There is a moment in almost every drawing or painting where things suddenly seem to go wrong. What started off feeling promising now looks awkward, messy or disappointing, and you may find yourself wondering whether you should abandon it altogether.
If this sounds familiar, it is worth knowing one important thing: this stage is completely normal.
Most artwork looks worse before it looks better. That uncomfortable middle stage is often where learning is actually happening.
At the start, everything feels hopeful. The page is clean, the idea is clear, and nothing has gone wrong yet. As the work develops, however, decisions start to show. Proportions might feel off, marks may look clumsy, and the gap between what you imagined and what is on the page can suddenly feel very obvious.
This is not a sign that you are doing badly. It is a sign that you are becoming more aware.
When artists improve, their ability to see issues usually develops faster than their ability to fix them. This can make the middle stage of a piece feel especially uncomfortable. You can see what is not quite right, but you are not yet sure how to resolve it.
One of the most helpful things you can do at this point is pause rather than panic. Step back from the work, physically if you can. Look at it from a distance, or turn it upside down. Often the problems feel less dramatic once you stop staring at them up close.
It can also help to keep going gently rather than trying to fix everything at once. Small adjustments, one area at a time, are usually far more effective than heavy reworking. Trust that the piece does not need to be solved all at once.
Perhaps most importantly, resist the urge to judge your work too early. Artwork is a process, not a snapshot. What you are seeing halfway through is not the finished piece, even if your brain is trying to convince you otherwise.
Learning to sit with that uncomfortable middle stage is part of becoming an artist. The more you experience it, the easier it becomes to recognise it for what it is – a necessary step, not a failure.
And if you would like a fresh place to begin this week, why not take part in our next Weekend Art Challenge, posted here on the blog every Friday. The themes are designed to help you get started and keep going without overthinking.
Sometimes the most important part of making art is simply not giving up halfway through.
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