What To Do When You Make “Bad” Art: Why You Don't Like Your Work and How to Improve

I hate to start my blogging journey on a negative note, but I want to talk about something that has been a BIG part of my journey of becoming an illustrator.

This is something I’m sure all artists can relate to. You’ve come up with a concept you are excited about, did a rough draft and loved it, but when it came to finishing the final design it’s…………let’s say……..disappointing…..

Have you ever worked hard on an illustration or painting and then felt frustrated because it looked nothing like the vision you had for it in the beginning?

This is something that happened to me recently, an idea lived in my head for a piece of work but when I finished the design, I felt it wasn’t up to my usual standard. This can happen for multiple reasons, you may be tired, had distractions while working, or simply the idea wasn’t right for your portfolio.

This can be where a lot of artists give up, but it’s important to remember that making mistakes is ESSENTIAL to your professional growth!

You don’t need to be fearless to reach your goals, you just need to be willing.

What matters most is that you keep going, keep learning, and keep trying new things as an artist. I spent hours on a piece of work and I was so disappointed that it wouldn’t contribute to my current body of work, it wasn’t even Instagram worthy.

But in the end, it was thanks to that piece of work that I came up with an idea of what to write for my very first blog.

It’s also important to remember not to be too self-critical and reflect on why you don’t like the artwork, this can be due to a number of reasons:

Not Your Art Style?

Maybe you saw another artists work and thought “I’d love to make something like that”. Although it’s valuable to look for inspiration in others work. It’s can be a thin line between taking inspiration & replicating. Remember trying to replicate another artists work will only end in disappointment because it didn’t come from you and at the end of the day people will love your art because it’s authentically you and your style.

And remember, never draw what you think you should draw, or what you think will sell, draw what you love! There doesn’t need to be a reason behind it, just look at my Lobster 😄

Being Too Harsh?

Maybe you’re being too self critical? Or judging your work in what I like to call ‘The Ugly Phase’, a lovely little purgatory for art when it’s not quite finished but almost. If you’re not sure why you don’t like something take a break, don’t look at it for a while and when you’re ready come back to it with fresh eyes.

As someone who is early on in my art journey, some of the best adviced I received was from the book ‘Find Your Creative Voice’ by Lisa Congdon who says the most important thing is to just start! Sometimes I wish I had started years earlier, or studied art in university, but I know that’s energy wasted that could be spent on improving my skills.

No matter the reason why you don’t like a drawing or painting, it’s important to remember that time making art is never time wasted. Just keep going!