If you've been to a workshop with me, or read my little eBook Pastel Painting Made Easy, you'll know that I paint systematically. I work dark to light, and cool to warm. As a creative who can easily become distracted with colour, painting in steps keeps me focused and reduces the chances of muddying the colours.
Even though I follow a series of colour applications, I still run into that point in my painting that I like to call The Ugly Stage. It's that moment when I look at the pastel on my paper and feel a little overwhelmed. I can't completely see where the colours are taking me. I start to wonder if maybe i've made a mistake and doubt the process.
I don't think I'm the only artist that experiences this. I've heard the same doubts expressed in workshops that I've led. Learning artists who follow the cool-to-warm application system start to worry. They're ready to give up, or say things like "I'm not good at this". It's difficult to imagine the big picture and so easy to get caught up in the strangeness of what's in front of them.
Even though I follow a series of colour applications, I still run into that point in my painting that I like to call The Ugly Stage. It's that moment when I look at the pastel on my paper and feel a little overwhelmed. I can't completely see where the colours are taking me. I start to wonder if maybe i've made a mistake and doubt the process.
I don't think I'm the only artist that experiences this. I've heard the same doubts expressed in workshops that I've led. Learning artists who follow the cool-to-warm application system start to worry. They're ready to give up, or say things like "I'm not good at this". It's difficult to imagine the big picture and so easy to get caught up in the strangeness of what's in front of them.
Recently I spent time in the studio after not painting for a number of months. I wanted something fun to work on as a warm-up piece. I had been out taking photos of cows a couple days before and chose one as reference material.
The picture to the left is an example of when I thought "I've arrived at the ugly stage". I recognized that my painting was a little off technically. I doubted my reference choice. I wondered if I could get the results I was hoping for because I had lost sight of the bigger picture.
It could be so easy at this point to walk away from a painting, or even question the process and start dropping in the lightest colours or highlights to make the cow more believable.
The picture to the left is an example of when I thought "I've arrived at the ugly stage". I recognized that my painting was a little off technically. I doubted my reference choice. I wondered if I could get the results I was hoping for because I had lost sight of the bigger picture.
It could be so easy at this point to walk away from a painting, or even question the process and start dropping in the lightest colours or highlights to make the cow more believable.
But with years of painting experience, I knew that giving up or abandoning my process wouldn't produce the result that I was looking for. It's important to push through the frustrating stage and remind myself that the painting will come together eventually. One of the nice features of pastel applied to sanded paper is that it is very forgiving. The ability to layer allows me to edit along the way. The eyes and nose placement was adjusted until the cow became more accurate.
If you encounter the same feelings of doubt halfway through a painting you might find comfort in knowing that many artists encounter The Ugly Stage in their painting process. However, it's how you move through that conflict that will determine your growth as an artist.
To the left is the finished piece. The introduction of warm colours is often what reassures me that I'm on the right track, and with a slow layering of colour and value, it eventually comes together.
Happy painting!
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