The Ugly Phase

Let’s be real here, sometimes progress isn’t pretty and sometimes it’s to the degree that a pug ends up looking like E.T. This is completely normal. Drawing, sculpting, cake decorating, painting, they all have an ugly phase, but as you develop your process and gain confidence in your abilities, you start to see less of what is and more of what you know it will be. It is similar to the way a chess player can see future moves on the board. Everyone else sees the situation as it is, but the version I see is much further along. In the progress photos (above), all of the critical elements are in place so all that’s left to do is bring it to life. Can you see beyond the ugly?

This phase is the reason commissions can be so difficult. Sometimes this “ugly phase” is brief, but sometimes it can last for the majority of the painting. Clients want progress updates which is completely reasonable (I would too!), but having to show them a portrait at the peak of the ugly phase is only going to make their eye twitch. This progress reveal can be stressful for both the client and the artist.

My first commission did not go well because I focused more on trying to rush the ugly phase to tidy up the painting for the client instead of sticking to my process. I started to jump around on the canvas to correct areas I wouldn’t have touched otherwise and my work suffered because of it. I was not happy with the end result so I refunded their deposit. Thankfully, they understood and at some point I would like to repaint it for them (and for myself because I’ve been afraid to attempt a cat portrait ever since).

So, trust your artist. You chose them because you were drawn to their body of work. Trust that they will be able to complete the piece in a way that reflects their chosen style and their expected level of skill. Every (good) artist will only hand over a completed piece they are proud of and can stand behind so don’t be worried when you see the ugly phase. It is just part of the process.