Progression of a Painting

I made a painting for my husband for xmas, and my mother liked it so much that she wanted me to make a similar one for my daddio. This time, I decided to track my progress. It's interesting how far a painting can go from start to finish. I used a 16x20 wooden wall decor piece that I bought from a thrift store (my biggest painting surface yet!)... and I tried to track my progress, but there was a lot that was painted over, and painted over, and painted over.

Phase 1 - After covering the board with gesso, I added a base coat of green, yellow and blue. Next, paint drips!! I have so much fun adding different colors all around the board.

Phase 2 - Color some modeling paste and use a doily as a stencil. Hmm... let's add some white dots around the blue circles... and a blue arc.

Phase 3: Eh... not liking what was going on in the upper right corner and the center of the painting... so I'll just paint over it again. I do like the heart with a stenciled design inside though and the lower blue circle. Let's try a flower at the bottom.

Phase 4: The flower is a no-go. I repeat, the flower is a no-go! I'll just cover it with some metallic paint and add a smaller circle next to it. More paint drips in the middle!!

Phase 5: I add some black dots and squiggly lines around the modeling paste... some more metallic paint to the upper right side... and some circles around my circles.

Phase 6: Not feeling the black dots, so I added some white dots, which I wasn't feeling either, so I just painted over it all with blue paint. Hmm... how can I make it all more cohesive? The black pathways should do the trick... and hearts. Lots and lots of hearts.

And... voila! After many, many phases I am happy with the finished piece. My parents really like it too, so that's the important part. Sometimes it's hard for me to see the light at the end of the tunnel when I get frustrated. What I need to do is remain positive and know, know, KNOW that it always turns out well in the end.