I finally finished my Hubby’s painting! It has only taken a couple of months…. If you’d told me when I first started this journey that I’d actually stick with painting something that took that long, I probably would have laughed at you.

I always say the good Lord didn’t bless me with a lot of patience, but I sure am learning some through this process of trying to become the artist I want to be.

As I mentioned in a previous post, this painting had a rocky start. I messed it up really badly in the beginning of the process, and I had to start all over. After that, it took me a while to start working on it again. I was so afraid of messing up that it kind of paralyzed me for a bit and kept me from getting back to my painting table. I really wanted to do it for my husband, though, so I finally put on my big girl pants and got started again.

As I started over, I made the decision that I was going to approach it patiently, be thoughtful about planning and the choices I made, and just take it step by step, no matter how long it took me to finish it.

Did I make all the right choices and get it perfect? No — but I learned from the mistakes I made along the way, and I’m pretty happy with the way it turned out.

I thought I’d share the progress pictures I took along the way….

As I said, patience is not something that comes naturally to me, but I’m learning it’s absolutely crucial when it comes to watercolor, and probably any other form of art as well. When we get in a hurry, it might go well — but it may go really wrong.

Taking the time to think things through ahead of time, experiment if we need to, and having patience with ourselves and the process can save us lots of time and frustration in the long run.

A quick note here — Not all projects are so involved or require so much time and thought. Sometimes it’s fun to do a quick project that you can complete in an hour or two. Well, the hour or two is quick for me; I watch more seasoned artists complete projects in 20 – 30 minutes all the time. Sometimes it’s fun just to make art for the sake of making art!

I definitely don’t want to discourage anyone by making it seem like art is work, because although it can involve some work, it’s so much more than that! It’s just that for me, who isn’t naturally gifted, having a process I can follow and get results I’m happy with is important.

So if you’re like me and struggle sometimes, I’d like to encourage you to be patient with yourself and with the process you use to make your art. Sometimes things come together quickly, but sometimes they take a little longer. Either way, we can enjoy the journey!