Getting Back On The Artistic Horse
To tell you the truth, I’ve never felt like my art was good; I still consider myself an “artistic” person because I absolutely love creating things, painting, drawing, doodling, scribbling, you name it; but I’m working on changing my perspective.
Since I always disliked the end product of my artistic ventures, I set that hobby aside for a while, frustrated because I wasn’t good at something I really enjoyed doing.
Recently I decided to grab an old notebook and sketch away. I’m participating in an Instagram project/challenge called #The100DayProject or #100DaysOfMaking (click the link to read all about it and participate) and it has gotten me to fall back in love with drawing and painting. Since I love fashion illustration I decided to try my hand at some “fashion” sketches (nothing too fancy) and am practicing daily. I am definitely not what you would call talented (and I’ll eventually splurge on COPIC Markers to make my sketches really come to life) but I am persistent. As I get older, I’ve grown to be more persistent in the pursuit of things that matter to me instead of giving up after a few bumps in the road. There’s a lesson: Be persistent, you’ll be proud of yourself down the line once you realize you didn’t give up and actually achieved what you had set out to achieve! [Feel free to remind me of this occasionally and I’ll do the same for you]
I’ve decided to change my attitude about my art and look at how far I’m getting with practice and perseverance instead of looking at it from a negative perspective and think that I suck compared to actual – professional – illustrators, painters, artists. I’m sure it also took them a little time to perfect their art, unless they’re the reincarnation of Michelangelo or something!
Here are some things I am looking to improve on:
- Shades – I’m terrible at accurately placing shades because it’s not an easy thing for me to imagine.
- Eyes – The day I make the eyes look like they belong to the same person, I will throw a party (the theme will be “eyes, eyes, baby”.
- Mouths – I always draw them kind of wonky and they end up looking either too big or too small for the subject.
- Hair – This one sort of ties in with the shades, since to give the hair some depth you need to properly place the darker and lighter values/strands of hair to make it look more realistic and with more body.
- Anatomical accuracy – I never really sketch any measurements beforehand. Some people like to sketch out 9 spaces the size of the head and then create a basic figure before moving on to details. I’m planning on creating some basic templates for myself to refer to when I’m drawing.
- Movement – All – or most – of my subjects end up looking the same: standing straight/upright, no sassiness or movement, just like statues. I’d like to learn to draw them sideways, or dancing hula, or leaning against a wall!
So today I’m growing a pair and showing you what I’ve been sketching and creating lately. I’m open to suggestions and feedback, but remember I am new at this and am aware that I need lots of improvement.
This is Miranda. She is an aspiring actress/model living in California. She used to have long hair but decided to chop it off to make herself look more edgy. [Made with Pigma Micron 005 + Stabilo + Mechanical pencil]
Meet Linda, she is an entrepreneur and recently created a startup with her two best friends. She loves books and cats and teaches Skillshare classes in her spare time. [Made with Pigma Micron 005 + Mechanical Pencil + Staedtler Ergosoft coloring pencils]
This is Victoria. Although she is very shy, she is a dancer and performs in popular competitions. The stage is the only place she feels completely confident. [Made with Pigma Micron 005 + Mechanical Pencil + Staedtler Ergosoft coloring pencils}
I apologize for the quality of the photos, they are all taken with my iPhone. I enhance them to make them look brighter so the details are more visible. I’m working on finding the perfect lighting to take pictures so I can upload them as they are with little to no editing.
Follow along with my #100DayProject on Instagram, I’m posting every single day!
Is this something you’re interested in seeing more of? Would you like me to share my progress here and include some helpful tips I discover along the way?
Thank you for reading, darling!
Love,
Wow I love your attitude! I think your drawings are well done, and there is a joy that sparks through. You’re so right about needing to persevere if something is important to you.. gonna need to remember that one, I know how easy it is to just give up when it’s hard and EVERYONE seem to be great at it already.. Good to read that you are back on the artistic horse! Go girl! ps: been following your #100days instagram project, now I finally understand who’s behind it! Fun! 🙂
Thank you so much, Sieb! It’s easy to get discouraged when you compare yourself to others who have been at it for years and are really good at it, but “comparison is the thief of joy”. I’m trying only to compare with my old work, which helps a lot to stay encouraged! I’m far from my goal, but I’m dedicated!
All my best wishes in your endeavors too, and thank you for following along with my #100 days! 🙂
I love this post! Great sketches. The phrase “get back on the artistic horse” is perfect; starting again when we get off track is hard, but oh-so-important. I’m going to use this phrase and picture your sketches over the next few days, as I’ve been hard on myself for getting off schedule with my blog! Just jump back on, right? With less judgment! Thanks for the inspiration.
Thank you so much Julie!!
Don’t be hard on yourself! It’s good that you’re aware that you’ve gotten off schedule and are planning to get back to it! Sometimes we need to remind ourselves of why we started blogging and what our goal is and go from there. Start small, brainstorm ideas and write them down without editing yourself at first, or make a part two of a popular blog post! Hopefully this helps you “get back on the horse” 🙂
Oh my goodness, I can totally relate! For the longest time I’ve always dreamed of being a painter – get to sit outside + paint beautiful landscapes or portraits and sell them for $$$ – and then I moved into a tiny townhouse with 2 other people and there was no room for my box(es) of paints + blank canvases so out they went (donated to another freecycler). I have to admit I haven’t missed them more than twice in the last 5 years but I feel like I’ve also given up drawing and fine arts with them. Now the craze of hand-lettering is really struck a cord with me and I’m feeling the itch to craft with a pen again (instead of knitting needles + crochet hooks).
You’re art is amazing + very talented! My only suggestion on improvement would be more people watching perhaps? Try to sketch how people are sitting and walking and see if that doesn’t help you practice different poses. 🙂
#daringcreative fellow
Thank you so much for your sweet comment and feedback, Annie! I’m also really into hand-lettering lately! I hope you get to paint and craft again soon, it’s good for the soul!
It’s funny, since I started attempting to draw figures I’ve been much more attentive to people’s natural poses, where they place their arms, how they move, etc. I will definitely keep doing that, thank you so much for your advice! 🙂
Your first paragraph is totally me too! I’m back on the artistic horse and it feels so good. I know in my heart I am meant to be an artist and stepping up and owning that has been so scary, yet so liberating and exhilarating at the same time!
I think your first girl’s hair looks amazing! Have you ever looked up Copic coloring tutorials on YouTube? There are tons of them! I think they would really help. Also, don’t compare your beginning to someone else’s middle. We all gotta start somewhere. Good for you for keeping at it…that determination will get you where you wanna go. 🙂
Sierra, that’s so sweet of you, thank you! I definitely hope I get better and am determined to learn it!
Congrats on getting back on the artistic horse! It’s definitely scary + exhilarating, I can totally relate!
I’ve watched tons of Copic marker and Tombow coloring tutorials, and they’re definitely on my list of things to save up for & get when I travel to the States!
I’m waiting patiently for that moment (aka pacing back and forth like a crazy person because I need Copics in my life asap haha)
Thank you again, Sierra, for your sweet comment and absolute best of luck in your artistic ventures 🙂 You’ll do amazing, I’m sure of it!