Let’s talk about facing our artist’s fear of imperfection! What to do when you mess up a painting? Messing up a painting sounds like a big deal but here’s what you should be doing in case you find yourself in a similar situation.
As a painter, you will happen to mess up your paintings every now and then for various reasons. Having liquids spill over your work, mixing the wrong shade, going over an area with a useless addition that looks better in our heads, making wrong creative decisions and so much more. And as a beginner, I recall holding my paintings so dear to my heart that the slightest mistake was absolutely unforgivable. However, that led to nothing but stagnated growth and frustration.
This article will cover:
- Why do we freak out when we mess up a painting?
- How do we feed the fear of imperfection?
- What to do when you mess up a painting?
Why do we freak out when we mess up a painting?
As humans, we are born with no fear of making mistakes. But as we grow up, our parents or caregivers would often teach us what’s right from wrong, and we might get scolded for making mistakes or messing up. Therefore, as adults, we become conditioned to fear messing up which is known as the fear of imperfection. Some of us have a higher level of fear than others; and as artists, the first step to growth and improvement is getting rid of our perfectionist side and controlling the fear of imperfection to stop it from taking over.
How do we feed the fear of imperfection?
When we make a mistake while painting, we have the fear of not being able to fix it. We often sacrifice the good for the perfect (in this case, we sacrifice growth for perfection), and the perfect is always out of reach. We’re afraid of criticism, of being seen as less than “artists”. We consider each work precious and do not consider our current paintings as the steps toward our next great work. We also believe that mistakes lead to failure and failure is an ending point.
What to do when you mess up a painting?
Do not freak out
When you encounter a problem in your painting, do NOT jump straight into critical problem-solving mode! This is the first trigger for freaking out. Rather, step back and simply observe your painting. Do you need to fix it? Can you fix it? Would it be more convenient to incorporate this mistake into your painting and work around it? Sometimes, going too hard at a problem might end up in a roller-coaster of overanalysis and seeing issues where there aren’t any. You might even see minor issues as being more serious than they really are.
If you study art history, you’ll learn that many artists painted over portions of their paintings or over the whole painting. It’s just a part of the process.
Take the Opportunity to Experiment with Other Media
Zen master Suzuki once wrote, ‘Life delineates itself on the canvas called time; and time never repeats, once gone, forever gone; and so is an act: once done, it is never undone.’ He went on to liken life to a sumiye (ink painting), ‘which must be executed once and for all time without hesitation, without intellection, and no corrections are permissible or possible.’ Quite simply, don’t keep looking back at your mistakes; instead, live and paint presently. [Extract from the book: Mindful Thoughts for Artists]
What this means is that if you made a mistake with your piece, then it’s your opportunity – not a loss. Take the chance to experiment with new media (Try adding a collage to your painting, add an effect with charcoal or pastels, etc.). As a beginner to intermediate artist, you might have limited experience with unique media. By mixing and experimenting with different media, you can rescue a painting and give any piece a unique appearance.
Follow the advice of the impressionists, aka simplify a painting
I know that the biggest mistake beginners make (I did too) is adding too much detail. If your painting is starting to look too busy, then it’s time to simplify it. Take a step back and assess the piece. Keep track of the depth of your painting, not every ground needs excessive details and sharp edges. Consider the balance of the piece, and start eliminating certain elements or covering them up.
Cover the elements that you don’t need
I know it’s hard to cover something that you spent hours on painting but just do it. Painting is all about the decisions you make in your work and being emotional doesn’t help much. If you’re not sure how to start fixing your painting, grab a big brush. Take the largest brush you can find and use it to paint over the details in the background of your work, keeping your brushstrokes loose and bold.
Last but not least, add Texture
If you can’t figure out how to fix a painting, then add texture to it You can add texture by using impasto techniques, paper, plaster, or other items. How to make Textured 3D Art: Best Two Methods
As pointed out by artist Karen Longden, some painters even salvage watercolor paintings by adhering an overlay of a sheet of rice paper and painting in areas in a delicate wash. Or, they tear the rice paper off around the edges or in select spots to give a watercolor painting a unique, ethereal appearance.
Other painters add texture to oil and acrylic works to cover unsightly areas, then paint over the texture when it’s dry. (Expert tip: never add texture to the distant elements or the background of your painting if it’s a landscape. texture brings elements forward and that ruins the sense of distance).
Conclusion
Remember, not all problems in a painting need to be solved. Only those that detract from your painting as a whole and clutter your message.
Next time you encounter a problem in your painting, no need to freak out. Simply observe and see what comes to mind. If that doesn’t work, then you can start with a problem-solving approach.
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