Inktoberfest - The Aftermath

Inktober 2017 has completed, and I'm happy to say that I've made it through unscathed.  Where in the beginning, I wasn't sure if I'd be able to keep up, by the end of it, it had become part of my daily routine.  I found that it really tapped into just how creative you can be, outside of drawing of course.  I mean, a lot of these words provided were so vague, but that also worked to your advantage.  Being creative means having no boundaries, and most certainly for some words, I really had to find a creative way to convey those words ("Poison" is definitely one that stands out for me).

Though I mostly just sketched my way through each day, I don't regret putting a small bit effort, compared to how I've seen others have.  I came to realize that it isn't how fancy your drawing is... just draw and follow the rules.  If it was based on how fancy my drawings ended up, you can certainly see when my good days were.

My friend and I who were keeping each other accountable each day were discussing our plans moving forward.  I may not have the same dedication for drawing each day after Inktober, but it certainly has made me realize that I would like to improve on my skills.  It has reminded me how much fun it is to draw, even if mostly on your own terms.  And there is certainly something to be said about drawing on physical media, compared with digital media... the fear of drawing something permanent without the luxury of the "Undo" option.  I love it :D

Interested in checking out my contributions for this year?  Search for pippopottymouse in IG.

Inktoberfest

My usual online social platform of choice has been Twitter over these years.  Primarily because it's allowed me to share my quick thoughts or interesting links, and kill 2 birds with one stone by allowing those same posts to be shared to Facebook at the same time.

Now, only a handful of people are aware that I also have an Instagram account.  I'm not particularly active there, I think mostly because I've seen how "bastardized" (in my eyes) it's become... mainly with the overuse of hashtags (I mean... is it really that important just how many categories through hashtagging your photo needs to be in?).  If ever I've ventured in, it's because I'm curious as to the number of visual artists there are uploading their works (mostly drawings), and trying to find some inspiration through their styles.  You'll find that a majority of people I've followed there are visual artists.  As for myself, you'd figure I'd do the same, but I haven't.  Sure, I've uploaded a few photos, but none are drawings.  I guess because I don't really draw or sketch as much as I used to.

Now, a close friend of mine reminded me about Inktober.  I'd first been made aware of this period last year while doing the odd browsing thru IG.  The fact that you don't really need to worry about what to draw... just draw something based on the word of the day provided, certainly appears to make things pretty easy.  In all honesty, I was looking for an excuse to be a bit more active in IG, and perhaps Inktober may provide that first step.  Plus, it does afford for me to practice up on my sketching skills, and be a little more creative.  I also bought this little travel sketchbook awhile back, so I plan to use this for my drawings.

The prompt list for this year is out, so as of this writing, I've officially got 2 weeks to come up with a plan on how creatively I want to tackle each word.  It's a bit daunting to even think about doing a word a day for the whole month of October, but it's also exciting.  I haven't quite decided whether or not to reveal my IG account to friends/family... perhaps closer to the end of the month.  We'll see.

Wish me luck.

For The Love of Art

I recently attended my high school's 25th anniversary reunion, and one thing in particular stood out to me.  It wasn't your typical "how successful someone is" or "how much fatter we've become", but rather how much art has been a part of my life.  A letter written by a friend 25 year ago, that was also addressed to me, pointed out how much we used to draw back then.  Even one of my old teachers, after all these years, had held onto a drawing I did of him.  I know that I haven't drawn as much as I once have, but this fact didn't really hit me until this weekend.

It made me reflect just how long I have been drawing for.  I'd been drawing for as long as I can remember being able to pick up a pencil and paper.  I always say I had a knack for drawing, considering both of my parents were draftspersons/drafters.  Some of the earliest drawings that I can remember doing were typical boy things:  A dinosaur (a pterodactyl if I'm not mistaken), and a football helmet.  Now granted, memories of my childhood when I was only a few years old may be skewed about just how well they turned out, but I remember just how proud I was of myself to be able to draw.

Now, like most other kids just learning to draw, I'd doodle on my parents' newspapers, or I would trace over whatever pictures I could find.  However, because I'd always had an interest of learning how to draw, I remember my parents would give me the tools to feed this curiosity.  I recall having some type of "technical drawing" set for kids, complete with grid paper, straight edges, triangles, and circle templates to help me draw vehicles and the like.  I also remember getting one of those "learn to draw" books, which taught me basics, such as perspective, depth, and using primary shapes to plan how to create your subject.  I also recall other kids in my classes over the years that could draw really well, and that always pushed me to up my game.

Even through high school, I'd always take an art class every year as an excuse to keep on drawing.  I'd even go so far as to use the family's collection of encyclopedias, under the biology section, to get a better understanding on how the muscles were formed in our bodies.  High school was also a slight emergence in comic book collecting, as a way of finding inspiration on drawing like those great artists.  A few friends of mine and I would even go so far as to try to draw our own comic books.  We'd created alternative personalities of ourselves in comic book form.  On a side note, one of my nicknames that still carries to this day is a result of my personal character creation.

As I carried through college, I'd still continue to hone my skill and "find my voice", so to speak.  I had to evaluate my strengths, and what kind of style of drawing suited me.  I'd moved on from the typical comic book art and made my way through a manga-inspired style (much like, I'm sure, a lot of others, especially with the anime boom in the 90s).  I'd eventually fine tune things to a point where I feel it's something unique to me.  I still picked up some books to aid in my skills.  Even to this day, as I view a lot of other artists' work through Instagram, there always something I'd study and like to incorporate into my own style.  The problem nowadays I guess can be time.  But, as one of my high school art teachers once shared to her class: just keep sketching.

I'd recently picked up a little travel sketchbook to try to help me keep my skills up.  Especially now that it appears my young 2 year old seems to be showing an interest in drawing, just like his parents.  I'll do my best to teach him what I know, but also stress the importance of not paying attention about how good or bad his drawings turn out.  Let him find his voice, and if the interest still stays with him like it has with me, then he'll be just fine.