Catchin' Creek Critters

Lazy Summer Days
Colored Pencil on Strathmore 400-Series
Drawing Paper
approx. 16"x20"

Maybe if I post this here, it will give me the push I need to get back to work on it. (Excuse the poor quality of the photo.) I started it in August 2008, got this far, started to feel overwhelmed, and gave it a rest. In the interim, I've done some sketching from life, a couple of CP kits by Nicole Caulfield that I purchased from Ann Kullberg's site www.annkullberg.com, and some smaller pieces that I have posted: namely "Zoie" and "Early Morn."

I don't know how other artists feel but, for me, if a piece is going to take a while and I know it, I get tired of looking at it fairly quickly and have to make myself stop so I don't totally screw it up or overwork it. I then go on to simpler, less time-consuming, smaller formats, or sketches until I feel that "okay, I'm ready to attempt to be a perfectionist again" feeling. Notice, in that last sentence, I said "attempt."

Nobody's perfect, but when I'm working on a piece that I really care about, I want to do my best—preferably doing it right the first time, so I won't feel compelled to scrap it and start all over. If I get tired of looking at the original not too far into the process, how far would the process get if I had to redo the entire piece! I guess that might be part of the challenge of creating for some. Perseverance. And I guess, for those whom derive pleasure from the process instead of the end result, this feeling is not a problem.

I think I see the process as a means to an end. I am after the end result and the pleasure I derive from the process depends on my mood, mindset, how well I feel the piece is progressing, and how much time I will have to invest in the piece. Will all the time and angst spent be worth it in the end?