunkers no mercy. I particularly like the mirrors that magnify the sun and burn the thing to a crisp. I may have to do that in an unpopulated area though. I had been keeping some of my early stuff and obviously bad stuff to "show my progress." But now I'm sick of looking at them. Out they go!! So freeing.
Great article! I wonder if there are steps or thought processes to bring the BOOM? I have also been curious about getting unstuck in a painting when it is a longer picture and the audience is a paying client…or more simply How do finish?
Some good ideas, thanks. I've just started to learn to let go of my clunkers - the operative words are "just started". I'm mostly thinking about it. I was hoping to learn something from the clunkers or to rework the idea, give it new life, as it were. Do you ever use your old material as a springboard to a new, fresh attempt?
Hah! Thanks for this! “Your Artistic Average goes up a tiny notch” ; this is going to stick with me forever more 😆
There is a lot of pressure from social media to have sketchbooks that are perfect, or to always make a painting that’s better than the last - it’s reassuring to know that even the pros have “clunkers”, and that messing up is part of the process (at least some of the time)
So hilarious!!! I paint over a lot of mistakes but do enjoy burning my duds. Wish I had a cool device like yours though, with laser-mirrors, whatever those are!?! But getting rid of the bad ones always feels good. Fire, scraping, solvent or trash… learn and move on.
With watercolour on paper, especially affordable one, you can use both sides and if neither is satisfactory it goes into recycling. My first acrylic painting on canvas board has become a drawing board for smaller formats.
I like to keep those. I can go back to old art and being learn lessons from it. It also removes some stress from using a sketchbook if I allow some pages to not be so good.
Hi James. I had a great conversation with a famous Canadian artist who agreed with me: if you paint over a failed piece, the "ugh" will seep through whatever is painted over it. Best to gently place it in the flames, grateful for each lesson learned.
Delightful, and so useful. One of the reasons I love doing demonstration paintings for my students is that the possibility is always there to f...mess up. Then, try to solve it. The one I love to resort to in class is painting out the most finished area of the piece, on the principle of "kill your darlings". If that doesn't work, wiping the thing down to a haze and starting over usually elicits some groans. Then, if I can't make it work after all, I tear them in half (illustration board, I'm not Hercules) and throw them in the trash. Whether it works or not, they've learned something!
I have hosted a painting bonfire for friends who are artists. It’s been a few years. Probably time to do this again. We stand around the fire and explain why each piece is being relegated to the flames. It’s very cathartic.
Something helpful when a piece isn't working for me is the old, but sometimes forgotten technique of looking at it in a mirror. I prefer not to tear pages out of the sketchbook, love the idea of noting why something isn't working.
I had an oil painting that was taking forever to dry, so I stuck it in the oven set on 170 degrees, the lowest setting. The mfd panel out gassed, and that was trapped by the oil paint that stretched into hideous blisters. It didn't catch fire and I learn something from both mistakes and successes. It's dry now, and will make a great archery target.
Huge fan of the Canvas Oblivatron 3000. I've recently gotten into carving and decorating eggshells-- let me tell you, there are some *extremely* satisfying ways to dispose of the duds.
This is great! I'm getting on this immediately and will show my many clunkers no mercy. I particularly like the mirrors that magnify the sun and burn the thing to a crisp. I may have to do that in an unpopulated area though. I had been keeping some of my early stuff and obviously bad stuff to "show my progress." But now I'm sick of looking at them. Out they go!! So freeing.
Great article! I wonder if there are steps or thought processes to bring the BOOM? I have also been curious about getting unstuck in a painting when it is a longer picture and the audience is a paying client…or more simply How do finish?
Some good ideas, thanks. I've just started to learn to let go of my clunkers - the operative words are "just started". I'm mostly thinking about it. I was hoping to learn something from the clunkers or to rework the idea, give it new life, as it were. Do you ever use your old material as a springboard to a new, fresh attempt?
Hah! Thanks for this! “Your Artistic Average goes up a tiny notch” ; this is going to stick with me forever more 😆
There is a lot of pressure from social media to have sketchbooks that are perfect, or to always make a painting that’s better than the last - it’s reassuring to know that even the pros have “clunkers”, and that messing up is part of the process (at least some of the time)
So hilarious!!! I paint over a lot of mistakes but do enjoy burning my duds. Wish I had a cool device like yours though, with laser-mirrors, whatever those are!?! But getting rid of the bad ones always feels good. Fire, scraping, solvent or trash… learn and move on.
With watercolour on paper, especially affordable one, you can use both sides and if neither is satisfactory it goes into recycling. My first acrylic painting on canvas board has become a drawing board for smaller formats.
This is hilarious and has given me some ideas!
I like to keep those. I can go back to old art and being learn lessons from it. It also removes some stress from using a sketchbook if I allow some pages to not be so good.
I am guilty of burning a piece or two, though...
You forgot to mention Magic Eraser, a watercolorist's last resort.
Love both this post and all the comments below.....very freeing!
Hi James. I had a great conversation with a famous Canadian artist who agreed with me: if you paint over a failed piece, the "ugh" will seep through whatever is painted over it. Best to gently place it in the flames, grateful for each lesson learned.