What do you do with a Pile of WIPs?

The excitement! You have an idea for something to draw. You sketch it out, maybe a few times. You come back to it the next day and line it. Then… you’re not sure you want to make it a few days later. Off to the pile of unfinished art?

Hello, Kanjon here! We’re looking at what it means to have that one piece of art you just can’t quite seem to finish. If you don’t think you’re an artist, wait! You can be. Take a look!

How do we handle this? You were really excited at the start, why don’t you feel excited for it anymore? Is this art block? Are you burnt out? Chances are, it might be something simpler, so don’t worry. Here’s what you’re going to do with that art.

You’re going to call it done. You’re not going to promise yourself that you’ll finish it later, or someday, or put it on that pile of work-in-progress pieces. All of that stuff just makes you feel guilty for that ever-growing mountain of “unfinished” work. If you decide that the idea doesn’t resonate with you anymore, and it’s not a commission or some work that you owe, then it’s done, and it’s practice.

You didn’t finish the drawing the way you wanted to, it feels like waste, BUT! You learned something! Realizing you did not like it is an evolution of your skill. You’re noticing something wrong with your art and recognizing it as not being where you want it to be. In that way, you did finish the piece. This is natural: your skill at seeing art gets better than your skill at making art sometimes. They take turns. I have an old video about this here. Even me seeing that old video shows me my own evolution in video editing skills. Same thing! I’ve abandoned videos I was going to make because I realized that they weren’t right for this. Maybe some day they will be! Maybe not.

You should at least think about why you’re abandoning a drawing. Make sure you really want to, and you’re not giving up too quickly. If you think it’s because you don’t have enough time to finish it, try thinking a little deeper. Do you feel like your skills don’t match what you want to do yet? Were you struggling with a pose? Did something just sound better in your head than when it ended up on paper? No matter what it was, just think about it for a moment. Give yourself an answer, and put the drawing away. Then you’ve learned something about it. Time for your next piece of art.

If you decide a year later, when flipping through an old sketchbook, that you do want to try a drawing again, go for it! Just don’t build up a list of what you didn’t finish in your head. That just makes you feel bad and will lead to burnout. Being able to “throw away” art is one of the key secrets to unleashing your motivation. You’ll draw more and feel less pressure to be perfect. Go make some art yourself, and whether you keep it or toss it out, enjoy it and chase that passion. See ya next time!