Search

Translate Read in Your Language

7/17/2011

What to do with a Painting Gone Wrong! Abstract painting tips and practical workable solutions

Many times in our artist's career we get this experience. Ask any artist about their painting gone  wrong and everyone will have some unpleasant memories about this. There is a tendency to hide the unpleasant and only show our good works. I have heard artists’ tear apart, cut, rip off and throw art works in frustration.
I ripped off the large canvas!
tore old paintings
tearing old artworks



 This is a most common sight with any artist because all that you make may not always be a master piece!



Goodluck Fan  in progress Razarts
In progress Feng Shui fan of Happiness razarts
Dragon Flower Tibetan Ashtamangala painting by Rizwana A.Mundewadi



Focussed old, painting repainted Rizwana M
Focussed Reiki symbol painting on canvas year 2016

What to do when you have a muddy painting, all colours have mixed and over lapped, and it is an ugly looking canvas.First of all I have learnt that it takes understanding and patience to let go of the work. Leave the painting for some time and stop working and reworking on it. Some times I go on and on but end with wasting more paint and nothing emerging from the art. I have this painting which I have termed  "In Search of Prosperity" at a glance it looks very muddied but it does show images, symbols, colours and the viewer will get an understanding of the process gone through to achieve this painting. Here I was very upset and even my husband was irritated as he is of the belief that I must not repaint any work and just let it be what I paint once, but being an abstract artist it is very important for me to let the painting take its own course and let it go till I feel the painting is finished.
collage art in progress

Now comes the most important question of what to do, so please do not throw away any paper, canvas or other material you have painted on.
tore old paper paintings
 It can always be repainted when the painting dries. If the painting spoiled is of water colour you can use some water lightly to remove some paint from the paper. Oil paintings are the easiest to hide or cover as you can repaint the canvas after the original painting dries. If you have a small piece of painting that looks good , select the area and repaint the other parts of the painting with other colours. You can either use dark colours and highlight some aspects in the painting or use a lighter shade to merge the painting background and keep the original part of the old painting.
Turn it upside down or side ways! yes, you will be amazed!
change the title and subject of the painting.
Keeping the spoiled artwork aside for some days or months will give you a fresh perspective and you also will develop new ideas to approach the canvas. You may as an artist proceed with doing another painting or artwork keeping aside this piece for later. It is very true that every artist gets ideas and sometimes it may not always come up as thought on the canvas. You may end up with a muddied artwork if you continue painting over this and there is even fear of your paper tearing or canvas going limp with too much paint over it!
Dragon Collage artwork The Red Pilgrim

So have patience with all your paintings and do keep in mind that not all paintings are master pieces and you may have certain average looking paintings, some good paintings and some very good attractive artworks. This is a journey of every artist as they progress in their career and spoiled paintings are a part of every artists journey. We have to keep obsessively painting and once in a way a master piece just springs up!
Have patience and keep the spoiled paintings aside for few months or even years. Take a look after few months and the same artwork when observed with a fresh perspective may look good, even it may be a masterpiece in itself, just your viewpoint at that time may be different earlier and as you widen your horizon you may learn to appreciate art and who knows, a spoiled painting may even become the most expensive artwork of your career!
Painting since ear 2000 I have obsessively pain ted thousands of artwork son canvas and papers and have tried every means to save most, recycle, repaint, reuse and also torn and burnt so many! the journey continues...as I paint new artworks. 
All the Best from Rizwana!
Healing Paintings Razarts

Featured Post on Razarts

Powerful Karuna Reiki symbol Mara benefits you did not know! Clean your room! Experience live negativity clearing reiki video

Karuna Reiki is all about heart emotion compassion self acceptance, healing, today sharing a powerful use of the symbol Mara or Rama which y...