When I’m at an ugly stage with a painting, I have to turn off my inner critic and let go. But that’s way easier said than done.

A few days ago I was painting and I completely overworked the eyes and face of my character.

My first thought was, “I’ve totally ruined my painting.”

Then I thought, “There’s no way I can save this piece. I should just cover the whole thing up.”

While I know every painting has this ugly stage, I still kept trying to fix it and paint my perfect face. I scribbled over the eyes and redrew them again (and again) at least ten times. And then I felt super defeated.

Finally I got so frustrated I took a fat brush and splattered and dribbled dark ink over the entire painting. It turned into a big, muddy mess (but I started to have fun).

It’s so difficult to be loose and stay in that intuitive flow with my art. Play is a solution, but moments like these remind me to take a step away, turn off that inner critic and go back to a childlike mindset where there’s no right or wrong… that’s where the beauty emerges. Oftentimes, it just takes a few paintings and tons of mistakes to get there.

I share more of my creative process and how I’ve developed my style in my Free Painting Workshop, just click HERE to join me for a Free Painting Workshop and learn my favorite painting techniques and supplies.

Happy painting!
xo Juliette