I first learned how to draw in mid 2016. Even though it’s been a few years, I still very much consider myself a novice artist. Here you’ll find all of the posts about navigating the world as an amateur artist—and all of the good, bad, and ugly that comes with the title.
. . . also, and I say this with all of the care in the world, you should never put down your art. Whether you created a piece a decade age, or 10 minutes ago, and regardless of whether it was a “good” or “bad” art day. Every piece represents a journey; an attempt, and a step forward in learning and growing.
It's a great feeling to look back at your old artwork and see general improvement when you compare it to the newer pages of your sketchbook; however, it's absolutely exhilarating to acknowledge your growth in so many different areas while you're in the midst of creating an illustration. This is one of the latest pages in my sketchbook, and although simple, shows how far I've come as an aspiring artist.
Life is a funny lady. You think you know who you are and what you want, but then the beautiful mistress decides that it's the perfect time to smack you with a surprise. I was 20 years old when I fell into the pursuit of art as a hobby—hence the name of this blog. Before this, I didn't have anything I could really call a dedicated "pass time". The only thing that came close, if you detract the sense of learning and growth, was watching the latest and greatest of animated works. . .
Joining an art community is detrimental when you're starting out in your creative venture. The connection that you develop with other creatives is such a powerful bond. Their encouragement is strong enough to deter you from giving up all together when you lack confidence in your work. And watching them work is encouraging enough to give you the confidence to create.
Alone time is difficult to come by on the farm that I'm currently staying at. I share a room with my dad and brother, in a space that doesn't accommodate much outside of 3 beds and a dresser. My little cousins are also on holiday from school at the moment; hence, there are about 5 kids between the ages of 5-13 in this house at a given moment. Practicing art becomes quite difficult when children are constantly hovering over you while you're attempting to be creative—and even more difficult when they try to play with your limited (and expensive) art supplies, but I digress. . .
I write this post while looking back at some of my old pieces and seeing the level of improvement between them. This is a sketch I created near the start of my art journey—when I was at the transitional stage between copying other people's fan art in order to learn line placement (yes, this is where my art journey began), and creating some of my own characters and poses. This is it. I was a complete rookie in every way, shape, and form, but I loved this piece. And guess what? I still do. Not aesthetically, let's be real here. I love this piece for how it captures my development as an illustrator—and related to this, my will to power through. . .
There are some incredibly talented people on this planet. They seem to have an inherent sense of creativity. It lives in them, and was reinforced in them during their childhood through being fed countless words of encouragement. Most artists have been practicing their craft since as long as their memories serve. Ask any illustrator you know when they started drawing—they likely won't be able to pinpoint an exact moment in time since it has always been a part of their life. . .
Especially as adults, it's mentally and emotionally challenging to begin something from square one. More specifically, it's difficult to admit to being genuinely bad at something when starting out. Young people make mistakes—it's inherent. Adults on the other hand, are supposed to have everything together. We have unlocked the secrets to succeeding in school and work (or at least being exceptionally average), that being genuinely bad at something has become a foreign concept—it's frustrating, disheartening, and it's unfortunately enough to make so many people quit before they see the slightest improvement in their work. . .
The last time I attempted the Inktober challenge, I lasted about 5 days. The year before that? Four. This year, I'm determined to create a piece of art every single day for the entire month—something that I have yet to accomplish since I began my art journey 2 years ago. It sounds like a simple challenge; create one ink piece of art each day for the month of October. Easy peasy. . . right? . . .