Asian Pear, Flinching, and Repeating Mistakes

I hesitated before, during and after this painting was done. Before I started, I procrastinated while I tried to figure out how to approach painting this unique fruit. During the painting my brain asked, "are you really going to paint another fruit?". And when it was all done, I wondered if I should even bother posting it.

Look at this thing - it's flat, over-worked, unintentionally splotchy (except the areas where I used salt to create the splotchy effect intentionally), and the colors are completely off. It took me forever to finally just sit down and do it, and I sort of hate it. It looks like I stepped backward somehow.

That's my initial reaction, anyway. If I really felt like that, I don't think I would be able to continue on as an artist. I made some mistakes here and there, and they resulted in something I don't really care for. But I want to step away for a while, mix up some fresh paint, and try it again. Maybe I'll try something different. Maybe I'll fail again in a different way.

This is why art is frustrating. This is why art isn't for everyone. This is why art is something I love.

Comments

Inktober Day 3 - "Bait"

Old school pen and ink. I haven't used a crow quill pen since high school - and, even then, I remember struggling to get it to work. This time, I thought I would try to create something using only cross-hatching. The prompt word today is "bait". This word took me into a lot of different ideas, but the one I ultimately landed on is based on the will-o-wisp. In my head, I imagined glowing orbs in front of a copse of swamp trees all created with layers of cross-hatching. Things had to be scaled back a bit. There are still two trees in the background if you look hard enough. Success? Sort of. It forced me to use a different kind of pen and, in doing so, made me want to keep going and get better with it.

Storm

Attempting to create lightning using masking fluid, glazes, and lifting. White gouache was used for more subtle bolts and rain. When all has been said and done, this was a success in a lot of ways. Watercolor painting is difficult. Learning can be a challenge because it seems like the materials are all working against you. With varied drying times, opacity, flow, etc. I wouldn't blame anyone for turning to other media. I think I stick around because of the perceived challenge - I'm a weirdo like that. This piece was inspired by The Legend of Zelda: A link to the Past comic series by Shotaro Ishinomori . The first chapter of the book featured a lot of lightning, and I wanted to see if I could recreate the effect in watercolor. Little challenges like this keep me thinking all day; they remind me how much I love art. I'll leave you with a preview of my weekend project. Enjoy!

What is this place?

A couple years back, I started a daily creative project . I was inspired by Noah Scalin's " 365: A Daily Creativity Journal " and his Skull-A-Day project to try and create something new on a daily basis. I devoted myself to learning Inkscape and creating a series of 365 unique vector illustrations styled after Chiquita banana stickers. In retrospect, I fell short of my goal by about 120 stickers. Life hit me pretty hard in the midst of my project - even now, it is difficult for me to go back without being reminded of some pretty miserable times. I do not, however, look at the project as a waste of time. I improved everyday. I learned how to really use the pen tool and create really complicated vector pieces. I figured out how to make effective use of my printer, scanner, and the tools that blogger makes available to everyone for free. I learned how to work. I learned how to temporarily switch off the procrastinating part of my brain (sort of). So what now? I want ...

Rainbow Bisque

Search This Blog