When it flows
The more you practise drawing, the more you learn and begin to intuitively know when a piece is going in the right direction or the wrong direction.
Sometimes when I start a piece, I scrap it right away because I identify quickly that the poses were wrong, the layout is wrong, etc.
Other times, like this very recent time, I ignore my gut feelings and force my way through the illustration, almost to completion. Before I scrap it and start over.
In my personal experience, the longer it takes for me to finish a piece, there's a high chance something is “off” about it and I’m too distracted to realise what it is.
As a traditional artist, it is ONLY in this time that I wish my art was digital. It'd be amazing to not waste supplies. Beyond that,.I love getting the ink on my hands, I love to smear the paint with my fingers, I love the feeling and smell of the markers gliding on Bristol.
(PSA: I adjusted the filters so that the blue pencil would be visible. Otherwise it's so light it wouldn't show up on the photos. You never want to press this hard with the blue pencil, unless you want to see it forever more as it leaves indents in the Bristol that can't be covered up.)
I honestly knew something was off by this point. The quote is “Float like a butterfly, Sting like a Bee”. For starters, they're both facing in the same direction which is a HUGE visual no-no. Secondly, Thrash isn't floating. Or really flying either. But I was stubborn and determined so I kept going.
It took me DAYS to get to this point. That alone tells everyone that I knew something was wrong and I was procrastinating against myself. Then I was mad at how much supplies I wasted.
I made a concession with myself, I would redraw the image, but in a smaller size, on the same sheet of paper. So the paper didn't go to waste.
SEE HOW VISUALLY MUCH BETTER THE NEW ONE IS? facing opposite directions, she’s FLOATING and Bee looks angry. He looked too chill, even happy, in the prior illustration.
I DREW THIS MUCH IN FIVE MINUTES. That's a sign that YES, this is the way. This is how it should look, my mind was at peace, and it flowed really quickly. I was done this in a few hours.
Partly because I had the vision already out and the colors already chosen as well.
But largely because, my mind and heart were at one with the vision to create this. And so it came to life quickly, without mental turmoil.
I struggled for hours changing small details in the first version of this illustration. I didn't struggle at all in the second version, because I was finally listening to my self. And not the capitalist call for content.
Sometimes I worry that I haven't posted anything for days. But anytime I rush something out, it's the worst thing I could do to my artist integrity. Because then I'm not happy with what I’ve shared.
It took me a long while to learn to listen to myself. I still struggle with it, but I’m getting better at identifying when the struggle happens, and I release control. I trust my intuition. With it, I create things beyond my wildest dreams.
