Host and artist Stephanie Scott breaks down the practicality of the art career with topics including: sustainable creative practices, social media skills, and the mindsets that keep it all together. New episodes every Tuesday!

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Music by @winepot https://www.instagram.com/thewinepot/

Podcast Cover photo by Maryna Blumqvist https://instagram.com/picturemaryna

If you are ever stuck within something you’ve created, its a good opportunity to self critique your work. I ask myself these questions almost ever session that I paint. When you reflect on your artwork, you begin to see the work for what it really is.

Today I’m going to share with you a series of questions that you can ask your artwork whenever you begin to feel like the piece isn’t right.

Is it convincing? If yes, stop here. If no, go down the list.

Light:

Does it have a sense of light?

Is the light white or is the light bright?

Where does the light come from?

Is there an overbalance of dark and light?

What time of day is it?

Atmosphere:

What is the temperature?

Is the atmosphere correct? (does the sky have a curve?)

Is the background outlining the foreground?

Where is the highest point of contrast? (we live on a plant with gravity, if it’s low that makes us uncomfortable)

Geometry:

Do your marks have weight? Is it flat?

Are the edges clear and correct?

Color:

Is your color the correct Value, Hue, and Intensity?

Can you name the color in your head? If yes, make it different (we like muddy colors!)

Is there warmth in the shadows?

is each one of your colors saying “I am light” or “I am shadow”

If you squint, does the picture make sense?

Composition:

Is the composition intentional?

Is your brush stroke depicting what you are painting (i.e. a brush stroke that looks like a single blade of grass)

Does the picture have rhythm?

Where is your eye landing?

Did I crop this correctly? Does it need to be narrower or taller?

Are you putting finishing touches on too soon? (windows in a building, a bird, little dots)

Emotion:

Can you tell what the artist is feeling when looking at your piece?

Does the piece feel lively?

Did I make this because I’m emotionally attached, or because I thought it would make a good piece of art work?

“If you ever think painting is easy, you aren’t painting.”

- Israel Hershberg

How To Self Critique Your Artwork

Brush Work