Calling it Finished! - Know when to stop

     Sometimes you just need to call it finished and move one! It is entirely up to you to decide when a piece is finished and how far you want to take it. Without a deadline you could continue refining a piece for months even years. I have seen quite a few students and artists work on a piece forever, it is my belief that sometimes you just need to move on.
     You might do a portrait and the likeness isn't quite right, you can keep altering the features and the structure over and over again for all eternity. For example, i know a friend that had been working on portrait on and off for about 4 years now. Over the four years she could have created multiple pieces with different expressions or styles and each would be up to date with her current skill level. Instead she continues to adjust the features chasing a perfect likeness. My opinion is to do a study and focus on the features that aren't working. Do a bunch of quick studies spending about 1-2 hrs each. Then compare your piece to images and do an overlay in the computer to compare. I have learned that moving the clay around is what helps you learn. Working over and over again in one area there is minimal clay movement and less learning experiences.
     Another thing to keep in mind is the piece itself and what it is being used for. If you are going to cast in a material that wont hold fine details don't spend all your time refining skin textures. I have pieces that i sculpt for my monster balls, they are cast in a skinning foam that picks up detail but it isn't perfect. This wouldn't be a project i spend hours on for textures that are not going to be strong and stand out.
     There is a certain level of perfection and finishing but you need to create a deadline and know when to put the piece down and call if finished. Only then will you be able to grow and move forward on your artistic quest.

Thank you for reading, hope this helps.

Let me know your thoughts below