Artwork: Ruby-Horned Girl

Drawn By: WrittenDusk

It's been awhile since I've done an original character art, let alone something modern themed, so this was quite refreshing. It was a nice change of pace from the recent fan arts.

I'm pretty satisfied with this drawing, but if I were to change one thing I think it would be the pose. It felt like a good idea when I was drawing it, but it looked more awkward as started to coloured it. I think it's still okay, but it could definitely be better. It's not good that this has been a trend lately.

That aside, the more I think about this drawing the more I feel that "refreshing" is a really good descriptor for this piece. This is true thematically, as I have said before, but even more so in terms of the process. It didn't feel more productive, or efficient while drawing this than before, but it felt more swift. Things felt as if there was less friction between thinking and drawing. 

If I were to analyze my approach like I did before, I think I'll come up with similar if not the same answers. But I feel like it's not quite the same this time. I think it has more to do with being okay, with being okay. 

Too often I'll get obsessed over being perfect to the point where it doesn't actually matter; asking myself overly acute questions. How does this line look up close? How well drawn is that detail? Did I colour exactly as I set out to? Couldn't this be done quicker? As the artist you can't help but be obsessed like this; you could even say it's part of the practice. But realistically there is only so much effort that is noticeable. When you take a step back and think about it, depending on your goals as an artist, you will actually gain much more from more frequent good drawings than infrequent better drawings. This is especially the case for me I feel.

The more appropriate questions to ask now is: Am I over doing it? Do I have do it like that right now? Is it really worth while?

An important context to have for these questions though is "when" you ask it. A couple of years back I think these questions would not only mean less to me, but may have hurt me more than it would've helped. My lack of skills and insight back then needed this drive of perfection for me to improve. At that time these questions would have produced complacency; giving me a safety net of "this is how it's supposed to be" to fall back on. Now these questions are a means of sensible improvement; of "It's time to move on".

This is really no different than the teachings in old martial arts novels where at a point you are to forget the form of what you've learnt, and only take to heart it's essence. Although I am not at that level yet, I am beginning to further appreciate and apply these teaching to myself; in ways that I understand.

That's all I have to say this time. Hope you enjoyed my drawing, and continue to do so!

(I really should start coming up with some names for these characters instead of just describing them...)