A-to-Z blog challenge: Step L - planning (part 3: schedule)

 

At the time of writing this post, I am still waiting for some final details on a commission of six charcoal drawings. On top of working on the final edits of my next novel, planned for release in December, an increasing workload at the lab, and all the other things I have to do, planning time to paint is essential.

I belong to two art groups, one of which I am the teacher, and I schedule time on my calendar weekly. However, scheduling time is not easy, given the amount of time I need for larger paintings. Every painting is different, and preparing the materials for mixed-media work takes longer than we think.

For the 2023 painting, I had to redo some of the elements three times because I miscalculated the sizes or got the colours and shapes wrong. Because I had a plan and a schedule to work on the painting, I managed to do everything to have the submission ready before the deadline. Imagine how miffed I was when the organizers extended the deadline because other artists wanted more time—and this was for a competition that ran from March to September!

Anyway, I allow enough time for all the necessary steps to have my painting ready a few weeks before the deadline. If something goes wrong or I must redo something, I will not need to ask for an extension. But that's just me! 😏

Next time, I will share the steps for the painting and how I plan my time accordingly.

Until Monday!

🇿🇦💜 Linzé