Throwaway Status!!!!

Wow - how did I ever forget??!!?

Throwaway Status!! This is a term from before internet, when I was drawing on paper. And I came to realize that sometimes the problems you're having on a piece are because you're hung up on certain things - afraid to do what needs to be done. Inhibited in other words. And at those times, what frees you up is when you reach throwaway status on it. But you really have to decide in your mind that you no longer care bout it - you have to literally be just about ready to crumple it up and trash it. Then, instead, go to work on it with a vengeance. You'll find you can now do whatever you wanted to do but had decided for whatever self-defeating reasons you just couldn't, or were afraid to try. Screw it - just do it, right?

That's how I brought this one around. I had literally made a post on my sketchbook announcing that I was done with it, it was too messed up on a fundamental level and not worth all the remaining work to finish it. Then a few hours later I started thinking - hey, you know, I could at least just do a little more work - put some texture on the close rock - on the trough behind them, and detail out the slab they're sitting on and the close cobblestones…

And when I started in on it I suddenly remembered Throwaway Status!! So I just went in with no mercy and no fear and started doing everything I had thought about - such as putting them in their winter gear, raising Faf's arm and giving him some reason to be looking way up there. Little did I realize this would also push the house back and demote it from over dominant status. I re-read the descriptions in the book for something Faf could be looking at, and lo and behold! He raised his sheathed sword up at one point, at just the right point actually. Too good to be true!! Also realized the brazier should only have a little charcoal in it. And I finally decided to go ahead and darken up their glowing faces. Twice. Much much better - the picture is starting to knit itself together now and develop some unity.