17 January 2021 - Reading time: 6 minutes

This week posed a few challenges where I learned to establish some new steps in my drawing process -- and had to deal with more mind games.

But first... For Christmas I received a gift card to a local artist supplies store, just in time to replenish my supplies.

Trying out a Tombow 2.5mm clicker-eraser, and drawing pads instead of ring-bound sketchbooks; the Fabriano paper looks delicious.  I definitely overpaid for the Staedtler sandpaper stick, but my pencils (which I sharpen with a scalpel blade) now have smooth sides!

Fun Art

My drawing process has slowed down significantly since I started thinking more about image composition.  There are a lot more parts of a picture to consider, more photo/image references to gather, more places where I have to pause to make thumbnails/sketches and figure out my process.

In an effort to maintain momentum, not get overly bogged down in references and sketching, and to stay focused on finishing work, I've set myself a goal of drawing and finishing two art pieces every week: one big illustration, and one lighter smaller work.  I'll report on progress in the next few Dispatches.

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10 January 2021 - Reading time: 6 minutes

Welcome to another weekly Art Dispatch!

Fun Art

I managed just one significant art piece this week: an original character that's been with me for most of my life.  Every few years I make an attempt to render him as I've imagined him, and every year he gets closer to that vision -- until I look at the picture again after a few months and find mistakes everywhere.  I'm quite pleased with this rendition, but how long will that last?

Vega (original character) in 2021.

And all the "supporting documents".  I'm now incorporating thumbnailing a lot more into my drawing process.

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3 January 2021 - Reading time: 5 minutes

The first Weekly Art Dispatch of the new year.  Blogging about my weekly art productivity has helped me stay accountable, and I'm enjoying it.  Will I have 57 issues by the end of 2021?  That is the plan, and my goal to shoot for!

I've created an Art Gallery on my main website, containing the best and exemplary works from my 2020 Year in Review.  Haven't decided if it'll be on a monthly or quarterly basis, but I plan to update the Gallery as I continue practising and completing more works.

Fun Art

I spent most of the last week of 2020 working on this piece.

(Caption:)
Medric the scholar and Tevki the librarian look over a folio of illustrations.  Neep, awakened by their banter, stretches and chirps at her mistress.

My goal with this piece was to develop my drawings from doodles into proper illustrations, to be purposeful about every step of the drawing process. In particular: taking the time and care to compose the piece, spend time designing specific elements (concept art) that contribute to the final image, and use thumbnails to figure out details that I'm not sure about.

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1 January 2021 - Reading time: ~1 minute

After many years of on-again, off-again doodling (mostly off, sadly), I picked up my pencils again this July during the depths of COVID-19 quarantine.  Apart from the months of Sep-Oct, I haven't put them down.

4 months' worth of daily drawing.

2020 has been a successful half-year of art, and I hope to continue this into next year.  Happy 2021!

29 December 2020 - Reading time: ~1 minute

Tools of the trade. 🎨

27 December 2020 - Reading time: 6 minutes

Happy Christmas weekend; here is Vega's weekly Art Dispatch.

My drawing life suffered a bit on account of Christmas, but I still finished some big pieces. And in the midst of creating art, I encountered an obstacle, which is the subject of a new section in the Dispatch...

(Speaking of sections, I've decided to put Fun Art ahead of Study Art. How is the layout now?)

Fun Art

These are probably my best works to date. This is the kind of art that I really, really want to draw -- indeed, have been trying to drawing for practically all my life.  Daily drawing and some structured learning is actually getting me somewhere now.

(Caption:) "Tvama takes her younger brother Estiom down to the bay for his first surf on a plesiosaur. This creature is only a youngling: swims slow enough that anchoring your grips is easy, and fast enough to still give you a good ride."

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