Artistic balance

The top image is a sketch I created this week of the Mad Hatter, Doormouse, and the Cheshire cat. The second image is a close up of the unfinished illustration I am currently working on for Lamp Light Media.

Whenever I am working on a tight detailed piece, sketching quick, loose simple drawings becomes almost imperative.  It's all about balance.  Art is a language through which I communicate thoughts, ideas, and emotions.  Even on commissioned work, the artist's fingerprint is clearly visible.  However, I find that if I was only making loose quick sketches or if I was only working on a detailed illustration, then I would be leaving out part of my artistic expression.  It would be like only writing half a sentence.