@Edwin Caniete Thank you for sharing this video Edwin. It's really great to see the energy and confidence in which he approaches his paintings. I've found that I learn a lot more from a Master artist by observing him in studio than what he says. Watching his posture, color choices, hand placement and speed: All of it informs me what kind of painter he is and what I can pick up to improve my abilities as well. Very great to watch him in action. 🙏

Thank you for sharing Philip de László's portraits, @Dima Jurf ! I also find his color usage beautiful as well as the structure of the faces. I typically lean towards more softness in my brushstrokes, so I find some of the brushstrokes for some of his female portraits a bit harsh and angular, but again, that was his way of painting. I think the brushstrokes of a painting should match the complexion and energy of the subject more than the surface feeling of the artist. So I think it's typically suitable to go for more angular brushstrokes for male figures and more soft brushstrokes for female figures. That's currently my take at the moment though! Would love to hear what others thoughts are on this. I can definitely learn how to structure the face better by observing his paintings in greater detail. 🙂 Thank you again for your share!

@Adam H Thank you very much! I appreciate you reminding me of this book as well! I'll make a note to look up this book as well!

@Adam H Thank you so much, Adam! I have a few more paintings and drawings. I will share them when they are ready to be shared 🙂

@Chris Legaspi Thank you for the comment and for welcoming me here, Chris. I learned a lot from my Master copy, and can still tell I have room to improve. Do divine figures inspire your figure drawings too?

Good attempt, and great question! I agree: There's a point in the process of painting that I think isn't worth continuing forward anymore. I personally have been working on refining my process on this as well. This is where self-honesty is required. For me, I would need to decide when a painting is considered done to my taste. What level of completion and perfection do I want it to be at before I stop and start over, or start a new painting? Am I okay with leaving the painting as a draft for study, or is it for a client or professional project that a certain level of mastery and completion are considered acceptable to them? If I am painting this piece to study something specifically, then when I finished studying what I wanted to study, I would leave the painting purposely unfinished. If a certain level of completion and excellence are set before the start of the painting, then the final painting should be completed from start to finish. Now, if I notice my attempt at excellence failed midway through due to overworking and lack of diligence on my part, I may want to start a new painting, knowing what I know from the first attempt. Just like a professional chess player, we need to keep our eye on excelling at our craft by knowing all the rules and correct steps to get to the end game. This happens with repetition, practice, consistent exposure to successful paintings and processes, and iteration before tackling the competition of a painting. If our focus is not at producing an excellent painting, the energy we put into the initial stages may be sloppy. However, with lots of practices and sound planning at the initial stages for a stable foundation, the painting can be carefully completed at an excellent standard throughout the whole process of painting. I also learned from another artist who teaches drawing: "Just try not to make mistakes." He was stating this when it comes to erasing. He rarely erases anything for his drawings. He adds a white highlight with a pen, but does not erase.

@Darren Lockhart Yes, I was once there too. Avoiding the initial plans and rushing towards the end had been a habit I had to learn to break. I was so eager to get to the end, that I avoided the actual process of being and doing colliding in the present moment. There's no real destination except in the now where we can truly cultivate the patience and peace that can be translated into our paintings. We certainly can't create something worth creating if we don't trust that along the way, we will make it to the end. I appreciate the quote you offered by Alan Watts as well. I definitely understand what he means. We need the beginning, middle and end for any piece to be considered complete, so taking care of the entire process is key. Thanks so much for raising your problems with this. It's a really great reminder for me to stay calm and patient throughout the process of me making my paintings as well. 🙂

Beautiful work Daniel! I would say: Stay calm and have faith. This will turn out the way it ought to when you let go of the outcome and trust the process. 🙂

@Daniel Juric Excellent. Great job persevering and trusting in the process. 🙂