I believe a common mistake of amateur artists, certainly of me prior to recently, is that they work on sections of a sketch or a painting at a time without keeping the entire piece in perspective and in proportion. It's much like when a person focuses on the details of their life instead of the overall path they're on and their overall state of mind. An artist has to constantly pull back and check the balance of all things on a canvas in order to keep its unity together.

I realize I've learned two important things over the past month. One is to keep working a canvas until I think the canvas is complete. Too many times in the past I've given up and walked away from an unfinished piece because I don't know how to get it to where I want it to go. Sticking to it causes me to discover ways to achieve the results I'm looking for. The second thing I've learned (particularly by studying other artist's work) is how to add depth to areas of a piece that are lacking interest. Because of this, the overall piece becomes more intense and it gives the appreciator (or critic) more elements to consider in the overall composition.

My ability has improved since I started about a month ago, but I still lack a defined style. I consider this an exploratory period in my art, so I'm not overly concerned about it. As much as I've been painting every day, I need to continue to practice drawing, which I haven't been doing. I think an artist's style evolves both from his/her form of drawing and specific painting techniques that surface as that artist's preference. I need to continue to study both sides if I am to find a defined style for myself.

I thought I'd start a journal, since Fotki offers the service and I've never used it before, and also because it might be helpful for me to articulate and capture my thoughts, observations, and the evolution of my craft.