The Art of Moving Around Your Work

From One Leg to Two- Moving Around Your Art

Have you ever been working on an art piece and found yourself completely stuck on one tiny area? That was me with my lion cub’s leg. Do you need to start moving around your art?

I had spent so long focusing on just one that I started feeling like the poor thing was stuck mid-air in a very unfortunate game of freeze tag. So, I decided to mix things up and start on the other leg—and, honestly, it was the best decision I could have made!

There are no fixed rules in art, and sometimes, when you feel stuck, the best thing to do is simply move to another part of the piece. It keeps things fresh, prevents frustration, and lets you see the artwork from a new perspective. This is a great trick, especially when working on detailed drawings. It helps stop the dreaded overworking of one area while the rest of the piece waits impatiently for its turn.

The Importance of Layering and Values

One of the biggest challenges when working with coloured pencils (or any medium, really) is achieving depth and realism. This is where layering comes in. You can't just slap one colour down and expect it to look right—well, you can, but the result will probably look more like a cartoon lion than a majestic cub in the making.

Layering is all about building up the depth slowly. Light layers allow you to adjust tones and blend colours more effectively. The goal is to create a smooth transition between shades, rather than harsh, blocky colours. This is particularly important when rendering fur—each stroke adds to the overall texture, making the subject look soft and natural rather than flat and lifeless.

Alongside layering, values play a huge role in creating depth. A common mistake is to shy away from darks, leaving an artwork looking washed out or unfinished. But deep shadows are what make the highlights pop! Without a strong range of values, even the most carefully detailed piece can end up looking a bit…meh. So, embrace the darks! Your artwork will thank you.

Pushing Through the ‘Ugly Phase’

Every single piece of art goes through an awkward, ugly phase. That stage where you question every life decision that led you to this moment and consider abandoning the whole thing to take up knitting instead. (Spoiler: knitting has its own ugly phase, too.)

But this stage is normal! Art isn’t a straight, easy path from start to finish. It’s a series of tiny, questionable decisions that eventually come together into something beautiful. The key is to keep going. Trust the process. Trust yourself. That weird-looking blob of fur will turn into a paw. That flat, lifeless area will gain depth. The wonky eye will—okay, sometimes you do have to fix things, but you get the idea!

Final Thoughts

So, what have we learned? If you’re stuck, move around your artwork. If your drawing looks flat, build up those layers and push your values. And if your piece is in that horrible ‘why-does-it-look-like-this’ stage—just keep going! Progress doesn’t always feel linear, but every stroke brings you closer to the finish line.

As for my lion cub? Well, he finally has two legs, and I’m thinking about adding some colour to the background. Hopefully, it doesn’t take me another eternity to decide!

Have you ever struggled with a piece and found that moving around helped? Let me know—I’d love to hear your experiences!

#ArtTips #ColouredPencilArt #TrustTheProcess #KeepLayering