Why I’m Finally Finishing My Unfinished Artwork
If you’re anything like me, you probably have a collection of half-finished projects tucked away somewhere.
Maybe it’s a sketchbook full of ideas, a million Procreate files, or paintings that only need another hour or two before they’re finished.
Most of mine are currently in Procreate.
I have stacks of artwork that started with shiny-new-project excitement and then slowly disappeared beneath newer, shinier ideas. Some of those sketches have done exactly what they needed to do – they were simply a way of exploring an idea and they don’t need to be ‘finished art’. But others? I still love them. They’ve just never made it across the finish line.
One of those is this Mediterranean food illustration.
I started it back in January. I sketched the composition, worked out the colours and even created a colour rough (where I messily blocked out where I want the colours to go). Then… I got distracted and moved on to something else.
Fast forward six months, and it’s still sat there achieving nothing.
Why we leave projects unfinished
I don’t think most artists struggle to start. We struggle to finish. I think this is normal behaviour. I also don’t think its especially helpful.
Starting something new is exciting. Everything feels full of possibility. Finishing, on the other hand, usually means making decisions, refining details and putting in the less glamorous hours that turn a sketch into a finished piece. Then there’s the essential but less exciting admin – formatting it and adding to our portfolios, making social media posts etc.
However, it’s the finished pieces that have the potential to get put on products and turned into income.
Finished artwork builds a creative business.
My new challenge
So I’ve set myself a ‘simple’ challenge.
Before I disappear down another creative rabbit hole, I’m going to finish one abandoned piece every month.
I’m calling it Finishing Things Before Starting Things (whenever I hand write a scrappy daily to-do list I call it this).
It’s not a strict rule. If I have a commission or a deadline, that will always take priority. But instead of always chasing the next idea, I’m going to bump one unfinished piece up the priority ladder.
One finished piece a month feels achievable, and I have a feeling my portfolio will thank me for it.
Come and create with me
I’m sharing about this over on new Patreon and I’d love you to join me. We can talk about our unfinished projects together.
Free members can follow along as I work through each month’s unfinished project, and if you’d like to dive deeper, my Create With Me (Half Moon) tier includes things like:
- Timelapse videos
- Colour palettes
- Brushes and layers
- Process breakdowns
- The decisions I make along the way
If you’re interested in the business side of art, my Full Moon tier goes a step further, where I’ll share how I decide whether a piece belongs in my portfolio, how I’d pitch it for licensing and the commercial thinking behind the artwork.
Whether you’re finishing an old sketch, a painting that’s been gathering dust, or a Procreate file you’ve forgotten about, perhaps this is the month we finally get it done.
