Ode to the Unfinished #1 - What makes it 'Done'?

Like every artist everywhere, I have my fair share of unfinished work.

In many cases, these images have been pushed to near-completion and lack only the finishing touches. I find myself flipping through the 'Unfinished' folder and thinking: "Why the hell don't I just... finish these?" In many cases, the ideas are pretty good, and they would make successful images (Trust me, there's another folder for the abject failures).

So what's stopping me?

Is it that I hate the final polish steps of illustration? (Because I do)
Is it because they are so old that I'd have to go back and fix so many things that I now know? (Because I would)

It's a little bit from column A, a little bit from column B, I suppose, but another realization hit me recently. I saw that whatever I was trying to accomplish and learn with a given image, whether it was how to make reflective materials, or how to set up a story within a scene, actually had been accomplished. Regardless of their level of polish, these images had given me what I was personally looking for. And ultimately, I draw and invent and create for my own knowledge and enjoyment first.

Sounds nice, right?

It is, in a way, but the flipside is that I also like to share what I do. I like interacting with others, seeing their reactions and absorbing them to improve myself. I'll be talking more of Input vs Output at a later date, but I feel there is something stagnant and stifling about creating only for yourself. You're missing out on what everyone around you can teach you through their own observations.

So what's the solution? There may be none. Perhaps it's only a matter of plowing through and finishing things before I get distracted by the next challenge. Perhaps being aware of my own subconscious intentions will change the way I work (ha.). Or perhaps I can simply share the unfinished, from time to time, and hope that the intent comes through.

In that light, here is a piece that has bee loitering in the Unfinished folder for a few years. It started as a sketch, then, after I did a few studies (of reflections on muscle cars) I started on a clean render. I got bored at some point after doing the face, and as often happens, started feeling it wasn't such a great image... something else soon caught my eye.

Is this successful? Is it done? Probably not on either count. But I did learn a few things, even if it was what to avoid in terms of design (High-heels on robots. And that abdomen. WTF). And while this would never count as show-worthy in another context, in my mind I can already see what it looks like complete, and it's as good as done.

Does that mean I shouldn't finish it? Nope.
But it does mean I've made peace with it, and the guilt that came every time I looked at that 'Unfinished' folder with a sigh. I'm over it.