OK. So this may sound odd. But I rarely have a soundtrack or radio on while I work in the shop. Instead, I have my mental internal dialog going that apprises me of what I’m doing, how I’m doing it, and what comes next. It acts as a sort of mental caddy, “what the hell? I think we should steel wool that finish first to cut the gloss. What the heck happened to that spot there?” When it’s working, things go smoothly.
Off the rails
It’s when either I don’t listen or I’m mulling over choices for lunch or dinner that things go off the rails. Last week, it was like someone had confiscated my common sense. I made a design error that, if I were paying attention, I’d have caught.
So, here is a useful trick for anyone who paints, draws, carves, or sculpts. All it takes is a mirror and your eyes. While you are designing or working on a project, take a hand mirror and look at the piece in the mirror. Better still, look at it upside down. This simple trick I learned from a friend, Kim Mellema, who is a painter. It allows you to perceive the work from another point of view and aids in finding flaws or mistakes. If I had used this trick, I’d have noticed the flaw right away instead of backtracking later. It forces you to slow down, change paces and gait, view things from a different angle, and notice what you haven’t been paying attention to.
So, slow down. Listen to that inner voice while working. Take the time to look at what you are doing from another angle. You’ll avoid those embarrassing moments when you feel like dope slapping yourself.
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Using a mirror sounds like a great trick!
and it works!
I often take a pic on my phone when I get stuck with a painting or am unsure where to go next with it – it’s surprising how I can usually see issues in the image I don’t always see when looking directly at the piece 🙂
Martha, at I walk my dogs, had that suggestion too. I’m going to add that to my methods. Thanks, Ruth!
I use phone photos. Something about the painting being smaller or in a different “place” helps me see it. And I listen to music.
Martha, thanks for the suggestion! I’ll start using that.
I like it because the image faces the right way.
Thanks for the mirror tip !