I.A :What is the criteria that lets you know a picture is done?

CDL : If I am working for my company portfolio the criteria are the final sketch and the list of elements in the image, for instance, my Mothers Days 2009 image, I had the final sketch and also a list of elements to be used in the background, some tattoos for the girl, the chain, the tattoo machine, her short texture, the big guy shoelace that reminds a skeleton hand (after all his mother has died in the story). Sometimes, at the end we add something more trying to improve the image but without changing it too much.

If I am working for client, things are different; there are clients and clients. I try to do exactly what was asked as to the specifications of the sketch just to make things easier. Because of some previous bad experiences in projects, we have developed a way of working that does what is written and agreed by us and the client.

Unfortunately it is too risky when we want to improve an image for a client, because every improvement done generates other updates and at the end if I was commissioned to work 14 hours in a project, I could easily work 20 hours because of the updates and the client may not want to pay more than was agreed. On the other hand there are some clients that leave us free to create, they’re more confident, they make the project more pleasant and pay for the extra time to have a better job, so the job becomes more attractive for both of us especially if the image were distributed over a variety of media.Every artist likes to do a good job, like a masterpiece, if she has freedom to work. If the artist feels tied-up for so many requirements or changes from the client, the final result will not be as good as it could be.