I’ve often worked on a
piece of art for ages. From the time I start piecing together an idea
and looking for stock for a photo manipulation until when I’m done
with the last tweak weeks may have passed. I set fairly high
standards with my manips there’s no real excuse for being sloppy
when everything is fixable.
As it happens when I’m
done with a photo manipulation or digital painting I tend to have
invested so much time in it that I’m pretty much blind to any
flaws. I’ve invested so much into worrying away the details it’s
quite easy to miss something glaringly obvious. This is a trap I
still fall into, thankfully a lot less often now though.
A lesson from my old
friend Stephen King (well I consider him a friend considering how
much time I’ve spent reading his books, if you asked him he might
pretend never to have heard of me, Stephen you kidder you!) He writes
every day for about six months. He then takes the large pile of paper
puts in a file and puts it in his desk drawer. He then starts writing
every day again normally short stories and such. Six weeks later
he’ll take the large manuscript out and start revising.
This is not an ideal
method for visual arts especially if it’s commissioned work 6 weeks
may seem a bit excessive to a prospective client. The principle of
the advice is sound though. Create! Create without censorship let
your imagination run wild get caught up in the process and let it
take you. When it’s done throw a cloth over it or switch your pc
off grab your sketch pad and take a walk and sketch some ideas for
your next project or just take a walk. Take as much time as you
possibly can. Then when you return to your work be ruthless. The
Devil’s in the details and you’re much more likely to see the
detail when you have some time away so that you can try and look at
your work with fresh eyes.
