I often get people asking me how to improve their efficiency in painting so that they do not take as long on their artwork (after all, time is often money in this field).

I believe a good way to practice this is by doing timed exercises.

Years ago I would often participate in these challenge groups (some of them still exist, like Daily Spitpaint on FB) where you get 30-60 minutes to paint an illustration or a do a study. It's mighty frustrating at first but with time you learn to quickly capture what's essential.

I believe what most people lose a lot of time on in painting is a lack of planning - so they have to make a lot of major decisions & changes while in the painting stage, and/or a needless focus on detail - zooming in too much & fussing over things that don't matter all that much.

So to summarize/keep in mind:

• Do timed exercises to train yourself to be faster & more confident in your painting decisions.

• Zoom out regularly, or have a second window open to keep an eye on the big picture.

• Plan ahead! Make the important decisions early on.