Know When to Walk Away
Hi there. How are you?
Welcome back to the Sunday Spread. Each week I give you a glimpse into my sketchbook and drawing practice. Posted most Sundays.
I worked on this drawing for about a week while watching our evening TV. Sometimes, I’ll work for just a few minutes at a time. Other times I’ll keep at it for a few hours, slowly building up layers of ballpoint on the page. It was a relaxing, end of the day activity.
This drawing flowed easily for me. I always knew my next move. First I worked with the orange, and then slowly incorporated some black ink to enhance the darks. Over time, the little scallop shapes emerged and the small page started to fill up.
Then I didn’t know what to do next.
Did it need something else? Was it finished? Should I keep going?
I had decision paralysis.
I’ve been here before, and I’ll be here again.
I Decided to Walk Away.
Sometimes that’s the best thing you can do at this point. When you come back to it with fresh eyes, you’ll see things differently and might even realize that your work is just right.
And that’s what happened. I added the date, snapped a photo, and called it done! Is it perfect? No, but it’s a sketchbook drawing and I enjoyed the process and I’m happy with the end result. That’s all that matters.
If you’d like to dive deeper into learning when to abandon an artwork and when to persevere, check out this post.
That’s all for now.
