how to know when your art is finished

Something I get asked a lot is how do you know when your art is finished? I must admit that there is a method to knowing when to stop layering, stop creating and call it done. And while I don’t have a magic solution, I do have a few tips that work for me:

1. I’ve found that it really helps to stop or push pause during the creative process. I will step away for a day or two, come back, take another look and decide if I want to keep going. I’ve found that taking a break and coming back gives me a fresh outlook and helps me make decisions about adding more layers or calling it done.

2. If your surface stops feeling dynamic, colorful or begins to get muddy…STOP IMMEDIATELY! It can be really easy to overwork those colors, especially when you are working in layers. If you add too much wet paint or mix too many colors, the surface will start to look muddy. This is when you need to stop, let that paint dry, go back into the surface and lighten things up by adding vibrant or contrasting colors.

3. Give yourself a number of layers to work through. For example: start with two or three layers. Try practicing this amount and then work your way up to adding more. This process can help you figure out how many layers work for you and when it feels right to stop.

4. If at any moment in your process you “fall in love” with your surface or if you are apprehensive about ruining something, this is a really good sign to stop and call it done.