Overcoming Weaknesses

It’s always good to know our weaknesses, and as an artist, I know mine only too well. My biggest problem has always been creating depth in drawings or paintings. I can handle the skies and the background, but middle ground? Foreground? Nope. I always have problems.

Today, I worked assiduously on that particular problem. It was a struggle, especially since I was using an 18 x 24 canvas panel. It’s really exhausting to me to paint on a larger scale.

This painting was an all-day project. Although I did have problems — the middle ground was re-done several times — in the end, I liked what I accomplished. Sure, I have too many “misty clouds” there in the middle ground, but for now, it was the best I could do.

I was somewhat disappointed in my tree line at the edge of the river. It was re-done several times, too. I do think I was able to create more depth than usual in the painting, and except for the misty fog, I think my proportions are about right. Overall, I’m happy with the results I achieved.

Happy…but not fully satisfied. I’m going to keep working on depth, paying more attention to the middle ground of my paintings, and hopefully I’ll work through my problems in time.

Another problem I have — both with watercolor and oil painting — is not mixing enough of a color. I’m trying to stop being so stingy. As often as not, I run out of the colors I’ve mixed, and then I can never re-mix it exactly the same. I’m going to go to the opposite extreme and mix up more paint than I could possibly need. I think I’d rather have excess paint than to run out halfway through whatever area I’m painting, whether it’s skies, clouds, trees, or mountains.

Of course, I’m still working on thick and thin, still learning to get just the right consistency for just the right applications of paint. Correcting that problem, I think, is just a matter of practice, practice, practice. The more experience I gain, the easier it will be for me to judge what’s needed.

So, what are your weaknesses as an artist? How are you overcoming those weaknesses? On the other side of the coin, what are your strengths, and how to you use them to advantage?