I’ve been wanting to post my progress on this commission, but it’s definitely bad form to post the work before the commissioner sees the final product! A great friend wanted a piece to capture her beloved and hairy best friend, and I was more than happy to give it a go. I always welcome the challenge to step outside of my cartooning box and see what I can do. However, that usually means a longer-than-normal process. Because I’m not totally confident of my skills, I often start into a work like this and do exactly what I did this time around – I work on bits and pieces pretty steadily, and then I abandon the project for a while because I don’t want to ruin what I’ve done. “Creativity takes courage” (thanks, Henri Matisse), and sometimes my courage-o-meter gets pretty low.
I did most of my foundational work for this project back in October and November, then I went on hiatus over the holidays and had major trouble wanting to jump back in. But when my friend text me about him in late January, I decided it was finally time to get back to work, and I ended up finishing him in two days. And that’s the way it goes. I just need a good swift kick in the pants (or a text) to get me in go-mode, and it takes no work at all.
I wish I could say that I will learn this lesson, but this is quite consistently true.
Anyway, without further ado, the pictures:
Sticking with it,
Natalie Grace
Grace Line Arts 