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Merry Christmas! . . . #procreate #procreateart #procreatedrawing #digitalart #artistsofinstagram #artistsofig #instagramartist #illustratorsofinstagram #illustragram #portraitdrawing #portraitart #selftaught #selftaughartist #selfteaching #timelapse #arttimelapse #procreatetimelapse #ithacaartists #ithacaart #ithacany #colorstudy #lightingstudy https://www.instagram.com/megthero.art/p/CX7ZlH4OMuL/?utm_medium=tumblr

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Insomniac's hand study at 3 am. Swipe for process and reference photo. Experimenting with colored pencils after watching Chris Hong's art process. Layering is indeed the key. . . . #handstudy #coloredpencil #handdrawing #realism https://www.instagram.com/p/COv1ZvqNK4b/?igshid=tuyijt63nl8o

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Back to portraiture, my favorite pastime. Shoutout to @charleseantoinette for letting me use that luxurious reference photo and @grayhavenmotel through which I found the photo to begin with! https://www.instagram.com/p/CGYsf0jDJYx/?igshid=1909oy952kzq7

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Day 14: Overgrown hug - with lyrics from a song that gives me huge nostalgia: “ Before the World Was Big” by @girlpool who I discovered via the #nprtinydesk concert. Anyone remember those dresses from the 90's? . . . #hyggetober #inktober2019 #inktober2019day14 #inktober2019day14overgrown #svslearn #girlpool #girlcomics https://www.instagram.com/p/B3pNdrPD5wg/?igshid=14eeselnskj9t

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#lightingstudy with #referencephoto https://www.instagram.com/p/ByTaHIqDDzi/?igshid=gwtn605rmkp2

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Another #lighting #colorstudy along with the reference photo I used https://www.instagram.com/p/ByRfZKajuMB/?igshid=18cpf0dkp26l

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Practicing with #Procreate - just discovered #Björk - OBSESSION IMMINENT . It's taking some getting used to. The fine control and taper I have with a physical brush is missing here- I just need to learn how to make the digital brush settings work for me. . #bjork #bjorkfanart #björkfanart #portraitpainting #digitalpainting https://www.instagram.com/p/BxdfViDl97e/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1e7hdwagjynbf

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Still can't quite capture that face-disappearing-into-neck look that we all know and love. . . . #sketchbook #sketch #cartoonist #faces #ridiculousface #nonsense #ballpointpendrawing https://www.instagram.com/p/BwpUHkLHpA7/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1jg206mmqeq9s

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Hey!! LISTEN!! https://www.instagram.com/p/BwKXnYOn9jZ/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=16yafrvi54d6r

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Which one looks best? Portrait of @emilyrcheng . . . . #portraitdrawing #portraitsketch #penandink #shadowstudy #artstudy https://www.instagram.com/p/BvpcwBGHHEq/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=qdq59lnpuau1

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Self Teaching Resources that Worked for Me

The KNKL Show (YT channel)

by Kienan Lafferty

Tutorials, complex techniques explained simply; this channel is a serious goldmine.

7 Habits of Highly Effective Artists (Video)

by Andrew Price

This was the video that inspired me to take the leap- to start sharing my art in earnest. Insight into the creative life.

Tips from Jesse Hamm (Twitter Account)

Whenever I have a spare minute, I find myself returning to this Twitter Account. Succinct, easily digestible, always MINDBLOWING.

Figure Drawing: Design and Invention (Book)

by Michael Hampton

A hugely detailed reference guide for human anatomy, and transitioning from reference to invention from your mind’s eye! (I’m still quite not there yet...)

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Self Examination Time!

Reflecting on my progress in art so far. Been climbing up a mountain, and it’s good to look back and see how far I’ve come! Or how horizontally I’ve walked.

TIME CHECK!

It’s been 27 years since I started arting. 8 years and 6 months since I started this blog. 1 year and 7 months since I started a now stagnant webcomic.

Comics I’m happiest with

"Food Science”

My first webcomic post. After practicing on Adobe Draw for a month or so, flying across the country to visit my best friend, and spending lots of time wandering around while she was at work, this comic came out of a conversation we had. In fact, the following year’s comics were almost entirely inspired by conversations between us. I’ve never met someone with whom absurdity sprouts so effortlessly, like dandelions on your freshly mowed, monoculture lawn. Something about this specific post captured something I’ve been chasing. I still don’t know what it is, but I come back to this one often.

“Urges”

Something about it. If I were to do it again, there’s a lot I’d do differently. It’s sloppy. But it’s another one that felt more like me, or more like the kind of thing I want to make. ELUSIVE “THING!”

I also started experimenting here with turning my handwriting into a font, because the lettering was just so very time consuming. Mostly because I was using a low quality stylus that came on the end of a free pen I took from the Dentist’s office.

"On the nature of stress”

 It was inked traditionally, as I was (am) getting sick of digital art. It has clear black lines, is emotive, could be read in multiple directions. I like analogies, and this captured what I was feeling that day at work- when each drop imperceptibly increases my stress load until suddenly, tears. Whoops.

Areas for Improvement

Consistency

I’ve spent some time learning the rules so I can break them, but I need to break them in a uniform way. Still struggling to develop an identifiable style that is self-consistent.

Sloppiness

Cut back on: poor lighting, fingers in photos, light glare. Those are definitely a result of laziness, and *NOT* artistic choice...

Speed

It’s slow going. Better than not going at all, but there’s room for improvement here.

1) The faster I make art, the more likely I am to put it out there. I’ve also improved on how quickly I can make a decent product. I hope to keep improving on that front.

2) Posting things consistently... I’m less concerned about this, because I’d rather just do things at my own pace. I have timelines at my work life, I don’t need it in my art life. BUT. If I can post consistently and still be happy, I should!

3) Don’t be afraid to complete something in multiple sittings. I had gotten into the habit of rushing to finish a project because I knew that if I put it down, I would never pick it back up again. I refuse to live that way anymore. In fact, this blog post was written across multiple sittings, over multiple days. All I have are pockets of time, and if I wait for chunks of time to fall into my life, I’ll be waiting for Godot.

Digital vs Traditional : Can’t live without that [ctrl + z]

(left: Adobe Draw + Stylus ; right: Watercolors and micron pen)

So far I’ve used:

Samsung Tablet + Adobe Draw + Stylus - Beautiful, simple, but ultimately limiting. I got so used to the delay and imprecision of this setup, that when I finally got a more responsive setup, I couldn’t handle it! Wacom Intuos Draw + Laptop - I used this all of twice. From the steep learning curve of not looking where my pencil is drawing, to the fact that I do most of my drawing while on the go, I realized this just did not work for me. iPad Pro + Apple Pencil + Procreate - My current setup. It’s.... It’s too good for me...! I’m still getting used to it after having it for a few months- it’s one of those things that is so powerful, I'm spending a lot of time learning how to make it work for me. But I think it will pay off / has already paid off. I take it everywhere with me, and I am now almost as quick digitally as I am traditionally. Traditional sketching + Digital Inking - My personal favorite. Works the best for me. I have all the fine control of pencil & paper- zooming in just means  shoving my face closer to the page and widening my eyes. Meanwhile, digital inking relieves me of all the paper tearing, smear lines, and eraser shavings. I can also enjoy the glorious lasso tool, and [ctrl + z]!

YET TO BE RESOLVED: Headaches and eye strain from looking at a screen are a real thing! If anyone has advice on that front, hit me up.

Social Media

I need you... And I FEAR YOU...

Like most others, I have a fraught relationship with social media. I simultaneously want EVERYONE and NO ONE to see my hard work. I simultaneously want EVERYONE and NO ONE to know who I am.

I'm torn between intimate autobiographical commentary, and cryptic absurdity. I've jumped about on Facebook, Instagram, tumblr, Webtoons, Tapas and a personal website. Once all at the same time.

Never again.

I'm easily overwhelmed, so bare bones is my goal. Right now my solution is to stick with Instagram, track long term progress over this Tumblr, and use a personal website as a polished home base to point strangers to, as well as to practice site building.

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Self portrait in pencil https://www.instagram.com/p/BpeoOcglMqaPuk5T5Mv2gmdeKi6zJFU9E6XvHU0/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1m79xx874kfzd

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Note to Self

A lot of improvement from Inktober, participated in 90-minute Paint-Off at local venue, good experience under pressure, with people watching me paint, made some artist friends. Posting mostly on Instagram, because I can upload photos straight from my phone. Should at least document inktober drawings here as well.

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#inktober2018 prompt 24: "chop muscled-arms" https://www.instagram.com/p/BpVcgssH_2PGLS2fA6wU4Uh1pJpReM_u1MqhCM0/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=mbd4k6k2jndy

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A quick St. Vincent

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Hi tired, I'm Dad