85

I need more work in my design portfolio. I also need some new stuff to sell. So I made this. Enjoy.

Reading and Drawing

A big thanks to the people who wrote such nice words to me about my previous post. I needed to vent about my problems and am feeling a bit better about it.

Over the weekend I went out with my boyfriend and his friends. After a few drinks, I had this lovely conversation with one of them.

He was telling me how much he's been reading lately because of the fact his X-box broke. I told him I used to read all the time and that I would read a few books a week and how much I loved to read. Told him I don't anymore. Don't have the time to. (REALLY?)

He said that he's been enjoying it and that he's preferring it over the X-box now. That his imagination is starting up again. I told him yah, when I was a kid I was full of imagination, used to draw all the time. Reading and drawing was my thing.

I then quickly realized something.

Maybe, just maybe, the reason I've been in such an art block for the past few years, is because I stopped reading.

Actually not maybe, it is the reason my imagination has been shit for the past few years.

When I was a kid, in middle school, I read at a higher level than the other kids. While they were reading babysitters club and goosebumps, I was reading Stephen King, Dean Kootnz, John Saul, just to name a few.

I drew a ton of stuff. I have back at my parents places binders and binders, and folders FILLED with drawings. I used to draw comics, fashion, anything I could think of. You named it, I would draw it.

When I got into the digital animation program at college, I came up with all kinds of characters, story lines, and illustrations.

I was still reading books then, I used to go book shopping with my grandmother to the used bookstore that was downtown Truro. At that used bookstore my aunt worked there, so from time to time I would go to her place and borrow some of her books.

I loved books. I still own every book I have ever bought all at my parents place. Here though, the only books I have are my drawing, animation and design books. I have 6 reading books here that I have read in the past 3 years. One Stephen King, 2 James Patterson, 1 Jody Gehrman, the Alice in Wonderland book, and the last book of the Harry Potter series.

If my 15 year old self met up with myself today and found out how many books I read in the past 3 years, I would've laughed at myself. Bragged about how many I could read in a week, showed off my book collection and then laugh some more.

Why I stopped reading, I will never know. I tell people that I don't have time to read is a crock of bullshit. I spend hours mindlessly browsing the internet, playing video games and watching tv. No wonder my imagination is shit.

I'm going to get back into reading and see if and how much my imagination comes back. I know it won't come back after one book, but I'll see how it does after a month or so of reading.

So, does anyone have any book recommendations for me?

New Painting in the Works

I haven't posted much in this here blog of mine. I'm not much of a writer. I usually never have anything interesting to write about.

Today though, I would like to share with you a new digital painting I am working on. It's from a very old sketch of mine that I did about 3 years ago. I started painting it back then, but I ended up hating it, and then I lost the program that I was painting it with.

I did pick up the sketch once again, and tried to paint it in Photoshop. Once again, it didn`t turn out the way I wanted it to. So I abandoned it again.

A few weeks ago a friend of mine gave me a copy of the program that I lost. I was pretty happy and wanted to start painting illustrations again. I didn't have anything new to work with, so I went back to my old folders to look for some sketches.

I found the old files of the sketch and thought, "Well I know I improved my skills over the years, so lets have a go at it".

Here's my first time I tried to paint the sketch.




The time I tried to paint it using Photoshop:



Now here is the same sketch that I am currently working on:


I plan on finishing it, as it is going the way I wanted. I plan on doing more digital paintings and hope this one will get me out of my art block. So far I've spent about 8 hours on it. And I'm no where's near done.

Doodles...

I wish I knew how to sew, cause I would totally wear some of these outfits. ; -;

Cards Cards Cards

Just finished a freelance job for a business card. The client loved it! Now we're getting it printed.

Pretty happy with the way it turned out, and the client was great to work for.

I hope with this positive feedback, I'll get some more freelance work.