Having some kind of process to capture the big shapes with (modified) simple shapes is a neat skill to have. So I decided to practice it in this drawing of a black and white kitten from a photo reference. While it’s close to the original, there are some slight differences, as there should be.

To compensate for not publishing a drawing yesterday.

It looks all out of proportion. Maybe using a raster is what I need as a (temporary) drawing aid. It’s fine to stylize once I know I can draw in a semi-naturalistic style.

The photo I wanted to use as a reference was mediocre at best, so I ended up tracing the face and hair by hand, then coloring it with my own colors, instead of those in the photo. Because it went so badly, it needed two days to be made. And yes, I learned some things.

I did some practice with simple shapes, and decided to try a more ambitious object, a teapot I found through the SketchFab app of 3D models. Again, I guessed wrong initially, but saw my mistake and corrected by deforming the drawing. Despite that it took over an hour, I’m pleased with the result.

If it wasn’t clear already, I lack a steady hand in drawing. I tried this alarm clock I found a photo reference of on Pexels. I guessed the proportions, and guess what? They were off. Other than that, the lines are just too wobbly. Luckily, it resembles an alarm clock. So that’s good.

It is said that one has to wade through a lot of bad drawings to get one descent result. I comfort myself with that wisdom, drawing from reference. It’s a bit better, though.

The next step is probably to develop a better feel for shapes, by drawing lots of simpler subjects. Improve by attrition.

Sometimes I have no idea what I’m doing, only to realize that most people don’t.

So I really shouldn’t fear mistakes. It is part of the creation process. It’s a flow of subconscious actions, consequences be damned. Still, stopping and thinking about what to do next seems apt. Me: scrap this!

Earlier yesterday I bought a year subscription for Ibispaint, and made a quick rough sketch. I thought this was roughly my current skill level.

However, after doing some pencil sketching, I knew I could do better. Today I did just that. Of course, there’s always room for improvement.

I asked myself, am I really that bad at portraits? I remember being better at it than I currently seem, doing those portraits of kids. So I checked. It isn’t bad, but the proportions are a bit off. That’s to be expected after so many months of not drawing portaits.

I knew Ibispaint on iPad can do pixel art, sort of. However, its pixel brushes give more an impression of pixel art, than actual pixel art, more as an art meme rather than something to be displayed on a cathode ray tube. That isn’t a bad choice, especially since it allows art forms to be mixed.
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I must say that once I’ve identified the flaws in my portrait drawings and started correcting them in many attempts, the results are quite good. One thing I’m still not confident with is “presence.” Drawing from photos can make one’s art uninspired and flat.

I’m trying to improve my portrait drawing skills in order to draw better drawings for Catober. Since cats resemble young children somewhat, it makes sense (to me) to focus on those. As my models I use photos from Reddit Gets Drawn. Of course, I’ll give back as soon as I feel comfortable sharing full drawings, not just quick sketches.

I can see many technical problems with the sketch. The overall shape, the relative sizes of parts of the person, the shading, and much more. It all seems to me still a bit of trial and error, which explains its “amateurish” look and feel. There’s no clear sign of intent, no authoritative look, showing that I’ve done my homework by doing a lot of practice. It could also be that I’m prone to the art student’s dilemma, which is that in order to draw better, one has to see better, which includes any flaws in the drawing. This is why art from years ago looks so stiff and uninspired (read: bad). Of course, this is all irrelevant if the student doesn’t correct the flaws, and keeps repeating them.

I’m already a day behind on Catober, but since I’m not drawing in competition, I can proceed however I want. Being able to draw with intent is more important to me than completing a challenge. The challenge is more of an excuse/motivation to draw every day.

To be continued, no doubt.

For the month of September 2023 micro∙blog organized a photo blogging challenge with daily prompts, and I adopted it for pixel art.
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1. Abstract
2. Buildup
3. Precious
4. Orange
5. Forest
6. Well
7. Panorama
8. Yonder
9. Language
10. Cycle
11. Retrospect
12. Panic
13. Glowing
14. Statue
15. Red
16. Oof!
17. Intense
18. Fabric
19. Edge
20. Disruption
21. Fall
22. Road
23. Day in the Life
24. Belt
25. Flare
26. Beverage
27. Embrace
28. Workout
29. Contrast
30. Treasure

It was mostly a fun experience. Sometimes I had to try another, less ambitious drawing, on other occasions I accepted a bad drawing for that day. I certainly did a lot of tracing to speed things up.

I was wondering if I could improve my drawing process. I tend to copy what I see, which is fine for studying. Drawing from imagination gives another dimension to one’s self-expression. Of course, to make any sense to an outsider, it has to be based somewhat in reality. So, drawing from observation is still an important practice.

My intent was a dreamy version of a cat. I started with a big fat brush to build the animal out of blobs of digital paint. Not going into detail was hard, and I think I could have remained at the big-blob level longer than I did. The white plant-like thingy started as an accidental stroke with my finger I didn’t notice before saving. Alas, saving in the current version of Procreate destroys the editing history. Not that I expect my memory-starved lowbudget iPad to be able to hold such a file in RAM.

Anyway, the mistake was a blessing in disguise (as mistakes usually are), because it offered me something for the eyes to pay attention to. I’m by no means an expert at painting, nor art design, but keeping the observer looking at an image is perhaps the second most important attribute of any artwork. The first being, to not bore the observer with the expected, with what can be assumed common knowledge. The observer can use their imagination to fill in missing details.

I also need to remind myself that these paintings are but a step in what I want to create, a pixel art piece. The paintings are rough attempts at creating ideas. Some artists may be able to do without such a change in medium and do this imagination bit in a pixel art editor. I found that an additional step with traditional drawing really helps me to iron out vagaries in my art.

After all, art is creating something where there was nothing, besides emptiness (which is actually a thing). Filling this void, enhancing life is what makes art worth all the trouble. However, we humans aren’t born as artists, so we need some assistance to aid in the art creation process. If you can do it all in your head, more power to you! The rest of us do what we need to do to get things done, however clumsy it may appear to an outsider.

SepPixel for September 30, 2023, prompt: “Treasure."
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SepPixel for September 29, 2023, prompt: “Contrast."
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So, I took more time, and it’s only marginally better. I know it’s a difficult subject matter, requiring patience and subtlety. Nevertheless, I assumed I was beyond this skill level. It isn’t bad, nor good, but somewhere in between 😔

SepPixel for September 28, 2023, prompt: “Workout."
👾 ʎʇʇᴉʞ ‘sǝʇnlƃ ǝsoɥʇ uɹnq

If one’s goal is to get better, it’s not enough to claim you suck at it, because that’s true for anyone to some extent, even experts. You should inquire what makes you state that. In this case, I think it’s impatience. I need to slow down, take my time.

SepPixel for September 27, 2023, prompt: “Embrace."
👾 xɐɯ oɹd ϛƖ ǝuoɥdᴉ ʍǝu ɹnoʎ ʎoɾuǝ