Inktober 2017: Returning to the Heart of Art

During the month of October, I participated in “Inktober”—a challenged to create 31 inked drawings and post them on social media. This year I finally decided to participate in full, and so every draw I put my pen down to paper and rendered something new for each day in October (sometimes even more than 1 drawing per day). The challenge was designed by illustrator Jake Parker, who wanted to better his inking skills. And now—8 years later—thousands of artists worldwide have joined in the challenge.And boy, it was a challenge.There were several reasons why I wanted to do Inktober, but the main reason was because I wanted to fight through an artist block that I have been battling for the last two years.Ever since I got back to the states, I placed heavy expectations on myself and my artwork, mentally telling myself that “playtime was over, and now it was time to get work done.” But things rarely turn out the way we plan, and before I knew it, my own expectations and false images of what a successful artist looked like started to crush my creative spirit. I was creating artwork that I believed would please people, rather than creating what truly pleased myself. The results were suffocating and demoralizing, and I never felt as though I could satisfy the critic in my head. Even before my pencil could hit the paper, the critic in my head would say it’s gonna suck, or my skills are not good enough, or so-and-so would think it’s weird, terrible, unoriginal, blah blah blah.Through this long slog of artist block, I’m coming to realize that I’m missing the heart of my work. And the heart of my art is to play, to explore, and to revel in the beauty of being alive. It’s not about money, or recognition. And as trite as that sounds, it’s such a common and subtle pitfall that I believe most people get stuck in it at some point of their life. Because we want to be recognized and praised, and who doesn’t want to make money off of doing what they love?And I really do believe my troubles started when I placed these objectives before the heart of my work. I’ve put a false image of success before me like a carrot on a string, and have been chasing it around in circles ever since.So I’ve been having some hard talks with myself lately, really asking what is most important about making art. And it really comes down to because I love to create. Just as my heavenly Father creates, so I too, love to create. I desire to add beauty and truth to my world and the world around me. And maybe that means I won’t get published. And it probably means I won’t make much money off of it. That’s alright for me. It won’t mean that I stop trying to get published—and sure it’d be great to make some money on the side—but first and foremost I will follow my heart’s calling.And so, for that reason, creating a drawing every day for Inktober was very challenging, because I knew that I was putting my artwork out there to be praised or criticized. I had to constantly remind myself that first and foremost I was creating art for myself, and not because other people thought it was or wasn’t cool. And through the challenge I learned a lot of things about myself and why I make art, and it really helped me to recognize my trouble spots and areas I wanted to improve—both skillwise and in practice. Here are some of my major takeaways:

• Knowing when a drawing is good, or when it needs more work.
• Careful planning is good, but there’s a difference between that and over-analyzing something. Don’t be wishy-washy—make a decision and go with it!
• Oftentimes, simple is best.
• Making sure your drawing is clear and easy to read.
• Making art is first and foremost for myself, but it’s good to keep in mind relatability with the audience.
• When inking, things will not turn out exactly as you intend them to (there will be variation with this)--and that is okay.
• Mistakes will happen. Deal with them.
• Don’t Rush.

I've learned so much from this challenge, and I’m grateful for all the positive feedback and affirmation from friends and family alike--and especially grateful for my loving and wonderful husband, who constantly encouraged me and put up with all my late night Inktober drawings. Thanks, babe. ;)My journey is far from over, but I’m excited to see where it takes me. And to wrap up this post, I hope you’ll enjoy some of my favorites from Inktober 2017! Onwards and Upwards! :)

Sky View: Moving Forward, Learning to Fly

Greetings friends!After a long hiatus, a long winter, and an even longer artist’s block, I’m finally blowing the dust off my blog page and giving it a fresh spring makeover. *cracks knuckles* So let’s do this!First of all, thank you to everyone who is reading this. That means that you have taken the time out of your day to read my update. That also means that you’re still somewhat interested in my art happenings. You’re invested, and I appreciate that. So a big thank you and welcome to my updated and renovated website!A quite update on the last six months...2015. To be completely honest, a rather challenging year. From picking up and moving our life across the world, my incredible husband and I have slowly been putting roots down in our new home. It’s been a long time coming, but we’ve started getting into a new rhythm of life. We’ve met some wonderful people, got plugged into the community, and have nested well into our lovely new home. The thing with moving and adjusting to a new place is that it takes time. It’s intriguing to see the seasons of life echoed through the growing seasons of plants. Through life’s hard season—the “winter” season—I found myself in a place of waiting and rest, just like how a bulb hibernates in the winter ground. Though as time progresses, a little bit of green growth pokes through the cold, frosty ground…and one day you find yourself in a new, warmer season of life. It’s a beautiful, hopeful image.A while back some of you may remember that I started the 52-Week Challenge. This project began in January of 2015 and challenged illustrators to post a weekly picture according to specific theme. By the end of the year, I planned on having a total of 52 illustrations, better artist skills, and a broader portfolio.I got as far as summer, and never finished.I found myself falling behind and growing frustrated with my inability to keep up, and eventually halted altogether. But now as I reflect back on the challenge, I have learned a few things:First of all, I started the challenge in the middle of our major international move. That by itself ate up any free time I had, not to mention it consumed most of my creative and emotional energy. More importantly, I found that I attempted to create a beautiful, fully-rendered color image complete with backgrounds—EVERY WEEK. FOR 52 WEEKS. My ambitions were a wee bit high. Contrast this to my Alphabook challenge, which was only 26 weeks long and focused more on spot illustrations of single characters, sans backgrounds. And unlike the 52-Week Challenge (which requested people to submit only finished pieces of art), Alphabooks encouraged people to submit really whatever they had, even if it was a rough sketch. When I was doing the Alphabooks challenge, I felt alright posting the occasional crappy sketch—knowing that it was okay and I’d do better next week. With the 52-Week Challenge, I felt pressured to make every piece my magnum opus, and therefore when I had a bad illustration I felt it reflected poorly on me as an artist.All this to say: I learned a lot from doing the 52-Week Challenge. Is it a bad challenge? Absolutely not! It’s a fantastic way to hone your creative skills and rub shoulders with other artists. I would highly recommend it. What I WOULDN’T recommend is having unrealistic expectations and instead know your limits. But hey—that’s why we challenge ourselves in the first place. That’s how we learn and grow.But now, let’s talk about more fun things:

What’s Next!

As you can see, I’ve given my website a much-needed makeover. Take a moment to check out the galleries, which have some new images and surprises in them. (new art! YAY!) Also, I have created a new Facebook page for my art ongoings. I plan on using my Facebook Page to more frequently post quick updates, add photos of works in progress, and post any art-related content. Check it out, and don’t forget to “Like” it! :) In April, I will be participating in my first convention ever! If you’re in the DC area, come check out RavenCon. I am super stoked to be hosting a table in artist alley.  And in May, I will be hosting another artist alley table at the Tidewater Comic Con!Keep posted for more updates! Alright, I can hear you saying, “Okay Jess, this is great…but what about your art? What’s are you working on now? What’s next?”One thing about me is that I’m pretty good at cranking out art, but pretty terrible at actually posting it. So you’ll be happy to know that I have several folders packed FULL of sketches, characters, and illustrations just waiting to make their debut. My challenge to myself is to spend more time sharing my artwork with you and giving you sneak peaks at my upcoming projects. Projects that may involve a dragon… A cat with the "gift" of gardening...And maybe a space angel…Oh yes, get ready. Because I am SO excited to introduce you to some friends of mine. I promise you will love them. :)I hope this gets you a little excited for what’s to come. Thank you all for sticking with me through my artistic (and life) journey. As I stand on the brink of what I consider a new year, I survey a hopeful and bright future laid out before me. I'll leave you with an image and a quote from Guster's song "Parachute":But how much strength does it take For exploration For split decision? Or are you stronger to remain?Opened the door Knew what was me I finally realized Parachute over me  

Artist Confessions: Jesper Ejsing

Hey folks! Sorry it's been a while since I posted for Alphabooks. I haven't forgotten about the last three characters--do not fret, I will be posting them soon! But first, I came across a blog for illustrators and aspiring artists called Muddy Colors that you should definitely check out if you are one of the two. I've gained some great insight from Jesper Ejsing's post on the struggles of being an artist. I was encouraged that I wasn't the only aspiring illustrator feeling frustrated with my slow-poke progress--as if I were running in slow motion in a dream. My biggest takeaway: YOU'RE NOT ALONE!

Jesper Esling on "Why Didn't You Tell Me?"

The Next Step

So many of you may know that we (my husband Cody and I) will be moving to Yokota Air Base, Japan this June. This is a very exciting time for us and we are really looking forward to it--I mean, we're talking about JAPAN. Home of anime, sushi, and samurai; technological headquarters of the world, and country of fine culture and cuisine. It's a place that I had once visited for a mere 10 days (ten years ago) and have dreamed of returning ever since. Little did I know that one day I would actually be living there!Yet amidst the excitement, I know that there will be a lot of changes we're going to have to make--many of them are not-so-favorable. Primarily, we will be leaving behind all of our dearly-loved friends we have made here in South Carolina and literally start from scratch in Japan. And, to make everything more difficult, not only will there be a language barrier, but a cultural barrier as well. I admit, I am daunted. I know the Japanese are very friendly, but sometimes I still wonder how accepting they might be of (let's face it) a foreigner. Granted, we will be living on an military base, but I don't intend to live the next three years inside an American bubble--I want to have balance by also engaging the culture and making Japanese friends. I just have no idea how that'll work, but I guess that's where I'm going to trust God.Apart from life changes, the other thing that I have been mulling over is the future of my art. I sense that I am at a crossroads: I am a college graduate, I have the first stage done with my children's book and am currently playing the waiting game, and I don't have any really big art projects going on. Sure, I'm always working on some piece of art to "expand my portfolio", but I'm feeling a little fidgety--like I'm waiting for the next big thing to come. I'm almost positive that it has to do with Japan. But the difference is, I strongly feel that the next step for my art will involve a collaboration or networking of some sort. In other words, I'm dying for an artist community. Artists who are illustrators that share similar goals and dreams that I do. Artists with whom I might have a chance in which to work in tandem. I am realizing that in order to bring my art to the next level (and actually pursue dreams of being a graphic novelist), I'm going to need help. I'm going to need to build relationships with other artists and not try to do everything on my own. Did you know that it usually takes numerous people to make a graphic novel? Typically the jobs of making a graphic novel involve a writer, pencil artist, inker, colorist, letterer--and that's not including project managers, marketers, and people of the like. Over the last few months I realized that if I want to tackle anything bigger than a cute little painting for my portfolio, I'm going to need the help and collaboration of others--and that requires patience, flexibility, and the ability to work with others. Hmm, those sound like things I really can work at...So there you have it folks. My thoughts and ramblings for Friday. However, I do have a little bit of news on Jess's artistic front. Lately I've found that I've been wanting to produce more sci-fi and graphic novel-ly pieces of art (I'd been working on a lot of children's book material and was seeking balance with my tomboyish side). However, I lacked a muse for this realm, until recently--because as of recent I had picked up the ol' x-box controller, blew off the dust, and have been gaming with friends again. The game of choice? Halo Reach. Oh, yeah. The results:Some cool-spartan-kickbutt-chick! I know it's sketchy, but that's because it's in the process of being fleshed out (it's a little hard to see here, but she's taking off her helmet.) More to come on this!Until then, have a fantastic Friday everyone! (or whoever is actually reading this *laughs*) :)