I ask this question because I wonder how many of us feel the burning desire to be creative and to take an idea from beginning to end? For me the creator in me may go dormant from time to time but he, she, it, whatever will always wake, tap me on the shoulder and say, “it’s time”. Sometimes it happens when I’m sleeping – other times when I’m day dreaming or when I see art that really does it for me.
This piece came to me while I was doodling the other day and even though I have paying projects that I need to be working on I really feel that it’s important not to let the burning desire to create be squelched by routine.
I carry my sketchbook with me where ever I go because I hate being caught in some boring situation twiddling my thumbs – which I’m not very good at anyway but my A.D.D. is so painful that I can’t stand not being able to entertain myself and inevitably I’ll think of something that I need to put down on paper and my thoughts begin to run together like this sentence if I don’t have something to record each one and so the birth of this piece came from one of those potentially boring situations.
I wanted to show part of my process here in how I refine my sketch before I begin the rendering. I’m going to be teaching my picture book class next week and part of the reason for this post is to give my students a reference for process.
Unlike using traditional paint I can zoom into the detail areas and work on shape much easier. Another technique artists use is to step back from their paintings so they can focus on the entire composition to check for design, contrast, emphasis, etc. With digital software you simply zoom out and you can do this so quickly that you’ll probably do it more often than if you actually had to get up out of the chair over and over again.
I feel so blessed to be able to create fun images for a living. I only hope that enough people enjoy them enough so I can continue to avoid having a real job.