These are the ways I start over:
- Walk away and leave the work out of sight for a few days.
- Sketch out the scene on something that does not matter. Do that 10 or even 20
times. For example, I bought a roll of paper (40cm X 50 metres) for $5 and allow myself to waste this sketching out small compositions and tonal studies in charcoal (6x4") before I commit to working on a canvas. Sometimes I'll do 30 studies and eventually break through to a sense of flow and connect with the art again.
What causes this?
I have found freezing is also caused by a fear of commitment, that is, worrying about being unable to undo errors, being imperfect, or worrying about wasting materials like paper or paint. Sometimes it simply means I'm not sure what to do next. Being judged by others is a big one: I've stopped asking for feedback from family members.
Other solutions in a highly-regarded small book "Art and Fear"
I bought a copy of Art and Fear. Here's a quote from it: “Fears about artmaking fall into two families: fears about yourself and fears about your reception by others.”
― David Bayles, Art and Fear: Observations on the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking
We will always have these fears!
Ask the art what it wants. Dialogue with your art
This is an approach derived from arts therapy (McNiff, S, Art as Medicine, Shambala Publications, Boston, 1992) (I recently completed a Grad. Dip. in this field). In its simplest form, settle yourself down, look at the work and gently invite the work to tell you what it wants.
Final note about art classes, and working on more than one work at once
Find a drawing class where the tutor can help, but to do that, speak to the tutor before you enrol and ask if they can help you. My experience is some tutors are very good at understanding how to manage our relationship with our art. One of current tutors has me working on three works at once, on small cheap canvasses. This has worked for me, and help me loosen up, and not get so attached to the one work.
