"It can be hard to know 'when to stop' rendering and perfecting a digital painting. As artists we tend to scrutinize our own work and pour hours into endlessly perfecting the tiny details that we think will bring our paintings to life. It's completely counterintuitive, but excessive detail actually kills a painting. " —Hardy Fowler

3 Minute Read

When Perfectionism Kills Creativity

When I first started out as a digital painter—I was admittedly overwhelmed with how infinite the creative possibilities were. I had the power to invent entire worlds with never before seen creatures and characters, but I didn't know where to start or when to stop.

I wanted to create imaginative and lifelike paintings but I felt like I was spinning my wheels staring at a blank page, and my focus and productivity took a nose dive. I was oblivious at the time, but by holding onto the belief that "everything had to be perfect" I was actually just holding myself back.

How Letting Go Changed My Career

Looking back I feel extremely fortunate to have been given some very simple, but invaluable career advice: "Keep It Loose."

Harder said than done. When I was just starting out I felt like I needed to prove myself, and it felt counter-intuitive to go against my instinct to perfect my work. Now that I am over a decade into my career as a full time professional Concept Artists I understand that artists have to let go to move forward.

Instead of learning this lesson the hard way, like I did, I hope that I can share my experience and that it will help other digital artists get unstuck.

Advice From a Professional Digital Artist

After years of hard earned lessons I can say without a doubt that one of the most vital pieces of information that I can give to my students is this:

Resist the urge to over-perfect your art with rendering and detailing, and learn how to use brush strokes to create movement and bring your paintings to life.

Key Take-Away: Less is often more.

Watch my video above to learn how to use brush strokes and style sparingly to create movement, charm and direct the viewers eye.

→ Create movement

→ Direct focus

→ Evoke a sense of whimsy

→ Balance realism with artistic expression

→ Produce reliably stunning concept art in a fraction of the time

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