Inktober - 31 Days of Solitude (Part 6)

Here's the final round of sketches. Overall, I'm really proud of the work that I accomplished. Not everything is perfect, some are definitely better than others, but the point is that I got in and sketched, no matter what I thought was going to be good or not. This helped build up my confidence in my drawing.

Not every line I make in drawing is going to be perfect, but that shouldn't stop me from continuing to draw

Enjoy!

Inktober - 31 Days of Solitude (Part 5)

This round of sketches is one that I'm particularly proud of. Enjoy!

Inktober - 31 Days of Solitude (Part 4)

Round four of sketches (onto the second half of the month!)

Enjoy!

Inktober - 31 Days of Solitude (Part 2)

Round 2 of my Inktober sketches. Enjoy!

Inktober - 31 Days of Solitude (Part 1)

In an effort to get back to filling sketchbook pages (which I'm still really inconsistent with...I got this sketchbook as a Christmas gift last year), I decided to participate in Inktober 2014.

For those of you unfamiliar with it, Inktober takes place each year in October - it's a time where artists take a little time each day in October to complete a drawing in ink. It's a chance to improve our skills and (for me at least) get drawing on a regular basis.

I was hoping to start posting my drawings on November 1st but, then again, life happens (and I get lazy). Still, this is really the first time that I'm posting things from my sketchbook. Usually, I'm so concerned with whether or not the things in it look good (especially compared to some of the other artists I know). But I'm tired of letting insecurities dictate how and when I make art, so here they are.

Why the title? "31 Days of Solitude" refers to the direction the work that I created seemed to take. Because of where I am in life right now (not really busy) and where a great majority of my friends are (super busy), I'm spending a lot of time by myself. While it's not always perfect, I feel like solitude is a blessing in many ways. There is a difference between being alone and being lonely, and I have experienced both lately, so I supposed they both end up in these pages.

Anyway, enough talk, here's the first batch of sketches:

(I wasn't going to comment on any of my work, but I have to say, this sketch is one of the ones I'm most proud of in my sketchbook. I'm thinking of turning it into a digital painting to work on those skills).

Look for more from my Inktober efforts tomorrow!

Pencil Mileage

"You just need more mileage"

I confess, for a time last semester I came to resent that phrase.

I guess I should clarify what mileage is (for those of you who don't know). When I talk about mileage, I'm not talking about car mileage; I'm talking about pencil mileage. It's a pretty simple concept when you think about it; the more you draw the better your skills get.

But for me that concept hasn't been as simple as I thought it would be. I would get to a point in the day where I wanted to draw, but then there would always be something stopping me. I was too afraid of making a mistake, even if it was in my private sketchbook. I was also afraid of what people would think about my work, even if I knew they'd never see it.

That insecurity extended beyond my private sketching and into my schoolwork. It was almost like I didn't want to do any sketching because I figured that I'd never really improve as much as I wanted to, or as much as I thought I was.

It wasn't until the end of last semester that I really came to terms with the importance of mileage. I have heard some people say that we all have 200,000 bad drawings in us. The important thing is having the discipline and courage to get passed those 200,000 bad drawings.

I know that there are other people who are facing the same problems that I still struggle with. It's almost like we suffer for our art, because there seems to be a constant internal struggle going on. Always wondering if what we're doing is correct or if people will like our work; it's not a fun way to spend time.

But the thing I had to realize is that you have to move on, not dwell on your insecurities. Honestly, there are only two possibilities from sketching more.
       1) You get better.
       2) You stay the same.
Your drawing can't get worse if you keep at it; you can't fall off the first floor.

So now I see that as difficult as it can be to conquer the blank page. If you really want to produce better art, then yes, you need more mileage.