I'm often asked how to tell when a painting is finished. Several answers come to mind including intuition, boredom and/or when you can't think of a way to improve the work. When you think that you are done it often helps to not look at the painting for a period of time- giving yourself "fresh eyes"- that will enable you to see if more needs to be done.
But perhaps more importantly- how do you begin a new painting? Here again there is no one best answer. Hopefully inspiration strikes. If one is working on a series one painting will lead to the next. Some artists will consult their own sketchbooks or begin sketching an idea. Doing a small study or just applying a colored base layer to your surface can help. My preferred method is to work on several paintings at a time. That way, I can put the painting that might be done aside while I continue working on the other one.
One way or another the most important part of this is just to start painting.
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