New beginnings

February third, 2012, this blog had its humble beginnings. Almost three years later, it has its new beginnings. I hope to bring it back to its heyday! But first, I need to learn how to draw again.

Because I've become rusty! Terribly so! These past six months in conscription have allowed for my digital drawing skills and technique to... Well, almost disappear, it feels! And it gnaws at my self-esteem.

Anyway, last night I gave my best go at getting into it again. Sure enough, I saw some success, which also makes up today's material in pictures. But it took many tries, and much fiddling! When you're used to drawing digitally, then every stroke seems meaningful, and you make less mistakes. The going is smooth and efficient. But when you haven't drawn in a while, you become almost clumsy! You have to go over areas again and again, over and over before the results becomes bearable. 

I drew maybe three or four pieces before this one, but I was unable to finish them. That's what happens when you feel like your work isn't going anywhere. It's extremely hard to stay motivated, and you just want to drop the pen altogether. Indeed, that feeling is the reason so many people never get into drawing. Even if someone one day decides to pick up drawing as a hobby, the disappointment of the first drawing not turning out as hoped is often too much to bear. All kinds of talent could be hidden beneath that mound of inexperience, but the first weeks of practice often prove too painful, and said person might never try again.

Not a lot of people may know this, but I'm actually trying to learn the ukulele. Admittedly, I suck. Because it's bloody difficult! Progress is slow, and I still can't manage simple songs, which is infuriating! I had the thing for some time now, but as I've been away from home now for the most part of the last six months, I haven't been able to practice properly. So far, it's led to nowhere! I really have no musical talent, I know that now. But if I'm dedicated, and I keep playing, I know I will learn it eventually. But the struggle is real. 

Anyway, there's that and here's this! Very basic. I need to get back in the hang of it. I wasn't feeling particularly inspired, and I already tried to draw all the things I had in my head. But they failed. I gave up my visions for something more familiar. Portraits truly are my strong side at this point. I need to diversify, but just as with the ukulele, failure can be extremely disencouraging. As artists will know, being able to draw one thing well definitely doesn't mean you can draw anything well. (And there are still tons of faults in my portraits! I still fail to draw faces in proper perspective, for one. They look okay, but they're wrong.)

GIF's. In this purpose, they're short, easy to digest, and a fancy way to tell a story! I've been told these are helpful, and they're fairly easy to create using the right software. In the next entry, we'll take a closer look at what I did while drawing this one, and how it compares to at least one other digital drawing technique!