How do I know when I'm done designing?

     One of the biggest things I teach my students is that in order to design your own art quilt, you have to make some decisions. Of course I have ways to make that process much simpler, but it will always be a part of creating art. It is also the part that people usually find the most stressful. But it doesn't have to be! Here are a couple of tricks.
     First, you have to be willing to have things not turn out the way you want. Of course we want things to work if we spend time and materials on them. But if you really want to design your own, you have to practice, just like any other new skill. No one expects to pick up a guitar and play a song on the first try, but with art related things we kind of do have that expectation. (How many people think they can't draw, but have also not really spent a lot of time trying?) So first, let that one go! 
     For my second tip today, I'm going to use an example from some painting I did on a recent flight. (I always bring painting stuff now, it's so fun! This time the woman next to me was crocheting, but I think she will be looking for water brushes soon.😂) One of the decisions you have to make is, "Am I done adding things?" This can be one of the hardest ones! Especially the farther you get into it, the more risky it feels to keep adding things. Something to remember here is that there is no 'right' answer. It might be fine to stop where you are OR keep going. So again, just think of it as experimenting! (Also, most of my art quilts have a busy background, but a simple foreground, so that makes it easier when you are starting out also, just plan on it being simple!) 
     But here is a tip I use for both art quilting and painting. I take a photo after each time I add something new. With fabric, you can just lay a new element on, it's not permanent yet. With painting, it is, so I can't go back a step (another reason digital artwork is fun, there's an undo button 😂) But if I consider it practice, I still learn from it. This was in a sketchbook, it wasn't even watercolor paper, so I knew it was just practice. But I could also try to recreate it if I wanted to go back a few steps. This way I can look at each rendition and decide if I should have stopped sooner or if I like the final version the best. For the last few, I was adding details with a black pen. Which one do you like? 
     I hope you will try this, whether it's with art quilting, drawing, painting, or some other medium. Playing is such an important part of learning art quilting, and drawing and painting help train your brain as much as actually working with fabric! Happy sewing! Beret
PS: Of course there are gobs more tips on making those decisions in my Simple Secrets for Starting Art Quilting class! The self guided online version is always available😀
PPS: Scroll down for a few pics from my trip 😊

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Flowers, grandkids, baby shower, baby birthday, so much fun! (The birthday baby belongs to my other daughter) Click here for a cute video of my granddaughter's sewing project! (On Instagram, and make sure to have the sound on!)