{"id":612,"date":"2026-10-02T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-10-01T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mfrancismccarthy.art\/?p=612"},"modified":"2026-09-30T11:55:54","modified_gmt":"2026-09-29T23:55:54","slug":"a-landscape-painters-guide-to-not-overworking-paintings-easel-talk-61","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mfrancismccarthy.art\/?p=612","title":{"rendered":"A Landscape Painter’s Guide to Not Overworking Paintings – Easel Talk #61"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\nhttps:\/\/youtu.be\/qxWT6iSIQfo\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Transcript and Key Insights<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Welcome to Easel Talk number 61. Today, we are tackling a topic I have extensive experience with: overworking your paintings. I have made this mistake many times, pulled myself out of it, and now possess insights, tips, and tricks to share.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Overworking paintings is one of the most insidious challenges facing landscape painters. Unlike the obvious mistakes beginners make, overworking represents a subtle trap that can ensnare even experienced artists who should know better. It is particularly frustrating because it often stems from good intentions, you want to do a good job; you want it to be nice. The desire to refine, perfect, and add that extra touch to elevate the work is a positive impetus. However, when this becomes a battle between “refining and perfecting” on one side and leaving your expressive, interesting attempt alone on the other, you must choose the latter. Go with the side that leaves it alone. That is our whole talk in a nutshell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Evolution of Overworking: From Detail to Texture<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When I first started out painting, my tendency was to over render. Having a background as an illustrator, I came from that school of thought. While I wasn\u2019t strictly “Mr. Detail” and did employ expressive techniques, I still had a real love for detail. In my earliest paintings, using little sables, I was painting many intricate elements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Back then, I held the belief that more information equals a better painting. Over time, I learned the wisdom of eliminating detail. Generally, the more detail you subsume, the better the painting becomes. The more detail in your painting and the tighter it is, the less relaxing it is for people to look at, and frankly, the less relaxing it is for you to create. Everything that you are in every moment of creating the painting finds its way into the work. If you are in a bad mood or feeling tight and not relaxed, your painting will likely reflect that state of mind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As painters evolve, so does our tendency to overwork. After completing my “100 Days of Tonalism,” which was a massive accomplishment and significantly improved me as a painter, I found myself increasingly fixated on texture. During those 100 days, I did the underpaintings for all of them, followed by a first color pass. About 20 of those paintings, I just left alone at that point. For the rest, I went in to do more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One technique that got me into trouble later was “dry brushing.” In my process, after the first color pass and a coat of liquid medium, I could lightly brush over the top. The interaction with the board\u2019s pebbly texture from prep would manifest the feel of apparent details. It is a brilliant technique if used judiciously, but ultimately it became my Achilles heel around 2015\u20132016.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why Dry Brushing Is a Trap<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The main problem with dry brushing is that when you go over your dry painting and enhance things, you lose immediacy. Your lose your initial brushwork, where your mind takes the reference information and breaks it down into coherent brush strokes,. This is the most interesting and attractive part of painting. When you dry brush over the first pass you soften everything and lose that edge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I developed a bit of a texture-overworking issue because the tendency for me to get carried away was so great. There are video recordings from that era where you can watch me ruin paintings by adding too much texture. In hindsight, that period of my painting wasn\u2019t great. So, I learned to set boundaries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Setting Boundaries: The One Color Pass Rule<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I generally hesitate to put a painting back on the easel now. There was one recent instance where I glazed and did some scumbling and dry brushing, and it turned out fine, but the trauma of all the paintings I previously ruined kept me in check.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The boundary I set is simple: One color pass.<\/strong> Unless I have a very specific reason (like fixing a wonky reflection), I let the painting be the painting. Everything really good about that painting happens during the underpainting and the first color pass. You would be surprised how limited your ability to significantly improve or change things after that stage actually is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I record all my sessions. When I get home, I review the footage and still photos. If I see something was off, I might make quick digital changes on screen just to set myself straight mentally. If I do need to go back to the easel for a “quick fix,” it has to remain exactly that, a quick fix. The respect for that initial color pass must be the overriding principle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Psychology of Good Intentions and Perfectionism<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Much of what constitutes overworking comes from a good place: the desire to do a good job, make it beautiful, or perfect it. This is the “positive trap.” My recommendation? If you really feel you can do better, go ahead and take a chance on ruining that painting. At some point later, you may realize it was probably better before you overworked it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perfectionism is a trap. I have struggled with it, but fortunately, I\u2019ve worked for people who were far more perfectionistic than myself. Procrastination and perfectionism go hand in hand. You believe fixing things will make the painting better because you are inexperienced or haven’t fully developed your process yet. But if a painting is going to be great, it will usually be great in that first color pass.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As you develop skills, you learn how to carry your process through cohesively so that it builds to a climax and then stops. The key out of perfectionism is self-awareness. Painting is conducive to this because you get real-world results from your interior state that you have to look at and deal with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ultimately, painting is about learning through failure. I hate saying this, but it\u2019s true. You will win, you\u2019ll do great paintings, but many others won\u2019t be as good. Experience is the difference between a painter who fails often and one who succeeds. Painting is a highly intuitive process requiring the front and back of your brain to work together. Those painting promptings come from your subconscious, honed through experience and failure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Practical Solutions for Stopping Overworking<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

So that outlines the problems, let\u2019s discuss solutions. How do you get a grip on overworking?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Streamline Your Process<\/strong> Focus on the aspects of painting that are most crucial: big shapes with nice color modulations. That is what sells your painting and attracts people. Think of the graphic poster movement of the 80s, big shapes, nice gradations of color. If you get that down, anything else you bring into the painting is gravy. But be careful: too much detail is like too much salt in gravy. Gravy is great, but it\u2019s not great when it\u2019s over-salted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My process is designed to support me as a painter:<\/p>\n\n\n\n