As You Improve

[Gina Rath]

I finally have taken some photos of my paintings and I would like to post them (as long as I can figure out how). However, I am wondering about where to post them. This I feel brings me to a question better answered by those more experienced than I. I hope this doesn

[Chris Saper]

Dear Gina,

It's really up to you. If you post in the Unveilings section, your work will be open to comments by others, but they will be non-instructional in nature.

If you would like critical comment, you will need to post in the appropriate critique section. To post in critique, it is not necessary to be willing or able to repaint, just that you wish to learn what others would suggest by way of improvement, as well as understanding the things that are working for that particular painting.

Hopefully, you will glean information to help make your next painting a better one. If you will not be repainting the image you post, let people know, and let them know you would like feedback you might apply to future work.

Ideally, every painting each of us does is the best that we can do at that time. (I am sure many of us could spend the rest of our lives getting back older paintings to "fix" them, but then we'd never move forward!)

Before deciding whether you wish to post for a critique, please read the introduction to critiques here: http://forum.portraitartist.com/show...&threadid=1734
http://forum.portraitartist.com/show...&threadid=1724

Critique is not for everyone; only you can decide what is right for you.

Best wishes,

[Michael Fournier]

Chris has offered some great advice here.

For me I always find that it is often better to just do a new painting then to try and fix one. Unless it is a minor change the piece just gets to over worked. Also it is always much easier to make sure drawing and composition are good upfront then to correct it later.

As for older work and it hanging around later when you are capable of better. Well that is up to you but personally I throw the old paintings out.

That is also why I advise against selling work until you are truly ready. If it is a personal painting and still in your collection then you can still destroy it later but if it was commissioned well it is now out there from now until eternity (or until it falls apart) as a example of your work.

Giving it away to relatives can also come back to haunt you. You never know who will pay a visit to you aunt and see that painting you did 10 years ago. So no matter how appalled your family is seeing you destroy a painting don't listen to them if you are not happy with the painting destroy it. It does not matter if your mom likes it or if it was a representation of your child and has memories if it is a bad painting get rid of it. (just my opinion)

When are you ready? I can't answer that for you since only you know what your goal is for your work. But if you have a goal then you will know. You are ready when you can honestly look at your work and say it is at least very close to that goal you set for yourself. Until then keep only your best paintings and don't sell any and as you do better get rid of those that are farthest from your goal. Once you have 20 or so good paintings then you have a start, pick the best 10 for a portfolio and show those. Then try and make every painting you do equal to or better then those best 10 and you are ready to start selling your work.


Not every painting you do must be a permanent record of your work Many study and sketch paintings I do, I wipe out before the paint dries. I may do another on that subject or not but you do not have to save everything in fact I advise against it. Paint a lot and don't worry that it must be great for you have to paint a lot to get good but you do not need to keep them all. I may do 2 or more throw-aways, I call them, a week these are paintings that are just paintings to keep fresh to work out ideas or to work on a technique. I don't care if they are good or not when I start if they turn out OK I might keep them but most of the time they are thrown or wiped out. If I am working on a complex painting I might do a few of these throw-aways as studies or if I get to a area of a painting that just is not working I might scrape off that section and pickup another canvas and try different things on that then go back to the final painting and with the problem solved on the throw-away I can then zip through that section with confidence. And I do not have to deal with muddy colors or working over mistakes I might have made experimenting on the final painting.

I have wasted time working and reworking paintings that I should have just thrown out and started over. Some might say you ruin a good painting overworking it. But I feel really you are just making a bad painting worse for if it was good by your standard then you would have stopped working on it and declared it finished. So what if it was good in someone else's opinion if you are not happy with it then keep working or if needed wipe it out and start over. It is your painting no one else's. Sometimes what is needed is more work on a area other times a fresh start is better.

[Gina Rath]

Chris and Michael,

Thank you so much for taking time to answer. You have given me a lot to think about. I did have the same thought, Chris, that I could be repainting the same painting forever, which I hope to be too busy to do.

Michael, I