How to Avoid Over-Working a Pencil Drawing
When is a Drawing (or a Painting) Done?
Many of us have struggled with that question. We throw ourselves into the creation process, the inspired image fresh on our minds, only to end up overworking a drawing until it looks like mud! How does one decide when to stop drawing? When is a pencil drawing truly complete?
Speaking as one who has over-worked several drawings, I have come up with a number of tricks that help me reach for this fixative spray at just the right point.
The first thing I do is to stop drawing when I feel the piece is 90% complete … or when I know I still have more to do but it is almost done. I then walk away from the drawing for several days so that I can see it with fresh eyes later.
When I come back the the drawing table, I take the artwork and tape it to a door or wall and view it from a distance. I leave it there for another day or two and let my new impressions & inspirations sink in. Most of the time, I know at this point exactly what I want to do to finish the piece.
If I am still questioning myself, I hold the drawing up to a mirror and view it in “reverse.” This offers a completely new perspective, and I nearly always clearly see anything that has been bothering me about the drawing. Occasionally I will take a digital picture of the artwork and view it on a computer screen. It’s amazing what a different view of the art will reveal
Pencil Artist David Horne says “When you start looking for things to do in a piece of work thats normally when its done.” I think this is a wonderful quote, and I know it will help me with future pencil drawings. And pencil artist Clive Meredith shares “I tend to know that a drawing is finished when the image on paper matches the one in my mind.” … another wonderful thought!
Pencil drawing is a very soothing artform, requiring many hours of dedication in peace & quiet. It can be so easy to become lost in creating detail, that we become trapped in that detail, losing site of the desired result. I hope the above tips will help you to create your perfect drawing in pencil!
