The Ugly Painting Phase • Working through Art Problems

[@TheBlackHatOutlaw]

I get through my ugly painting phase simply by reminding myself that "It's not done yet!" In highshcool, I was taught to keep working with a piece until you like it. This doesn't always work of course as there are cases where you need to start over, but it did teach me not to give up so fast. Now I don't even think about it.

[@calska140]

I never feel like I like it. I just have to force myself to step away and focus on something else at the point that it would be excruciating and costly to improve on or correct. So this leads to a revision being worked on because for the price of improving the previous one I can get 2 new ones 3/4ths of the way finished and finish them in maybe a more satisfactory way a lot quicker. Hence why I'm here working on my skills and process to hopefully get it closer to the intended vision the first time. Being satisfied with how it is just doesn't seem to be in the cards for me. Especially since my dad, a superb woodworker/craftsman told me that he's never felt satisfied with his work either and I struggle to see how he can even get better. I guess the advice to these people would be to get it to a state that is not intolerable and let it be. This lines up with a concept from engineering/mathematics Which is that; no matter how precise and correct you want a physical object to be, sometimes the mathematically correct answer is a series of numbers past the decimal point that continue infinitely so you have to call it good at a certain point. I mean there are literally infinite numbers between 0.00 and 0.01.

[@TheBlackHatOutlaw]

@@calska140 Fair point and very well said!

[@KimberlyCrick]

Every single one of my paintings has a stage where it looks hideous... and I wonder if I should just give up and move on to another project. I think that for me, it's always about the halfway point, and when I stick with it sometimes I'm rewarded with my best work. I love this piece, I'm glad to see you branch out from watercolor more. As fantastic as your watercolor work is, this is something new and surprisingly good. It makes me want to try mediums I don't normally work with.

[@DaniaMihaela]

i sometimes feel like i should start another one because my supporters won't t like the piece either and its such a big mistake

[@dangodaydreams7872]

I feel like my ugly painting phase never ends and I just look back and think “this isn’t as terrible as I remember”. I feel like I’ll always hate my art, regardless of how good I get. I always find someone who’s better than me and I get down on myself about it because I’m not as good as they are, especially if they’re younger than me. Also, your art is amazing!!!! This video was really informative and almost comforting. Thank you for sharing!

[@linwong1494]

I get this too and still struggle with it. Some things that have helped me battle with it have been a major change in mindset. Like shifting focus on what's wrong about the piece that I dislike and pointing out the things that turned out well and enjoying the small victories. Another thing is really allowing yourself to fail at times, and laughing at the happy accidents and doing what you can with them. Art is a learning process, the mistake you made is just another step to you improving and honing your ability to achieve your vision. I was trapped in the mindset you described for so so many years, telling myself to give up cause I suck, but somehow i sorta just woke up from it and realized I can do it, it just needs time, patience and practice. The last thing is remembering that art is meant to be fun! :) I feel like most people draw because they ENJOY drawing, and that sometimes in pursuit of this "perfection" we envision, we forget that we're supposed to be enjoying what we do. Hope this helped and I wish you the best on your art journey.

[@pallasitematrix1614]

Art is hard! And it's hard to look at others who appear to be doing so well, and wonder why you're not there. Or why it's not coming out the way you imagine, no matter how much you try and rework it. I definitely experience this- it can be really frustrating to spend so much time and energy trying to make something, and have it come out less than what you wanted. For me, I'm working on giving myself permission to make ugly art. I did the line art on a frog I drew today and my hand was shaking so it came out... rough. And not like what I was looking at for a reference (things rarely come out the way the reference looks for me). But... that happens. I think that, when we're creating art, it gets really easy to focus on what's going on when we're working on it bc part of making art is fixing the mistakes we can. Like that's just part of the process- I draw a sketch and its rough, but in order to clean it up I need to look for the places where it's rough. Or like, I usually wind up with a couple different lines that get erased for every one that gets kept so things wind up the right shape. And I need to spot the wrong ones in order to pick out the right ones. And that's just kind of how it is, I think- very few people are able to just get it down exactly right the first time. And sometimes, I pick the wrong lines. It just happens, and sometimes it's more noticeable than others. Sometimes it ruins a piece, like when I get the wrong shape for the eyes. That's the worst. But it's also??? ok. Like with any given drawing, it could come out good or it could turn out bad. But I'm never going to make the good art unless I make the bad art, and I'm never going to get better at making the good art if I don't practice at all. I think there's this huge notion people have about art, about it being a "talent". Like something people just kind of are. Like some people are just good at it without effort. And honestly? I find it really discrediting to what art really is, which is a skill that's practiced and worked on. When we see pictures people put up online, we're only seeing what they show us. Not the whole of their sketchbook or w/e. We're not usually seeing the ugly art, or what it took to get to where they are now. Everybody picks up skills differently, and I don't think art is any different. Sure, there may be young people who have more time, or energy, or discipline, to develop the skill faster. Or there are some people who really do just pick it up faster than others. But one person's success doesn't "set the bar" or w/e- we all learn and grow at our own pace. And that's ok.

[@emmie9469]

Don’t feel you need to compare yourself to others. As a fellow artist, I understand how hard it is NOT to do this lol, but just try to compare yourself to yourself rather than other people. At the end of the day, everyone has their own art style so being different to someone doesn’t necessarily mean you’re better/worse, you’re just different. Instead, try to have a more positive mindset and see how your art has developed. It’s something i have learnt while doing art in school where I went from feeling confident about my art to suddenly being surrounded by other talented artists when I picked as one of my GCSE subjects, it really helped me out.

[@jennamanninen203]

Not healty think like that becaus there will always be better than u artists.think other good artist as motivation dont be jeallos them becaus u never getting best at evrithing at art.

[@dangodaydreams7872]

jenna manninen I barely understood what you said but I think I can get the message

[@korinthis6868]

I get through the "Ugly painting" phase by changing the mood of the music I'm working to. If I'm listening to a soothing piece then I change to synth or more militaristic music. It changes how my mind attacks the problem and I find it helps me find a fix or the ugly part suddenly becomes a stepping stone to something I originally didn't think of.

[@lucyrodriguez8331]

Korinthis 1 oh wow that’s smart

[@mimizero9880]

Honestly I do the same thing too, it does help a lot for me

[@kerryd132]

Love this 😍

[@happyhighgal7239]

I’m crying. I’ve been getting to the “ugly” part of my tie dye work. I look at the pieces I dyed my FIRST time and then look at the pieces now and they don’t even compare or measure up. Thank you for showing me that other people struggle the same way I do- but with different things 💖💖💖💖 thank you thank you

[@krystiannedorion4721]

I just have to say the part where you add the swirly strands of hair is just so satisfy to watch. I love the way you draw hair :)

[@o_m525treble7]

I know that feeling so well. The “half done feeling” like I couldn’t have described it better

[@Ray-mz4hd]

I love the shape of that wood panel

[@hv_studios]

It framed the painting really well

[@tottythetwink6189]

What I do is I take a break (probably cry) then come back to it and push through until its finished. If it's still "ugly" then I try to fix it the best I can.

[@JaeJekyll]

Probably the best thing to do with the ugly painting phase in acrylic is to remind yourself not to stop. I have so many canvases from years ago where I began something and stopped at that ugly phase and now aside from not having the spark for what made me want to paint that subject anymore theyre just forever stuck in ugly so its hard to see their potential anymore.

[@deimosoverkill]

I just panic for a minute, and then i know its time to stop until the next day; it usually works, because i can troubleshoot the problem in my head with clear steps. lovely art!

[@Penciledbykay]

I know exactly what you mean. Mostly I use graphite pencils, and just now (age 29) started trying to use watercolors. So I’m learning a new medium, and color theory, and find myself stuck in the ugly stage-as well as constantly being worried about wasting $$ on paper

[@SorrensSorrow]

When I hit the ugly phase if I can't power through that day I will leave it and go back after a nights rest. Fresh eyes help you work through what a exhausted mind can't.

[@sekaihatsu]

Your videos are like "the science of art" and I find it motivational to change my thought process from outright negative criticism to digging for a solution or walking away for a bit and come back with fresh eyes. Btw, that hair color looks good on you.

[@DarkCreation1577]

I still can’t believe I own the original for this one. I’m so glad you worked through that phase because the final piece is just so beautiful

[@DanicaSills]

I'm so glad that you like it! It is so fun to hear about my art out in the wild!

[@1010qdogon]

In highschool There were many pictures I gave up on because I thought they looked ugly then I saw a friends snapchat and she said all good art starts off ugly and, I will never forget that, after that I tried to just push through the ugly stage and it was literally one of the best pictures I had ever done, at the time, so now I give it until I've done more than say the outline before I decide if it good or not.

[@remenissions13]

I know that every single piece I do goes into an ugly phase where it stops making sense... And then the more frustrated I get the worse it becomes. I've learned to take a step back, take a few days away from it and start something different. When I come back to it with fresh eyes I can see where the flaws are that are throwing me off and I can go and fix it. It doesn't work 100% of the time, but most of the time it does help. The other thing I started doing is taking a photo - so I remove myself from it and look at it from a distance, almost as a stranger looking at someone else's drawing. It puts the elements that don't work into perspective. Thank you for your video, the process was interesting to see and your take on it all. The painting came out wonderful!

[@FerynDerRegen]

Oh my God yes! 😭I get that especially when I use watercolors in a technique where I paint over the sketch and THEN ink everything. During the painting step, I got to the point where I take it for granted while like 'yeah, this is the point where everything looks hideous, ugly and muddled, but I need to bear through it until I ink'. And it's so true like once the black ink/outlines hit it the beauty starts coming through. It's really interesting to know that it's quite a common problem. I suppose we just have to bear through it, and not give up when we feel it looks too awful to continue. Our techniques all differ but I'm sure we all have a thing or a step that brings everything together or wraps things up in a painting, and in that case, we should be patient with whatever we face during the painting process and not scrap it, and simply judge the end product and the end product alone~

[@szaboiasmina]

I remember last year, I was going through this "Ugly Phase" of an acrylic painting that I did.. I stoped painting, I cried, I listened to music because music always relaxes me, then I continued with more motivation after 3-4 hours. I was so determinated to finish it the way I like, beacuse I knew it was going to look good, and then, at the very end, I was so happy with how it turned out that even today is one of my faves. This was my extreme reaction of this ugly phase because it made me so sad and so useless that I thought I was not good enough and I will never be. Now, every time I go through this phase, I tell myself.. Is just a phase! Just a moment when this painting isn't at its best.. but everything and everyone on this planet has this little phase where they are not at their best but are working to be that way. This is the way things work, evolve, and grow, without all this good and bad phases of our life, we wouldn't be who we are today and maybe how it will change us in the future. (English: not the best, but I tried :)) )

[@truegreg4301]

This video has really helped me move on with my painting. I'm an extreme newbie when it comes to painting, I didn't even know that there was an 'Ugly Painting Phase', but now that I've watched this I realized that there will always be something to improve on, change, or do whatever with, that's what's so great about art. I've made a painting of a landscape and it is absolutely 'terrible', after staring at it for a while and seeing what I could change, it is now hanging on my wall. Thankyou! :)

[@jadesnyder8763]

I knew you, in the real world. Way back when at the beginning of high school. I am glad to see that you are still doing art. I recall you drawing a zombie girl that I thought was adorable. Small world that your channel was in my recommendations. I definitely agree on the ugly art stage, sometimes I have to put a drawing away for a bit and come back to it to be able to get past it.

[@jhanaih.tavoglu8366]

I love this piece! It is super duper gorgeous! Before her lips were colored in she was giving me some Laura Palmer wrapped in plastic vibes! I love it.

[@mischa2643]

I've gotten so stuck in the ugly painting phase before that I've just given up and walked away, and pretty much invariably, when I came back and saw the piece again later, it was far better than I thought it was before. Distance and time can make a world of difference. Not always, but so, *so often.* I could do better remembering that....

[@zariahkiryu4005]

I hate going through the ugly painting phase, it always frustrates me and upsets me when I get to that point. But I've found, that when I get to the ugly painting phase and begin to get frustrated or upset because I can't get it to look as I want, I just walk away for a little bit so I can calm down and just focus on something else. I'll come back with a fresh mind later on and I'll be able to get through it. Its helped me complete quite a few of my paintings.

[@CheyEmerson]

Thank you so much for this video. It seems like I struggle with the ugly painting phase all to often and made me feel better that I am not the only one that has this problem.

[@katybullerman696]

I have never heard of the "ugly painting phase" but I am pretty new to drawing and watercolor and I expect that it will be good and professional and it never is because i don't let myself get mess and try my own thing. I have worked through that problem the past few months and you are one of my inspiration for that so thank you ❤️❤️❤️

[@katybullerman696]

Also love your hair

[@jengoodwyn2715]

That ugly painting stage scares me every time. I worry that I can't salvage my art. The best advice I've received is to complete the piece regardless and I've found that really helpful.

[@Marxnchill]

girrrrrl you gotta try the sta-wet palette. It has these sheets of paper that you soak as well as a sponge sheet you soak, then you put your acrylics in the palette once they're soaked and your paints will last days and days. Haven't tried any longer than a few weeks, but even after 3 weeks they were still fully wet... nothing hardened. NO WASTE! also, the sheets of paper are re-usable and double sided. soooo worth the investment.

[@cathrinehelle4057]

Does this work for gouache as well? I don't find rewetting the paint as easy to mix as paint straight from the tube or jar - and where do I purchase these sta-wet sheets? 😁

[@ranbowfut8790]

I just started a pretty large oil painting (which is a very new medium for me), and it’s been hard to get through it. But the important thing is to just keep working on it.

[@creamy0bear]

wooh you killed it! totally feel u about the ugly painting phase and the final piece looks gorgeous :)

[@veronicam.5295]

this is so fascinating

[@leighajackson-evans192]

This is so incredibly relatable and helpful! I don't know why I've never thought of breaking a piece down into what needs to happen, instead of always "wanting it to look good at every stage of the painting." I'm in the middle of an "ugly" painting right now, so I can't wait to try out your advice, which has already inspired and encouraged me!!

[@Gutsu_]

beautiful piece Danica! I always admire how honest you are about the way you feel about your artwork. hearing you talk about your struggles and your experience has helped me in the past with similar or even the same types of issues ive faced as an artist. thank you for that. keep up the good work!

[@Sleexty]

Thank you for this video! It's a thing I always try to keep in mind "it's not done yet" but sometimes my eyes get stuck with what I'm seeing, like they're stronger than my mind, maybe this is why a looot of my pieces, specially digital, get unfinished. Thank you for sharing your thoughts about it, I'll try to "keep a plan" like you said.

[@LillySchwartz]

This was one of my major problems when I started working with opaque paints like gouache. I was used to ink and wash and it rarely has that ugly painting phase - I call it the ugly teenage phase by the way 😂 Then I started with Gouache and I was completely thrown by it. The way I work around it is to finish the most important part first, the face or the eyes for example. If I get that part to a stage where I’m happy I can work on the rest without getting discouraged. It’s also great for recording a process video, because then people have something nice to look at while everything else is going through the teenage phase!

[@shaynelicayan8441]

I can totally relate. there are times to the point where i really wanna give up on a piece and rip it off to pieces. But i gotta say this vid truly made me realize that i should be patient and continue on my artwork until the end. So tnx

[@Brina21232]

Yes to all of this!! I use watercolor a lot in my artwork and I always have to push myself through it. I like to focus on the shadows and lights first before adding those fine details so, it always looks ugly in the first stage lol. For me, reminding myself that the ugly phase is temporary always helps me to get through it. Especially, when I am painting something I have never painted before. I have to remind myself throughout the whole process not to panic if I'm not familiar with it (and go get a snack or two lol). Also, stepping back from the artwork helps a lot of the time. Usually, I am so focused on one part of the piece that I haven't realized how it looks like as a whole. It really puts things into perspective for me.

[@hv_studios]

I loooooovee when you paint on wood it looks so cool

[@sparkleweasel9177]

This is one of my favorite pieces of yours. The colors, the expression, the water...its just gorgeous! Also, love your red hair!

[@2468saso]

funny how I got this video recommended to me when I was just working on a painting that's stuck in its ugly phase and getting really frustrated with it lol I usually draw digitally in a cartoon-ish style but I've been practicing more realism recently and I decided to do a full realistic digital painting instead of just studies/sketches and it is... difficult. I keep going back and forth over it and fixing areas and it is getting better but still not looking quite how I want it to... I've probably reached the point where it's no longer in its ugly phase I just need to start over but it was fun and I definitely learned a lot from painting it!!

[@ryanp9135]

I find when things in the ugly phase it's a good time to look at what went wrong, then later on if I can't make successful recover it, I have an idea on what I need to work on and it's easier to let that painting go

[@sammi7538]

I’ve been going through this phase with a gouache piece I’m working on. I have to remind myself not to give up in this frustrating part of the painting

[@Xan1120]

I needed this. I just started working with quills in comics, and I had some mishaps while finishing an assignment with them, but I did learn I really like them, and I’ll try and experiment with them more soon! My primary medium is also watercolor, and it makes me feel better that I’m not the only one who has issues like this! This was v encouraging!

[@elegantruin]

I love this! I would love to see more paintings like this from you

[@Dadonpogo]

I love your art. It is just so unique😻.

[@tydelbarrio9193]

Great topic for discussion. Cant tell you how many times I’ve run into these little blocks. Fantastic work and vid! 👍👍

[@breoneal_art]

I work in watercolor a lot, so for me, my ugly painting phase is always right before I add the linework. Everything looks too blended and not detailed, but as soon as I add that linework, it all just comes together! :P

[@ellespoonies]

slightly off topic, but danica the red hair suits you SO well!! you look so glowy and warm, i love it! back on the topic, i really do think this is an important thing to realize as an artist of any skill level. im still relatively beginning, so for me i hit that ugly stage almost every time i draw, but only when i stick to it and keep pushing do i create something i genuinely love rather than 10 half completed sketches ill never touch again because ive deemed them ugly and not worth my time. not only does it help you learn how you work and how you can fix certain issues, but it really does improve your skill and helps warm you up better than a bunch of incomplete sketches would.

[@sotaspeedpaint8125]

This painting is gorgeous!

[@libertywalters4627]

Okay, so my problem with painting is apparently not using a good thinning mix. I used thinner with oil and water with acrylic. I didn't even know there was a mixer for acrylic that would make it go on smooth and not separated. I always just thought I really sucked at painting.

[@angeldevill1995]

This was really great & I know how you feel I'm going through it now

[@fuzzywondersock1722]

Love the new red hair!

[@mystlady85]

Are you planning on framing this piece? Do you think the place where your working at might affect the painting process? Lovely artwork, by the way. 😍🙂

[@Why-Is-It-All-Taken]

How do you come up with your portrait figures? I get the same sort of portrait stuck in my head :) Do you use reference photo's?

[@gihdavidart]

Hi, I saw your video and just loved it, beautiful work ❤️

[@andreamercado2116]

Loved this!! I like your take on acrylics, really interesting to watch😍

[@miracleheart6468]

I wish you would do more videos on how you prepare your pieces and paint them, give more details about how you use certain products and such.

[@jessjms1181]

This is sooo pretty!!

[@krisztinanagy8818]

I speak from personal experience so this might not apply to a lot of people but this is what worked for me. I look at the drawing/painting like someone asked me to critique their art as a professional (even if I'm not a professional artist by any means). This helps me to get around the emotional connection with my art and my high expectations toward myself. I'd just be bashing myself for being so worthless otherwise. I shut my mind up and concentrate on making the most accurate depictions of either what I have in my mind or the things in front of me (still life, landscapes, people ect.). If I make a mistake? I try to either correct it or if I think it looks better that way I keep it.. I don't stop to think about how bad I am at art or how bad my art looks because I know it's nbot done yet. And I have the fundementals at my disposal. If I'm not sure of something I can google it.

[@emmaberger3748]

I loooove the background on this! Unfortunately for me in watercolor, ghe ugly phase leads to me overworking it because I add more and more detail which isn’t bad but it’s not what I usually want

[@andreajuarez129]

I love you!!! I also dyed my hair a red hue!!

[@akainyx]

I love your art and this video was exactly what I needed to keep motivated.

[@ChiliCatCreates]

I really like the way you painted the water in this piece Oo it reminds me a little of acrylic pouring :D and the hair really has that wet look 💦 You are just dipping your toes into working with acrylics... Looks like you won't have much longer to walk xD you will figure everything out eventually 🌻 your ideas are so amazing - I hope one day you will have a skillset you are satisfied with ✨ so you can find the perfect way to depict it instead of fighting any medium 👐

[@KelliPaints]

Love this! Beautiful painting and great topic 😃

[@anastasiasholeinthehollerc8697]

Gorgeous, i love the water effect.

[@ghostcrystal7930]

I DIDN'T KNOW THIS HAD A NAME OMG I get the ugly painting phase literally every time I paint and my method is to usually remember that this is an unfinished work so try to hold off on judgement just yet

[@PyroGhost913]

I've gotten used to the ugly painting phase with watercolor, not so much with acrylics.

[@danielaerazo4098]

wuau¡¡¡ esta hermoso tu pintura y me encanto los detalles del rostro del dibujo super fantastico

[@IHaveNoLaifu]

I always hit the ugly painting stage when I work on skin. I'm not confident at all painting skin. I've learned that when I think I've hit that point, I need to just step away from it for the day. ...like literally put it in a place where I wont look at it for the day, otherwise I'd spend all day staring at it. If I don't step away, I'll either trash it and redo the painting just to hit the ugly phase again or I try to "save it" and end up making it worse.

[@calska140]

This is valuable too, subscribed. Thank you so much for these videos. You and people like you have been invaluable to me. Im trying to self-edcuate in art because I'm already balancing work and education in other areas, but I have ideas and visions that NEED to be expressed. They just keep recurring like a bad memory until then. I would love to just focus on one thing like art, but the problem is I'm talented in multiple areas. Not trying to brag, I really need help trying to utilize this talent in valuable ways but people only want to help people who are the most worse-off, so its hard for me to find advice or direction. Many people aren't even gifted in one talent and that's very sad to me. So I would feel very guilty just squandering what I was given just for existing. practical videos like yours have been helping me to do that.

[@DanicaSills]

I'm really glad that you are finding my videos helpful! It is always nice to see someone who thinks it was worth making!

[@droddy9768]

when I start a painting with a sketch , I make the paint transparent(paint and water) so I can use it as guideline. I try not to have extreme detail draw when it comes to painting until I get to the glazing point of the project. if i want to add shading and lighting. I still use painting like watercolors just with more steps.

[@loser0in0love]

That's the reason why I mostly ruin my watercolor faces ... I'm too impatient to let the layers dry completely, and to get over this ugly phase quickly I start painting details too early in the process (like eyes, lips ...) And then it's worse than before because the paint gets blurry ... I really have to force myself to overcome this state without rushing it

[@suallenparker]

I find that working on more than one piece at once helps. My art is very intuitive with lots of paint-splashing and pouring and smearing with my hands, so I don't spend much time on one piece before I have to let it dry and actually look at what I've just done. So I usually have around 10 to 20 pieces going at once. And then it depends: Some just come out great from the start and grow better with each layer. Some go through an ugly phase and I have to think to fix it. Some go through an ugly phase, I try to fix it, it doesn't work so I punish that painting with more paint in front of the others so they know what will happen if they don't obey me! - But having layers is part of my progress, as is repainting. Also, if one won't work, most of the others still do and that takes the pressure out for me. :)

[@KittyGoGames]

*Stares at title.... looks at art homework...* My kind of video :)

[@morbidsmile]

This is a major problem for me! I find that every painting has a moment where I go omg what is wrong with this? I usually have to get away for a bit - nap or do chores - and then I can see the way it’ll look eventually without being brought down by the way it looks in the incubation stages.

[@carlycharlesworth1497]

When a piece of art I am working on, be it watercolour or acrylic, when it reaches a point I think looks rough and spoiled, usually I go make.myself a hot drink; usually tea. Then, when I have finished drinking my tea, I will look at the piece of art again, from a distance, while I think about my end goal for the piece. Then usually I will mentally make up a few steps in the piece, steps that will get me to better places in it. So that I can take small stages to get it all back to a good place again. However, if after my tea and steps, if the piece is no better, I usually stop working on it that day and go back to it the next day, or if I'm REALLY unhappy with it, I will either Gesso over it if it's acrylic, or, if it's a watercolour piece, I just throw it in my crafts paper box for scrap art projects paper. I try hard to stop myself from throwing it away. If possible I reuse the paper or canvas it's made on. Anyway, that's my way of dealing with the 'ugly phase'. Your face painting was really gorgeous. I'm not as talented as that, yet, but one day I really hope to be. Can you recommend a good instruction book for painting with acrylics please? Thank you. All the best from snowy and cold South Wales. UK.

[@frogeeejump9014]

Thank you

[@gracievictor9958]

Lovely video. ❤️

[@toshabeans]

I love it!

[@jeffc1335]

You dyed your hair !😲

[@AK_XIII]

I was just wondering did you prime the board with clear gesso? Or was it okay to paint on without?

[@lynsamfortas]

Not to be negative or criticising but are you sure you don't have anxiety or at least you're overthinking things? I think it'd benefit you if you can loosen up a little bit. I've just noticed in your videos that, when you're talking about art it usually feels like you're making a battle plan lol. If it's just your way of working that it's perfectly okay, but if it's just stressing you out instead of being an enjoyable thing it might be better to tackle what thoughts and mindset put you in that stress you know? Also I love this piece, I really want to paint more on wood and other surfaces again it looks so unique compared to canvas and paper 😁

[@smallbeard]

Actually, speaking as an artist generally, that is usually not the case. Being an artist, pursuing it in a manner that is striving towards constant improvement, fulfilment, purpose and high, far-distance goals and desires, it becomes nothing less than a battle. To many of us, being an artist is a way of life. As Danica herself has said as well, it is simply impossible to imagine a life without art. It is a constant battle. It's a battle of mind, of heart At the end of the day, all we want is to feel happy and complete with what we're doing, and art has a tendency to grant artists such emotions, where we can' find it in the same way elsewhere. Spending so much time and effort into something that means so much to us, it is simply impossible to stand still. We always have to work on something, always have to improve, find and discover something new- And without a certain sense of self-awareness, this entire process would be so much more difficult and frankly, at some times impossible. There are many reasons to why so many artists suddenly stop improving or even quit altogether. If striving for improvement and fulfilment and purpose would stress us out and tear us apart to the point where it becomes something painful altogether, we'd quit. But at the end of the day we keep going at it simply because the payoff for all the pain and struggle is worth it.

[@elinbirgis]

when I get to the ugly phase I always have to say to myself "TRUST THE PLAN" lol sounds like a Yoda quote😄

[@kyokudonoakuma]

What's the music played on the second part of the video? :o i'm sure that i know it!

[@moonspiritartbycindyhill1084]

Love Hun

[@tricialeesauvageau7780]

My problem isn't the ugly stage presay its more working with what I already know to make it better. I haven't physically painted in a long time. I started this one that is no joke behind my door waiting for me to finish and in some ways fix. But even when I think yah this is the day I finish it this is when I fix it. I don't...I barely consider myself an artist anymore. I didn't go to school for it I did take a class for oil painting and I got pretty good if I say so myself. But I'm at a cross roads. My art isn't to where I could live off it. Stuff happened and I walked away..I killed what could have been something great and I'm just trying to find out if I can get back to what I took for granted. Cause I like art I do..everyone and this isn't an excuse its just Every one put so much enfacis on I'm an artist that I fought the idea I denied that I was good and i was never the best at it I just knew how to ask the right question on how do I make up for what I don't have.

[@MsPoliteRants]

Seems like even after I’ve worked forever on a painting it is still ugly to me... i guess I’m always in the “unfinished” stage.

[@charliepease9288]

That 1 dislike is some mom who is salty about their kid being and artist 😂

[@dfjkrrdruu2081]

Me before watching this video: Soo...when I finish watching this I'm going to sleep. Me around the end of this video: Sleep? Ya know I'm going to draw now it's Saturday tomorrow I can sleep all day.

[@NinasNon-Sense]

This happens with drawing as well. I just think of it as an awkward adolescence and keep going. You'll never learn how to make a good drawing if you never finish anything.

[@silk8488]

darn it, i thought the ugly painting phase was just the time period where you just suck at painting. I started trying traditional painting (I usually do digital) and all my paintings are ugly just because I don't know how to work with the materials yet 😂😂😂😭😭😭😭😭

[@weirdhybrid]

Anyone have advice on what kind of palette to use when painting with acrylic? I've been using scraps of cardboard because they're free and when I used a plastic one, the paint just adhered to it and won't come off. Looks like Danica is using glass, which might be doable, but I'm just not sure about the benefits of that. Does it wash clean?

[@Marxnchill]

Sta-Wet palette! it is magical. you can save your paints for weeks and they won't dry one bit. the glass will wash clean but it wastes sooo much paint.

[@Saxinful]

Lots of people use empty photo frames as a cheap alternative for a palette. It's easy to scrape the dried paint off when you're done and it's easy to find a cheap photo frame second hand, or at a discount shop etc.

[@sarahlynn2349]

I love your work and your videos so much but what I would really love to see from you is contrast when it comes to color.

[@honieethesolarpunk4895]

Am i the only person that a painting will be done then i look at it and hate it right awayor like month later i hate it and in trying to fix it its either ruined or good

[@arwenix1829]

yo danica! please remember the forms and curves of the face when drawing tears! i cant remember which video, but you said you wanted to improve on remembering the form also back then (i feel like it was a while ago)- seems like its returning! (love this peice though!!)

[@chloes8191]

She reminds me of Arwen from Lord Of The Rings.

[@joymiller9668]

With acrylic you can almost cover a mistake lol

[@lauramaniscalco9114]

Pie? Mathematics girl?

[@oh-no-plz-no2299]

The girl in the painting looks just like you, but with black hair. Is everything alright?

[@forestdoor8897]

Is that a π on her forehead?

[@forestdoor8897]

@Nightingale J It looks like pi

[@romeoa.6634]

Nightingale J r/whooosh