Hi Deviantart! I'm sorry I've been so quiet here. I've got a tumblr account where I've begin posting some of my sketchier work, but when I have something solid to show here, I will! In the meantime :
COMPARISONS!
Similar to the amazing improvement memes I know go around on Devart sometimes - and they're always amazing to witness!
So, I recently discovered a batch of old artwork. Much older than what I’d been looking for. I seem to have lost all of my standalone art for the years between 2010 and now, which is sad, but I did find some earlier hilarities - which I’m using these three lady-pics to illustrate! (yes, mermaid brought a man with her. tsk. Can’t trust those aquatic types at a ladies’ night.)
What’s great about looking at old work is seeing your progress as an artist. Especially when you pull up something that you remember being really proud of at the time! I distinctly remember drawing this lolita in 2005 and being really pleased with her, despite the fact that her head appears to be smaller than one of her feet (XD), but it’s fantastic to see the difference between 2005 and 2009. The big factor there will have been churning out comics, of course. The single best way to learn anything is by just doing it. No amount of portfolio-building can match up to making comics and forcing yourself to hit deadlines and learn as you go, I think.
I went freelance in 2007, so these two pics show the beginning and end of a massively educational time for me! The learning curve was pretty steep and I’m not sure I’ll ever see quite such a satisfying leap again, but hopefully I’ll keep learning and improving, even if it’s not as immediately noticeable! I think 2012’s image definitely shows more confident lines and braver posing. And this is all just character-focused, of course. My learning curves on full comic pages is for another post!
I still have so much to learn. We’re always learning. But why not pull up some old work yourself and pick out some positives? Pull up where you’ve improved as well as where you think you need to work harder. As artists we’re always far too ready to put our work down or focus on the negatives, so give yourself a pat on the back and see how far you’ve come ^_^
`anmari has been spreading her infectious positivity throughout our community for over 6 years. Throughout this time Ana has been at the core of all things devious, passionately developing an eclectic gallery, helping organise devmeets, participating in chat events and also recently completed dedicating her time as a Community Volunteer. We are absolutely delighted to bestow the Deviousness Award for May 2013 to `anmari, congratulations! Read More
Sta.sh
I never sought out an artistic career either, but who knows? Sometimes they sneak up on us unexpectedly!