In this video I discuss one of the biggest stumbling blocks for artists and how to overcome it. For more free videos on painting in oil visit drawmixpaint.com For more about the paint that I use visit: genevafineart.com
Once you have taken an image apart and understand how to make it....all of the wonder and love of it disappears. It's a bit like learning a magic trick :-)
I don’t agree. The natural world is full of surprises with infinite variety. The painting may lose its allure but the subject doesn’t. I paint from life though I don’t know about photos
Like everything else in life , things we do after certain time becomes boring due to new impressions becoming old , and we are constantly seeking new impressions . And also money can be an issue for poor artists like me ! i need variations such as going to the Nature with a nice Easel and i need for example a car so i can drive around my town or even take a trip to Europe and live there in European beautiful natures such as France , or Spain so i can keep up my MOTIVATION to paint different natural patterns , and i would like also to paint in different styles such as abstraction and Cubism for example , so it all cost money to keep up motivation and not to be stocked in a studio ...
I Love Your tutorials. I have just recently found you video channel and have been looking at the videos in order from the web page. very helpful and a big sigh. I am not so far off in self taught efforts. I have done mostly black and white drawing but have dreamed of the color that would go into places. As far as not finishing projects go, sometimes they just need to sit and think,. you will know what they need. Sometimes the mood it's right or the picture just has to much or to little going on. STOP THINKING ABOUT IT SO MUCHI tell myself. it works wonders. like giving permission.
I think that one needs to decide which imperfections are acceptable and those that are not. Fix the ones that aren't acceptable and leave the others alone.
For me, this happens when I'm on the verge of completing a painting. I have put so much thought, energy & creativity into it that I get to the point where I'm sick of even looking at it. I can no longer objectively view that painting and decide if it's actually finished or not and I will keep 'tweaking' it, sometimes messing up what I've already done. Thankfully, I've recognized this in myself and will then put my painting aside for a while and start something new. When I am ready, I pull out that painting & see it with 'fresh' eyes and can quickly determine what I think it needs to be completed and satisfy my perfectionist tendencies. Of course, this isn't possible if you have deadlines to meet. I wonder sometimes, if having difficulty 'letting go' of a painting has to do with our own attachment to it and pride...will the person receiving/purchasing the painting respect the amount of time and energy it took to create it? Just a thought.
this is definitely a problem that occurs with me very often. when im picking the object that i want to paint and visualizing what i want to do is usually the best part of the process but once im well into the painting i start to loose interest and instead think about what i want to paint next. its a real problem cuz ive left a couple of paintings unfinished and haven't touched them in a long time. im glad to see im not the only one struggling with this problem tho.
Same here too, and if ever you get talked into doing a painting for someone else (painting a friend's dog in my case) the problem is much worse, and finishing it becomes a major chore.
Perhaps we should be less objective with ourselves by avoiding to start looking for faults only. Instead try looking for the good parts mostly. Another problem as a sign of lack of confidence (I think) is when I look at my previous works with pleasant and I tell to myself "Wow..how did I do that?" . Does that happen to you also? Of course I did those works! And I can keep doing them again but the "handcuffs of insecurity" are just there waiting to snap my wrists...
Giovanni Siano yes! i can relate to that. i feel like when im on the final stages of a painting im never happy with what i got so far and that leads to me feeling like I'll never finish. ergo making it feel like a chore.
I always knew this was the case with Piano. After playing a piece for a year and bringing it to completion, I couldn't enjoy it in the same way when I first heard it. Especially Prokofjew. It never occcurred to me that it is the same with painting, I always thought I just didn't try hard enough...
I think this is true for all artists. I'm a writer and a writing teacher, and I always show this video of Ta-Nehisi Coates talking about how hard it is to get what is in your head onto the page--especially the middle part beginning at 1:33. He's more pessimistic than Mark is, just in general and in this clip, but I think it's the same idea. www.theatlantic.com/video/index/280025/advice-on-writing-from-i-the-atlantic-i-s-ta-nehisi-coates/
Fortunately I have not yet suffered from that issue yet. I do spend a LONG time creating my still life - days sometimes, and hundreds of photos, as you say. But for me, the magic of making something look real with blobs of paint never dies, and that carries me through the painting process. And toward the end, the excitement of seeing the finished painting spurs me on. That, and wanting to start on the next one.
I fully agree I fount a way to overcome this .is to grow into that what first appealed to me. I paint a scene; that I felt patient about and it never hit my expectation until I attempted for the 9th time as I grew my visual understanding and emotional connection with that first instinct of 'waw I want to paint that'. I FOLLOW ALL YOUR TEACHING THANKS FOR YOUR VALUABLE GUIDANCE
I don't think what you are describing is unique to artists. Our brains release dopamine when we see something that excites us, especially something novel. Over time, the dopamine levels drop and we just don't get the same satisfaction we once did. Chefs experience this same phenomenon. That new recipe is awesome at first, which comes with a burst of dopamine, but as they taste it and deconstruct the recipe, it loses it's luster.
I guess this is a phenomenon that is related to many types of creative processes. The creative process is most interesting when finding a solution. But the process of finishing it is much labor. I'm a computer programmer, and find the same process going on there.
I tend to finish a subject quite quickly. A necessity when painting outside and maybe that’s why I’ve never encountered this issue.m(to any great degree). I suggest trying that if it’s becoming a big problem for you I also don’t spend much time looking at my work once it’s finished. Once it’s done I’m quickly on to something else. Maybe it’s because I have a low boredom thresholds or I get inspired by something else
It's emotionalism versus objectivity. When you are in an orchestra you are enthralled. But if you ask each of the individual artist in the group and the effort and skill needed to get to the symphony, that's objectivity and skill and cool-headedness behind it.
I think I can kind of understand what you're getting at here but I just wish your lesson and takeaway here was just a bit more refined and focused. It seems that you could have thought through the issue a bit more to have your message be more focused and clear. With that said though, I still did find this video very useful. I especially like the part at the end where you describe someone else seeing your work and the fresh perspective they have and how they didn't have the struggle of creating it. This struggle doesn't "taint" their view like it might yours as the artist
The best paintings I have produced were started and left far from complete, then put out of sight sometimes for months. Then when they were viewed again with fresh eyes there was a rush of artistic enthusiasm which I call being in the zone, where everything falls into place. It is like being on autopilot, because you are not analysing what you are doing. If you think too much about your work, that is the time to stop and do something else.
i had this problem but its affected me in different way,at first i started hating them ,then i felt like i didn't deserve those compliments about my paintings and drawings until my paintings now appears to me more like lifeless and too cold,and boring.honestly i don't even know how i supposed to look at them or at least describe my feelings towards the anymore
Thanks so much. Like all of these comments I have a lot of trouble with this and thought it meant I really wasn't interested in painting or shouldn't be an artist.
When I finish a drawing or painting I'm kind of done with it or if I have moved on to something else I don't think that my previous work is good enough or all that interesting than it was so when people look at it and are amazed I usually don't know what their talking about because I no longer see what they say. I'm stilled amused though at their reactions but it gets tiring. Like I know I did it but I'm gonna move on. I guess that's why a lot of artists sell their work cuz they don't need it they have already felt what they felt about they already poured the passion and excitement they had when just dreaming of such a painting. So you go and find what drives you next. That's what makes you better. Trust me I have had my fair share of giving up but now I know why I should continue with my art.
wow - this was great - I had no idea that this was "normal" ... thanks for talking about this ... I love the palettes, ... do they come in various sizes or only one size?? - again thanks so much for your expertise
Well-stated. I agree with you. Self-doubts and mood swings are motivation killers. It's so important to know how to deal with them during the creative process.
You need to transcend the subject and engage yourself in the innate abstractions of everything around you and the intellectual process of composing a work of art. This is the jumping off point that most realists need to make to stay engaged in making art. Many don't want to engage the mind in creating art for fear of contrivance but in the end the intellectual stimulation from the process and not the artifact is the payoff.
Oh god I spend far to much time outside doing exactly that be careful it doesn’t make u crazy. I wish I could switch it off and just enjoy a view for what it is
Mark, this is a very useful video. Beginning or seasoned artists will have this happen quite often. I think it is very important to Love what you chose to create, and also it is important to Love the process of creating it. I strongly agree that it is so important to be very selective in choosing what you want to paint. As you have indicated; chose what you love, paint what you love, and love the process of creation.
Two things on this subject, I paint portraits of older people that don't necessarily want to look like their photo, so I'm trying to paint my impression of their personality, which allows me to create something, which is more interesting to me. Also, I try to have three or four paintings going at the same time so I can switch gears every hour or so instead of painting one picture to death.
That's why I like to do sketches or small pieces that I can finish in one go. And why I've shied away from oil paintings ... I have the hardest time going back to a work in progress. Knowing that this seems to be a universal thing might actually help me out. Thank you so much for the video!
Wow, so, so true. Everything I paint I don't like the end result, other people do and sometimes buy and I think they must be mad, occasionally I even end up arguing with someone because they like my work!
I always put my work out of sight for a few weeks and sometimes months. I come back to them and having forgotten everything I'd scrutinized to death,I have a revived perspective that more often then not allows me to enjoy the art again. That being said,I just as often enjoy my work as I create it off the cuff,rather than enslaving my creative functions to a static image before I start to paint.
I'm suffering from this effect this very moment, I have started 3 paintings previous to the current but I never finished them because of the artist's curse. Is sad that I will never get to enjoy my paintings the way I intended to.
Diegog5 If you have trouble getting through to the end. You can try to make paintings that can be finished faster. Might be easier to actually finish if you make the task easy for yourself. Then when you get better at getting through the whole process, you can take on larger projects.
This observation and advice is applicable in many endeavors. Writers grow weary of and second guess their choice of subject. Animators wonder if their storyline is worth their huge investment of time. Thanks for this encouragement to persevere.
A good reason for unfinished paintings and drawings. Speaking of drawings, I have been concentrating on these. Purchased your original DVD, color checker and proportional divider, but in a tiny apartment had no way of blacking out an area or constructing the box. Good to see how your are constructing and selling some of the items you use. Now it's a long wish list for me from your site. Perhaps you will even produce the box. Again, thank you for the videos. They genuinely address the reality of oil painting with all its aspects.
We should be patient with our paintings, we should also take in consideration that no one will interpret the painting like we do (the artists). Thank you for reminding me, I was getting bored and annoyed with a painting I'm working on but this encouraged me to finish it.
Hi Mark. After fiddling about with all sorts of styles and media, I came across your youtubes and want to thank you for your generosity in sharing. After watching multiple videos I decided that it would be a good idea to take your online class so I investigated and was surprised that you are offering it at no cost!! It is the best available I am sure. Just wanted to pop in to say thank you. I appreciate your amazing attention to detail.
great video!. i like to ask how paint branches of trees or other fine detail o top of sky, without getting milk all over? i know it can be fixed with burt umber but my branches are to black and green, ty.
Thank you so much Mark for your lessons. This is something that really, really bothered me. It almost broke me in a way... I'll try to see things like this now.
So interesting, my first painting was of my husband and I really enjoyed painting it and still love it but I think that is just the subject, have definitely fallen out of love with subsequent paintings but you have given me some encouragement to persevere.:)
Yes, I agree, it is a big problem and has everything to do with needing "fresh eyes" as it is a consequence of our eyes becoming exhausted at looking repeatedly at the same image while we deconstruct it and then paint it, as our eyes desperately seek new vision to fight the monotony. This is also demonstrated in a mirror effect when the painting is out of sight for months, and we happen to see it again - and get the whole new "fresh eye" feelings and see the beauty in what we painted once more.
This is so reassuring as I go through this a lot and thought it was just me. Thank you for making this video Mark. I'm also at a weird stage now where I am finding it hard to finish paintings, I have 5 on the go. They all get to the stage where it would only take a few hours to finish but I keep avoiding finishing them. It's almost a sense of if I haven't finished it yet it still has the potential to be a great painting. Is this part of the same curse?
I'm a beginner with a lot to learn. Not very happy to hear that the well seasoned artists suffer from the same problems. A friend was visiting with me in my studio the other day, his attention was directed to a portrait I was working on when he asked a very interesting question. He asked " at what point of the process of a painting do you feel the most gratification? " I have found every brush stroke to be satisfying until I make that one stroke that complicates the vision I had when I started, and then it begins to go down hill. Thank you for bringing up this topic and giving us your insight to help us all be better Artist.
Ron, I enjoy your comment because you seem to have captured the "enjoy the process" benefit of creating paintings. Mark is so correct in this take on this. Mark has explained that at first you Love the image and want to use it to create. The importance to see this from the start to the end is to continue to 'Love' the process and the results you see. "Begin with End in mind" and Love the process of seeing it through to the end.
Thank you, it helps so much to know it's not just me. I spent the whole day in one of these discouraging quandaries. My studio is full of abandoned paintings for this very reason, and this video is just what I needed to hear. I feel better now, knowing others deal with it, too, and will remember your advice!
@@BrianReplies Thank you for asking, Brian :) This particular problem isn't as bad, this video really did make a difference! But now it's just finding time to paint.
Because It's been demonstrated unequivocally to me, by providence, that the Bible is the inspired Word of God (especially through studying archaeology, and prophecy, coupled with secular historical records, but most of all as it most accurately defines the problem and remedy of the world around us), I see the "Artist's Curse" actually as a *Blessing ,* as it keeps me from entering into the state of mind of "how great I am", and "look what I did", then I no longer am able to "worship" (by seeking to find _ultimate_ fulfillment) in the works of my hands. Thus the ultimate artist, who has given man both the platform and abilities to partake in his Divine role: the Creator God and His beloved Son, keep there proper exalted place in my life. Amen.
The first rule of the recording studio is that every day you work you should take some time to love what you get, assuming that you have worked hard to have some decent skills and some personalized intent. The second rule is that we can always do better tomorrow.
