A Little More in Self-Discovery

Partway through my cover design phase prior to NaNoWriMo next month (less than two weeks!), I've realized what I thought would take a month is actually much quicker. It's very possible to have those four covers done by the end of October. As usual, I'm taking progress screen shots to tease prior to book release, but I'm beyond thrilled with how they are turning out. Blending for realism is a lot different than comic art so I thought it would take a lot longer. However, I'm getting the results I want  and I'm partway through the second cover already. Doing the third and fourth will only benefit from what I've learned already.

I've seen a lot of amazing artists on YouTube, many doing realism or comic art and even a hybrid like I aim for. I've been able to look at light and shadow differently and makes lists of things I want to try next. I didn't really have a lot of confidence I'd pull it off, so it was surprising that I have been able to find it intuitively rather than on purpose. 

There's a lot about drawing that requires me to let go, to confidence levels at all. Realism looks horrible at first. I can't immediately enjoy it like I do with line drawings. Yet once the colors start to deepen and shapes start to form, I understand why I endure it. When I start to manipulate them with unnatural, saturated colors and exaggerated proportions and forms, it's really fun. I never realized how much blending creates such subtleties in form. It's something you don't really see until you're manipulating it directly.

I never really pictures my characters quite like this before. It's not that I pictured them as cartoon characters either. I've always had a general idea of their features but visualizing them for cover art is new for this series especially. Again, I wasn't sure if I should do character art, but it's also what I enjoy doing, so it always wins. I'm not married to the idea of people thinking they should see them that way, but I do want people to see what I enjoy. Multi-talented people, this is our golden age, so always take advantage of that! Writers are not just readers-- we're also artists, crafters, pioneers for the benefits of taking control of our creative properties.

I'm grateful for every day I can pursue this. Anything can change that so I cherish it. I take every opportunity to draw and write when I can. To craft gifts and find a new problem to solve. It's made me a better person to be around. I have better relationships and bigger ideas and happier nephews. I love that I can pass on my knowledge with them, show them why it pays to pursue things you enjoy, bounce ideas off of them while we walk to and from their school. Right now, it's drawing. 

I find that big chunks of writing OR drawing tend to make either feel more profound. It's really funny how every time, I feel like I'm going to be rusty, so my confidence is an asshole. Yet, it's the time away that also creates this sense of wonder that I've actually developed some skill in the other that really shines in the transition.

Eventually my attempt at a comic book is going to rock. I'm going to sit down to do it, thinking otherwise. It's not humility or even lack of confidence because I feel like it's just practical. There's no preamble or procrastination in getting going, so it's more like underestimation for something I just haven't done in a while. The world will go away-- not because it's a bad world to be in, but the transition is about surrounding myself with a space that needs to be filled. It's not about escape but feeling as if I've been commissioned, an au-pair to a cast of characters wandering without direction, the architect of the mountains, valleys and cities to come. Like a favorite movie, I watch it in stages-- rough and new, engaged and developing, ripe and rich, burgeoning and complete. Every stage is trembling, on newborn legs to first love to frail old age. 

My eyes get a big workout. When writing, I sometimes stop looking at the keys or the screen and start rapidly looking around the world I'm in. Drawing is constantly drawing with my eyes what isn't there yet. I've laughed about how much work I do with my eyes, but I wasn't entirely joking. My eyes do tend to strain and twitch from use. Hand-eye coordination is big for crafters of all kinds. They tend to work together but it's not unusual for them to wander on their own.

Well, off to bed. I'll probably pop in with more progress updates. November will probably be more of the same. I may get more blog organized by December and think of a fun series to share. Until then, let's keep at our goals!