New skills help creativity

Back in Graphic Design school, one of my favorite classes was Typography, but since I was focusing so much in drawing and animation I let that interest a bit forgotten. It was until last year that I was looking for inspiration in other artist’s work and realized that a lot of them were using Lettering as part of an illustration. I got so excited! I love letters!!

I found two lettering classes in Skillshare: The First Steps of Hand-Lettering: Concept to Sketch (Lettering I) and Waterbrush Lettering Essentials and enrolled to both of them. But I must confess that I’m not done with them, I’ve found many more resources and discovered that Calligraphy is a big part of Lettering. So I took on that one too Calligraphy I: Writing in Classic Modern Script.

Long story short, I started practicing since February 13 in a normal notebook with the pens and pencils I had in hand (and I’ve been getting more every time I get an opportunity). In the beginning, it was very frustrating how my letters didn’t behave as expected but now, after almost a month, I can see real progress.

The best part is that I’ve already used my new skill in a birthday card and as I speak (or write) I have an illustration on the works with my very own handlettering as part on it. I’m very happy I found some other way to connect back to my creative process, all part of my Art recovery I talked about last week.

And I’m still looking for other ways to do art, something else that inspires me and get me out of the funk. Very recently I found out about zentangles, some people meditate with them but I just use them to get my pen moving and to stop my mind from telling me if it’s good or bad, it’s just a doodle!

Taking on a new skill is not easy but it definitely will help your creative process, even if you are not in a funk. Finding new ways for your creativity to flow will only make you a more rounded and happier artist. Get out of your comfort zone and enjoy being a beginner again.

On My Way to Art Recovery

It’s been years since I can’t just draw for pleasure. I have been working and therefore I’ve been drawing and creating illustrations and animations. But I haven’t felt like drawing just for the fun of it. I tried many times, just to feel sad and frustrated after staring at the blank page.

I came across Julia Cameron's The Artist’s Way a couple of months ago, I read about it somewhere so I went ahead and bought the digital version, I started reading it and everything spoke to me deeply, so I got excited, I really wanted to start. And I found excuses, lots of them, so I put it off.

Last week, around the time I decided I was going to write in my blog at least once per week, I decided to follow The Artist’s Way program, it’s 12 weeks of exercises, that’s not too long compared to the time I’ve been feeling like a cheat because I don’t enjoy making art anymore.

I started the morning pages a week ago. I think I just needed to prove myself that I want to recover my creative spark and I will. So just morning pages and one artist date this week, I’m calling it week 0 since I didn’t do any other activity from week 1. Hell, I just read Week 1 today! 

It’s just week 0 and I feel much better because I’m taking action, and not just in the program, but because I started working on personal projects, more than one. That is a big win for me!! 

Since all my work from the week is still in progress I’m attaching an older piece (just a month old), to celebrate that Spring is coming.

Updates

I stopped updating the blog again a couple of months ago, but I kept creating mostly animations and I spent a while uploading them to my You Tube Channel. I made the huge mistake of not posting the animations as I created them,either here or in You Tube, so all of the sudden I had about 30 animations just sitting there.

It's true that they are watched, since the Animatron platform is a bit as a You Tube channel that allows people to watch my content and follow me, but I wanted to share them beyond Animatron. Anyways, it took a couple of weeks to render and post them but they are all in You tube now.

In this time I've also designed and put together my website, after a lot of dueling on it, I did it! So I published it two days ago.I'm very proud of it even though I want to replace the video with an updated version of my demo reel. The last one I have is from 2014, which gives me another project.

Now that I think about it, a lot has happened since the last post. I moved to Sweden so I'm still adjusting to the new place, weather, darkness and everyday life here. Where I live is kind of far from civilization so it's taking some getting used to. I brought my cat with me so she's been through the same process and it's been fun and alarming to watch. She was a street cat so keeping her indoors because of the weather has been challenging for both of us.

Anyways, I want to take this blog more seriously. I don't want to limit it to my artwork, since I have other interests. I have my knitting and cooking for example, and recently I'm hooked with brush lettering. I have been practicing and learning from Skillshare.

Going back to the blog I want to post at least once a week, and that would be an actual post and not just an image here and there. Lets get started!

Get well card

A couple of paintings I just finished for an animated get well card for Animatron, to see the finished product follow the Link

Hedgehog Love

I just found out that Animatron shared my Hedgehog Love animation on You Tube. I made this animation last year. The process was a lot of fun and apparently it shows since it's my most viewed animation.

Kittie Adventures - Episode 1

Almost a year with out posting! That's embarrassing, but  I've been hard at work, creating more content and testing Animatron. I have post on twitter, but I guess since my accounts are not linked, it doesn't count.
On February I started a series that was inspired by the appearance in my life of a little cat, she was a street cat but adopted me very quickly and now she won't leave the house.
I'm working on episode 4 already, but let's start from the beginning:
Kittie Adventures - Episode 1