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Knife Painting Tutorial: Rocky Seascape

By , About.com Guide

5 of 5

Deciding to Stop
Knife painting tutorial

Knowing when to stop painting can be tricky. Rather stop too early than too late, as it's easier to start working on a painting again than to rescue an overworked one. Leave it at least overnight, then reassess how you feel about it.

Photo © 2009 Marion Boddy-Evans. Licensed to About.com, Inc.

If you compare these two photos (click on it for a larger version) there are no radical differences but there are still quite a few changes. For starters, there are extra bits of rock -- the left has been extended top and bottom, the lower part of the right-hand rock has been widened, and I've added a few extra small rocks in the sand.

The color of the rock on the right-hand side has been worked up to have more happening in it, more like the rock on the left-hand side. It also incorporates colors from the sea, again to create a unity in the composition through color.

When I got to the stage where I was content with what I'd done, not convinced it was finished yet but unsure what exactly I could do next that would definitely be an improvement, I stopped painting. Is it entirely finished, the full potential achieved? I'm still not sure, but I've grown to like this as it is so it's staying like this.

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