FINISHING OFF

This item was really set in motion following a demonstration I did recently for an art group in Yorkshire. I enjoy demonstrating, and have enjoyed the hospitality of many such groups over the years. No matter what size the group (and this can vary considerably from just half a dozen members up to a couple of hundred or so) everybody I meet is always so enthusiastic; they are such a bubbling hotbed of talent!

Of course, demonstrating watercolour to an enthusiastic audience is bound to have its limitations. Most groups meet for a two-hour session, which means that, with a strategically timed tea and biscuit break built into that time, I can only realistically expect to get about an hour and a half’s painting time in. Whilst this isn’t a problem, I am keenly aware of the fact that what I paint in that time must arrive at some logical conclusion. I generally try to choose subjects that can be produced in the minimum amount of time, allowing a concentration on specific areas of a painting, subject to the particular interests of the audience in question.

Sometimes, demonstrating really does feel like painting by the seat of your pants – watercolour is no less unpredictable for the unwary demonstrator, and the ability to turn a potential problem into a positive must surely be the prime qualification for such an undertaking. Whatever the outcome, however, the problem of ‘Finishing Off’ is always something a lack of time dictates that I invariably end up giving as a list of what now needs to be done to a piece before it can truly be called ‘completed’, with the promise of a finished image in the post so that the group can enjoy a kind of ‘post-match-analysis’ of the piece.

Because of the restrictions painting in front of an audience places upon me, one of the first things I’ll do with a nearly completed painting is sit down and look at it directly on. Demonstrating means having to make decisions on-the-fly, sometimes not giving the necessary thought to an area, with the possibility of creating at best an imbalance, at worst a total mess-up. I’ve learned to pre-plan a piece before attending the demonstration to avoid things leaning-over from having been painted from the side of the easel.

This is finishing-off within the context of demonstrating, and for your enjoyment, I’ve added the process of the particular painting in question to the articles section of the on-line watercolour workshop. In terms of everyday painting, however, here is a shortlist of things to look out for when approaching those closing moments of the painting process:

[1] Detail
Detail should always be carefully controlled. Stand back from your painting and look at it critically (I’m sure you do this all the time); in particular look at the detail. Is there enough detail in the areas that need it, or is there too much detail in areas that really don’t need it? Remember; if in doubt, leave it out! If you’re not too careful, fine details in the wrong place can divert the attention from a focal point.

[2] Overall Balance
Overall balance of a composition is something that should, theoretically, have been sorted out in the earlier stages. Unfortunately, it’s easy to get carried away, time spent in close proximity to your work, during the painting process, can easily cloud that overview. Again, stand back from your work and view it critically. This time, look at the overall spread of objects, shapes, groups of shapes and tones. There should always be some sort of dominance within your composition – primarily with a view to drawing the eye inexorably towards the focal point, but check that you don’t have objects too near the borders or corners, taking the eye away, or worse, out of the painting altogether!

[3] Cleaning up
Look for errant spots of paint that have accidentally appeared on the paper. It could be that they look okay, and actually contribute in some way to the composition (you don’t have to explain it away – if it looks like it belongs, keep it in). Alternatively, some paint spots will come back to haunt you unless you either integrate them into the painting or remove them altogether – preferably BEFORE it’s framed. Of course, spots in the sky can almost always be turned into birds, with the added benefit of total randomness!

[4] Quiet areas?
Paintings very often benefit from having the odd ‘quiet’ area; an area where little or nothing is happening. Don’t automatically feel compelled to fill it full of unnecessary information – if the overall feel of the piece is good, don’t jeopardise it by cluttering it up on a whim.

[5] Scale
Double-check the scale of objects against one another. Leaves on a tree that are too large can be broke down into smaller leaves, and people and animals mustn’t dwarf each other or be stood against, say, doors that are too large or too small. We tend to deal with elements of a painting one at a time – a little bit on a wall here, let’s work on that tree there – always be aware of adjacent objects and how each of those objects relate to each other (remember; a good composition will consist of several objects linked together in a logical, orderly way – avoid lots of objects ‘floating’ around like some great cosmic, ‘object-soup’).