BTW, how do you keep upbeat in your work? I keep drawing. It's my way to produce momentum. Sketches are stimulus for my illustration and other watercolour. If I stop at a good work and get narcissistic, it'll be the end of my artist life. NOTE: In a healthy way, I appreciate achievement and enjoy taking a rest. BUT I do not either look back or cling to good results.
I always seek for a new subject. This close up is my first challenge. Breast feeding is one of the most beautiful scenes on the earth. I'd like to develop this sketch. Hopefully, my brush will dance like this sketch. Mood and circumstance are fixed deeply in my memories. The sketch gives me an idea for composition. The drawing has become a seed for my future work. I'll foster it!
What do you think about illustration and reality? In my style, illo stays somewhere between soft imagination and concrete reality. This is my playing around or illo based on a sketch at a "supermarket." I felt my eyes were very aware of a picture book illo. The work is overworked though, it gives me a fresh idea to play with colours and direct painting. I also looked at a space in the work (*a real work is on A4 that has more space around this girl). In a picture book illo, space is critically important.
Next try, I will fail better!
Good! That's what I wanted to keep -- "impetus."
The girl's parents and I have become good friends. Nice! Always drawing brings me new friends.
Non stop sketches are my driving force and raw data. Once, another illustrator asked me seriously, "Tell me how can you keep your energy? Why do you always fly high and get excited with the illo project (that often takes one or two yrs)?" Sadly, the illustrator was cursing at oneself that could not create an upbeating power any more. For me, drawing is the power for illo and fine art work.
Yes, for nearly 24 hrs I'm with a sketch book and ready to capture an interesting subject except sleeping?! (*Often a good new idea hits me when I wake up!) I sketch whatever interests me, even on a queue at a post office.
My simple belief is
"Eventually, a hard working lay person will do more job than a lazy genius."
I want to keep moving on and eschew mannerism.
Friends, Happy Painting! Stop at nothing~!
(*My image of the lady from memory, who had enjoyed coffee with me in the last post.)