Hi guys! It's been a couple of weeks since my last entry and I have good and bad news. The good news: I'm doing Inktober! The bad news: I'm doing Inktober.
In between explaining the good and bad of Inktober, I'll post some drawings from July, August and September, to (sort of) stay on topic... and to probably make you super confused (sorry, side effect).
In July, after a break of a year, I picked up drawing faces again. I found some extremely cheap (and extremely bad) markers for doodling and drew one face a day, trying out various styles, mostly inspired by people's Twitter icons. After twenty days, I felt more comfortable drawing people (my weak spot). The most puzzling thing was that it felt like I had made progress, even though I hadn't drawn any people for about a year! The project started out when I made a water colour Moana birthday card for my Disney fan friend.
Then I read Moon's Meadow's July drawing diary and wanted to make some black and white drawings myself. I especially like how the cardigan to the left turned out. It's my mother's; she's had it as long as I can remember, but I sort of claimed it when I moved back home (in fact, I'm wearing it as I'm writing this). The patterns make me kind of dizzy when staring at it.
Then I read Moon's Meadow's July drawing diary and wanted to make some black and white drawings myself. I especially like how the cardigan to the left turned out. It's my mother's; she's had it as long as I can remember, but I sort of claimed it when I moved back home (in fact, I'm wearing it as I'm writing this). The patterns make me kind of dizzy when staring at it.
Inktober is a personal challenge to draw one thing with ink each day of October, and publish it online somewhere. Right now, drawing is something that really enthuses me, so I decided to participate. Because things are not great at the moment, I'm not expecting to make the target (I don't want to get stressed out), but I'm giving it a heroic try! If you like to see what I've been drawing, you can check out my brand new Instagram account (handle: insta.griffon). Warning: there's also a lot of mushroom pictures, because it's been such amazing autumn weather over here with tons of fungi. If you decide to give me a follow, let me know in the comments, so I can follow back.
I've also been spending a lot of time making drawings and paintings for a Super Secret project that has to do with dunes (okay, for those who know me well, it's now probably not so secret anymore). The baby dunes above didn't make it (*insert tragic music*). I'll post the more successful drawings I made for this project in December.
I've also been spending a lot of time making drawings and paintings for a Super Secret project that has to do with dunes (okay, for those who know me well, it's now probably not so secret anymore). The baby dunes above didn't make it (*insert tragic music*). I'll post the more successful drawings I made for this project in December.
In September, I made this illustration for my extremely nerdy (math alert!) article Articuno, Moltres, Zapdos and Lugia: calculating legendary bird catch rates in Pokémon Go.
The bad news is that with all the drawing (and mushroom hunting) going on, I don't have time to blog. This is something that usually makes me feel really bad. However, I decided to just let go for this month. I also would love to update my blog's layout, which is something I never get around to when I'm also trying to make my writing targets. So if I have any leftover time, that's how I'll be spending it.
One day, I returned home and saw these quinces lying on an outdoor table. My mother had collected them from the quince tree in the back garden. It has been a bad quince year: few fruits compared to last year and many of them were partly rotten. Although this means we'll have less quince compote, it also saves hours of peeling, which is a real chore.
The bottom line is: don't worry, I'll be back! ...unless Inktober makes me so happy that I decide to participate in Dinovember as well (draw a dinosaur every day of the month). Super temping, because, you know, DINOSAURS!
*audience ragequits*
One day, I returned home and saw these quinces lying on an outdoor table. My mother had collected them from the quince tree in the back garden. It has been a bad quince year: few fruits compared to last year and many of them were partly rotten. Although this means we'll have less quince compote, it also saves hours of peeling, which is a real chore.
The bottom line is: don't worry, I'll be back! ...unless Inktober makes me so happy that I decide to participate in Dinovember as well (draw a dinosaur every day of the month). Super temping, because, you know, DINOSAURS!
*audience ragequits*
I always wish I could draw. I really wanted to do comic books when I was younger but I am literally devoid of artistic talent. And of of course, I know a lot of it is practice but I had friends who could just draw naturally and I couldn't even get an apple to look like an apple. I realized then that some people just had callings to certain things, and art wasn't one for me =) I did add you on IG! Love the dunes drawing, especially.
ReplyDeleteMe too. As a very active comics fan in the 80s I was surrounded by extremely talented artists, some of whom went on to successful professional careers. I never thought I could draw but I did used to draw a lot nonetheless. Having that point of comparison put paid to that. And yes, you can learn to do anything - I even had drawing classes once - but the time and effort to get to "competent" from "no natural talent" is far too long.
DeleteI love you guys! There's this thing going on on the internet when it comes to being creative that everyone takes themselves so freaking serious and call every doodle Art. In reality, good and bad art (and everything in between) does exist and improving is one of my main drives of drawing.
DeleteThere's this video by Jake Parker (the initiator of Inktober) that I really love for explaining talent:
https://youtu.be/jxbfo2HmlAM?t=2m8s
He calls it a combination of 'fluid talent' (what comes naturally) and 'channeled talent' (what comes from practice). And both combined determine your skill level.
I think this works for many things. For instance, I'm super unhandy, while my brother is somewhat of a technical wonder. After trying really hard, I learned how to fix a flat tier on my bike (an important skill in the Netherlands). However, it would take me almost an hour, while my brother would do it in 10 minutes and do a better job. I rather spend my limited time at channeling talent that has a bigger natural pool to start with - chances are that is also something I enjoy doing more.
@Bhagpuss: At high school I was surrounded by people who were super good at drawing, too. I could never get it right and focused on school and music instead. I guess it's a bit disheartening to compare yourself to others and focusing on fluid talent (favourite pastime of teenagers, pretty much). It's only lately that I'm enjoying drawing just for what it is without looking at others and now I'm making progress. I just wasn't ready for that earlier back in the day.
@Isey: On the day of your comment, I was followed on Instagram by two people: one guy whom's profile was written in the Arabic alphabet and a traveling Canadian. I followed my prejudice and added back the latter.
PS Cool that you like the water colour baby dunes! It's a hard technique and I'm always insufficiently happy with the result, so this gives me some motivation to pick water colour up after all.
Dinovember sounds amazing. Make it so, insta.griffon. Hugs! :)
ReplyDeleteI wasn't expecting anyone in the comment section actually *tell* me to do dinovember, but hey, I do love surprises. :)
DeleteThese are wonderful drawings. I particularly love the delicate faces and black and white line drawings.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure your current audience will love what you're creating. So much of game blogging is sharing imaginary adventures, your drawings sort of up the ante on that by creating and sharing new worlds of your own.
Thanks for the kind words, Atherne! I know at least that my Twitter audience doesn't care for drawings that much, because the difference in likes, shares and views between gaming and drawing tweets is enormous. That's OK, though. I ultimately write about what enthuses me, not what enthuses others.
DeleteAnd that is beautifully said, about sharing stories and imaginary worlds. I guess that's what I want to do with my blogging all along: sharing stories - and then discussing them in the comment section. :)
When you posted those drawings for Inktober in Twitter I wasn't kidding when I said I was impressed. Your drawing of faces seems to have evolved tremendously since I last saw it. :)
ReplyDeleteI haven't stared at the drawing of that cardigan enough to see if it will make me dizzy either but it definitely feels hypnotic. Love the peacock too. :)
The dunes also look pretty cool and I imagine it must have been trick to draw. On the other hand I can't draw stick figures to save my life so maybe it is easy and I don't know it. Either way I like it and looking forward to more drawings from this project in December!
As for the blog don't feel bad. It is not a job, nor something you owe for anyone. Just write when and if you can. People will still come to read whenever you can post.
Thank you so much, Rakuno! Conrad already told me he thinks I improved so much with faces, and now you say the same... there must be some truth in it! That makes me glad, because I notice I feel some adversity to drawing people, because I think I will totally fail. There may be hope, yet. :)
DeleteAnd you're totally right about the dunes. It's actually a water colour painting (I just refer to everything as drawings in my titles for these post, because it sounds better and I don't want to make them obnoxiously long) and it took me more than three times as much time to finish as the other things in this post. It's simply a water colour thing. You start with the light colours and add darker layers gradually. It matters a lot whether the surface is wet or dry before you apply more paint, so you spent some extra time waiting for certain parts to dry up before continuing, or the opposite, making it wet before quickly applying more paint. It's a tricky process, so it's really nice to hear you like it! I'm mostly seeing my mistakes in that particular one, but now I feel like I should not give up on water colour after all (sometimes I want to, because it's really a bit frustrating).
And I think you're right in your last paragraph, because a lot of people commented on this post. It's really nice and I absolutely did not expect that. So, thank you, people. :)
Love your ink drawings. =) Thank you for the shout out. Always good to know that I inspire someone to try something.
ReplyDeleteI also really like the dune painting. I like your style of drawing faces too!
Will follow you on Instagram. =D
Thanks, I've added you back! And of course you inspire me. Even when things are not great and I'm not that much around in the blogosphere (for instance with commenting). And I'm so happy that people do like the dune painting!! :D
DeleteI love following your Instagram - for both the drawings and the mushrooms, haha! Your face practice seem to be paying off, the Pokemon illustration looks great :) The dune painting is interesting too, curious about the Secret Project now!
ReplyDeleteAnd I know what you mean about Inktober. It's fun and inspiring, but it can also take up a lot of your time and energy. I definitely feel torn between hobbies right now. :P I completed the challenge with 31 drawings last year and I really want to do it again this year. At the moment I'm 4 days behind, so hopefully I'll be able to catch up.
The same goes for your Instagram. You're doing so well on Inktober, I'm so impressed (and a bit jealous, haha)! I'm positive you can make it, with the huge influx of drawings I've seen pop up the past couple of days. :D
DeleteI'm more like 15 drawings behind at this point. We'll see if I make an insane drawing streak to make up these last two days or if I just rest in my defeat. Seriously, though, I drew so much more than in other months, so it's a win for me either way. :)
PS I'm always a tad terrified when making an illustration for a blog post, so I'm so happy to hear you like the pokémon one! <3
I didn't know Dinovember was a thing - that sounds great!! I'm so excited you have an Instagram for your art now. :D Loving your Inktober drawings!
ReplyDeleteYay! I really wasn't sure what to think about Instagram at first, as i knew nobody on the platform (and I hate that they make my drawings square, haha). But now I have some people to follow it's better already, and I love seeing your Inktober drawings pop up, too!
DeleteYour drawings --and Inktober-- have inspired me at yet another try at Nanowrimo. Now all I need to do is actually do it.
ReplyDeleteIf you Nanowrimo, I Dinovember? Dear lord, what did I just propose. xD
DeleteHey, that's up to you, Rav. I've a feeling you can do it!
Delete