Many times I wonder if I’m adding too much detail to this painting.
Then I think about Rembrandt and his early work. If you look at the progression of Rembrandt’s work his early portraits are extremely detailed. I’ve seen them in person and up close and they are so detailed it looks like the person is living. It was only after years of experience that Rembrandt was able to let go and describe forms with much less detail. So I think to myself that this detail may just be the natural progression of my life work.
There’s a lot going on, and honestly, I think the biggest struggle is the motivation to continue on, so if you are enjoying the details, and it gets you going, I say stick with it. Detail the hell out of that painting.