The Checklist I Run Before I Considering a Painting “Finished”
Finishing a painting is never about a magical moment. It is about knowing when the piece can hold itself without me forcing it. For me, that clarity comes from a checklist I run quietly in my head.
It starts with the basics. The focal point. Does it feel strong enough to anchor the piece? Movement. Does the eye flow naturally through the painting, or does it get stuck somewhere? Hierarchy and detail. Backgrounds, mid grounds, and foregrounds should all support the focal point without competing.
Once those fundamentals feel solid, I move into the real heartbeat of a painting: contrast. Contrast is what makes a piece feel alive for me. Without it, even the best composition can feel flat. When I check for contrast, I consider multiple layers:
Lights and Darks
Do I have a full range from near white to near black? Are the light and dark areas balanced so that the eye can rest but also travel freely? Contrast in value gives weight, depth, and focus to the piece.
Marks and Lines
Do I have variety in mark quality? Vertical and horizontal, soft and dramatic, fine and bold. A painting should have rhythm. Repeating the same type of mark across the entire piece flattens it. Mixing them creates energy. There should be repetition and a certain level of consistency but enough different things to add interest, movement and energy.
Texture
Do I have areas of smooth blending and areas of high texture? Flatness can be boring. Too much texture everywhere can be exhausting. The balance between the two keeps the piece dynamic by drawing attention and giving spaces to pause.
Edges
Soft and hard edges play off each other. A blurred boundary can create a quiet moment, while a sharp edge draws attention. The interplay guides the viewer’s eye and creates a sense of movement and focus.
Balance
All these contrasts need to feel intentional. A piece with strong lights and darks, varied marks, textures, and edges, but thrown together haphazardly, will feel chaotic. Every choice should work toward harmony without smothering the vitality of the piece.
I check these things not mechanically, but intuitively. My goal is to keep the piece alive while making sure it feels resolved. Overworking happens when I push contrasts too far, trying to fix something that already works. Underworking happens when contrasts are missing, leaving a piece flat and lifeless.
The moment I feel confident that the contrasts are working together, that lights, darks, marks, textures, and edges all serve the piece, I know it is near its finish. That is when I step back, take a deep breath, and let the painting speak for itself.
Contrast is what gives a painting energy. It is what makes it read, what makes it move, what makes it matter. Checking for it thoroughly is my final act of care before I walk away.
