Extension - Don't be afraid to scrap it

I received some great feedback on comments on my last post and wanted to add 1 more piece i worked on. This is Trixie Treats from the Monster Dolls dance troupe. I did a few concept sketches early on to not only figure out the expression but to study her features and proportions in 3D. She took 3 tests that i scrapped before i decided on the one i liked. I did a warm up sketch and covered it and put it away, came back to it the next few days and looked at it and compared her through looking at her and comparing pics on overlays in computer.

As long as you enjoy and learn from every piece its not a waste of time, even if it isn't worth saving.

 

Don't be afraid to Scrap It!

        Who has ever worked on a piece they weren't completely happy with? Who has just kept working on it either adding details hoping it will get better or just finishing it so you have a new bust and just do better next time? This is a problem i ran into in the past, i had concepts that i wasn't 100% happy with and some of them i would just try to hurry and finish them so i could start something new. Over the years with my clay sketching i learned to not be afraid or worry about scrapping a piece. I created more sketches than i would be able to complete which forced me to really nail down and critique my work. I also did studies to focus on learning anatomy and expression. These were pieces that i would spend 1 hr on and know ahead of time that i probably wasn't going to keep the piece. Bottom line to all of this is that each new piece will represent you at this moment in your life. Don't be afraid to throw away or start over on a piece you are unhappy with, don't waste your time trying to save a piece with a bad structure or character. Each person is only given a set amount of time in this life, Don't Waste It.

Please don't confuse this with not being able to finish a piece or an excuse. This is a tip for critiquing your work and using your time wisely on the pieces that deserve it. There will be times that you work through that the piece may not be amazing but you will still have the passion for it and know that the end result will be amazing. There will be learning steps and years of growing so don't hold off trying to make that perfect piece. Jump in and get something out, learning sketches are better than nothing.

Next Week i will do a post on Finishing and calling it finished.

Below are a couple concepts and pieces that i worked on but didn't make the cut.

First is a tentacle creature concept - for me he didn't stand out or speak to me.

Next is a demon concept - this one i liked in the beginning but there were a lot of structural issues led to me losing interest.

Finally a female hunter character - Now this one i learned a lot about structure and form on this one but her proportions were off. A learning and thinking exercise, taking in slight gesture moves, anatomy, as well as creative thinking about the possibilities of molding and casting. This is a piece that i spent more time on than i would have liked but i did learn from it. In the end my time was more wisely used on other pieces.