The one rule in illustration which is unbreakable is “to know when to stop”. Many times, like today, I have created an illustration and gone one step too far and ruined it. How do you know when to stop? When I write on my computer, I can hit ‘delete’ or change the location of a word or a phrase. When I draw or paint, I just don’t have a 'delete' brush or a 'change case' pencil available.
How do I know if the last swash is the last swash? I do know it must come from experience, confidence and skill. And those do not come without messing up occasionally.
So however tempting it is to add one last detail, I vow to let my picture rest for a day before declaring it done. I will make scans of the piece along the way and make Photoshop layers with all sketch additions. It may take a little longer to complete each piece but I will have an archive available for reference and "do-overs".
