3 Tips for Surviving an Intense Deadline

Hey guys! Sorry I haven’t posted anything in a while. I’ve had a lot of things going on, I’m working on several projects, and yes, I did have a deadline project. I was brainstorming what to write about in this blog post, and in the middle of working on my deadline project I thought, “Why don’t I just write about this?” So here I am. 🙂

At one point in their life or another, almost everyone faces a deadline. Or two. Or twenty. When I first started taking commissions I would get deadlines like: “Can you have this done in two weeks?

But more recently I’ve gotten deadlines like: “I need it done in five days. Can you do that?”

The first time it happened my response was similar to Woody’s…

Yes, it was intense. Yes, I panicked a little. And yes, I might have pulled three consecutive all-nighters…

But I survived–Praise God!–and discovered some tips that might help you if you ever find yourself in a similar situation.

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Maximize Your Speed

This sounds like some pretty obvious advice, but bear with me. You have a project in front of you. One that would normally take a couple weeks. You need to get in done in a few days. Oh, Pshaw! You don’t care what the old toy repair man says, you need to get this done fast!

Okay, there is some truth to what he says, but what are some ways to speed up the process? We’re going to look at a couple things.

First of all, style. You won’t always get a say here, sometimes your commissioner will be very specific about how they want your drawing done. But occasionally they’ll leave style choice up to you. Then you can feel free to cry sweet tears of joy and relief, and simplify! Remember, more isn’t always better, sometimes it’s just more.

Secondly, medium. On my most recent commission I used charcoal. It was a pretty simple picture overall, mainly just silhouettes. I wanted to use something that could fill in dark shapes quickly, especially since I was tight on time. Pencil might have been better for getting a little bit of a smoother look, and small details, but it would have taken hours for me to fill in the dark silhouettes with graphite. Just as with style you won’t always get to choose the medium you use. but if you’re able, I would highly suggest using a medium that you can work quickly with.

Know When It’s Time To Take a Break

The deadline is creeping up. The closer it is, the more you feel like you need to work harder to GET IT DONE! You work on your piece all day and stay up late into the night, working until you start to get sick of the piece. So you work faster so you can just have it done and go to bed. But when you work faster, you work sloppier, and then you have to spend time reworking your sloppiness and you probably would have saved time if you had just taken a break.

See the problem here? This is why it’s so important to take a break every once in a while.

When you’re starting to get tired… Take a break. When you’re starting to get sloppy… Definitely take a break. When you’re starting to get hungry.… Um, do I even need to say it?

And no, when I say take a break I do not mean, sit back and get on whatever form of social media you prefer. That doesn’t count. Get up. (Or sit down, if you’ve been standing at an easel.) Get a drink of water. Get a snack. Stretch. Walk around.

When do you work best? In the afternoon? Or earlier in the evening? Make sure you get a break before then so you’ll be ready to do some quality work.

Pray

This is the most important tip I have for you. I know how it can be when you’re working all through the day to get something done. It can be hard to find time to talk to God and read His Word. So don’t try to find time in your busy schedule.

Make time in your busy schedule.

Working with a deadline only days away can be scary. But there’s nothing compared to the peace God gives us. And we should never be too busy to talk to our Creator. Make it a habit to pray over your work before you sit down and get started.

think about Him in all your ways,
and He will guide you on the right paths.
-Proverbs 3:6

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I hope this post was helpful! Have you ever been on an intense deadline? What were some things that helped you? Leave a comment and let me know. 🙂

God bless!