The Ugly Stage of a Painting

By Cheryl Poulin

Behind every great painted project, there's what’s called the “ugly stage of a painting”.

Is this you?  You follow the step-by-step instructions to the letter. You use all the right colors, apply each stroke with the recommended brushes but you get halfway through the project, you look at it and think, "Eww!  What have I done? This looks terrible!" 

You're staring at your work and you’re thinking the colors don't seem to belong together.  Or the shapes feel awkward and look weird. Maybe your shading seems too dark, or the highlights are too bright.  Nothing feels balanced.  It looks nothing like the photograph! 

Just so you know… you’re not alone.

Welcome to the ugly stage of a painting! 

Experienced painters expect it.   Beginners believe they've failed.

With time and experience, you’ll learn that it’s not about talent. It’s just about knowing that the other half of the project will refine everything you’ve done so far. So don’t give up here and shelve the project. Keep going.

Why It Happens

Decorative painting is patiently built in many layers.

Early layers are doing jobs that aren't meant to be beautiful on their own. They’re the support structure of what’s to come. Basecoats establish color (midtone). Shading creates depth while highlights add dimension. It’s the finer details that bring out the personality of the design. It’s only when these layers begin working together that the painting starts to look right.

If you think about it, the halfway point in the painting is a bit like reading only the first chapter of a mystery novel and deciding it doesn't make sense.  Well of course it doesn’t make sense!  You haven’t gotten to the end yet.

Trust the Process

When I'm designing a new project, most times I honestly wonder if my idea is going to work. We all have that inner critic, don’t we!

But I keep going. I’ll add a few more shadows.  Mess around with a couple of highlights. Maybe I’ll add some linework.  Then I get the idea that a little dry brushing will help.

Suddenly...everything I’ve put down begins talking to each other. There’s harmony. And the painting finally starts making sense. A few more tweaks and now the painting is what I had imagined and hoped for.

And I really want you to hear this. Nothing magical happened in those last few brushstrokes. It was simply the point where enough pieces finally came together that I could call it done.

So don’t judge too soon. You really can’t evaluate the painting while it’s just at the scaffolding stage.

A Little Challenge

Some of my favorite moments are when students send me a photo halfway through a project and apologize because it "looks terrible." They’re frustrated and unhappy and they want to know how to fix it. 

I always smile, because I know they're exactly where they're supposed to be. There’s nothing to fix.

The ugly stage of a painting isn't a sign that you're failing. You just need to keep going and stay curious about what the next few layers will reveal.

The next time you're halfway through a project and your inner critic starts whispering that you've ruined it. Or that you’re not talented or that it’s above your painting skills… just smile.

Keep painting.  The finish line looks very different from the halfway point.

Let's go back to the HOME page.

AUTHOR BIO

Cheryl Poulin, CPC, has been helping decorative painters of all levels grow their acrylic painting skills since 1993. She has taught thousands of students, published 50+ instructional packets and videos, and helped revive interest in the decorative art form with a beginner painting program using her step-by-step Earmark Studio Method.

Cheryl’s work has appeared in publications such as: The Decorative Painter, PaintWorks, and Tole World. Cheryl provides your-decorative-painting-resource.com as a free resource. She’s happiest when she sees her students succeed. Cheryl relaxes with a brush in hand, painting, doodling, and creating.

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