Just to get a conversation going how about we talk about what you feel is currently the biggest challenge for you when you are doing your drawing/painting/sculpting/photography or whatever you art is.

My biggest problem when I'm painting something is knowing when to stop. For instance I will be painting a flower and I get it to the point that it is looking fairly good but I think 'if I just do this little change to it, it will look better'. Then it doesn't look better and I try to fix it back and then it looks worse and I'm in a downward spiral until I have a total mess. So my biggest problem is to realize when it's enough. I couldn't begin to tell you how many times that has happened to me.

I used to have that problem too a years a go, the last time I tryied to draw (before this year) I was over doing things xD

Noow... hm maybe it's hard to find motivation to draw. I can't see something I like and draw it, It's like I need to have a connection with what I'm drawing. Besides that, when I'm alredy drawing, maybe my biggest challenge is to get contrast. It's like if I were scared to use a Dark scale :P

It is so common to be afraid of using the dark shading at first. We have all been there. In fact I still have a bit of a problem with that.

As for getting motivated that definitely isn't my problem. All I want to do all the time is paint.

Hope others join in on this conversation.

You're not alone Terry, for a lot of artists it's knowing when to stop and say enough, the painting is finished. I tend to do that too, just add a bit here and a bit there....

My biggest challenge in art I think is coming up with something to paint. A lot of times I have an urge to paint something but I just can't come up with anything. I might have some ideas floating around my head but not enough to form a painting.

I haven't had that problem in awhile now. Every time I start a painting I can think of at least 5 others that I want to do.

On this retreat I'm going to we will be doing 4 paintings. Three of them are something I think I will enjoy...but one of them I think really sucks but I guess I'll be painting it anyway.

The next one I want to do on my own after the retreat is a lake with swans in it. More realistic than the last swan one I did.

My expectations are always so different from the results so then I am disappointed in the final piece.

Susan I think that is a problem with all of us, but we keep improving and the gap keeps getting smaller.

You are a very good artist. I think you see flaws that are so minimal no one else could find them.

Maybe another big challenge for me is keeping calm, not hurrying. And, not getting mad. Sometimes I get mad and screw what I'm doing, it doesn't happens very often but I must deal with :P

I almost always never stop when I should have but it's getting easier now I'm taking more breaks when drawing. Currently working on a tiger I've been drawing for the last month, it's almost there but could easily be ruined if rushed or over worked and I'd be devastated. The other problem I've noticed I have when drawing some animals is doing the left side as well as the right.

Thank you Terry. You are kind.

Maybe someone can tell me, why do I cringe when someone accuses me of being an "artist"? I always tell them," I wouldn't put it that way I just draw".

I don't consider myself an artist because I can't just pick up a pencil and draw whatever comes to mind, and yet, I consider Terry an artist even though she admits she cannot draw.

This comes back to "What Is An Artist?" doesn't it?