One time painting student and now long time friend sent me an image of his latest...a great handling of paint...good composition, terrific edge control, engaging range of colour in subtle flavours in the shadow as in the light. That just doesn't happen on the first pass...you need a lot of paint and canvas experience, a lot of careful and playful decision making to build the confidence that makes a painting look like it fell off the brush - beautifully in tact. 
My friend reminded me that it was twelve years ago where the process began in earnest. Years, lots of small paintings and honest, objective criticism will pay off. 
Another colleague brought in a 36 x 48 of a subject that he's paint a dozen times as small oil sketches. This one proved that he understood the subject and could afford to play and be creative within the subject - wonderfully successful canvas.
The Point:
Paint small and often. Judge with objectivity and firmness that will show where growth and progress can be realized. 
If one of the grand masters of French impressionism could say at the end his life that he was beginning to understand the process of painting, then, you know where that places us...on a life long (joyful) apprenticeship.


jda