Art for fun and learning (and sometimes work)
Spring 2024 has started, let's talk about what's helping me nourish my creativity as the world around me grows.
If you got this via email last week… oops! I clicked the wrong button, and then had to unpublish it from substack but the damage had been done. So here it is again… ignore that first email and pretend this is the first time you’ve seen this.
Dirt
What’s going on over here and what am I working on?
The hard part about working on things you can’t share is that… well, you can’t share them. I’ve got a lot of pots on my stove, as per usual. I can share, however, that I’ve moved on to inking my upcoming middle-grade graphic novel Exposures. Getting to move on to the next phase of any project is always full of anxiety and excitement.
I’ll share more as I continue to work my way forward. Inks should take months… so I’ll have plenty of snippets I can share as I progress!
Water
What’s helping nourish my mind and creativity right now?
I bought some more digital brushes, textures, and papers to work on incorporating into my workflow. It’s hard to invest in your work, especially when those investments are digital. However, last year I bought the Chromograph and Rusty Nib packs from True Grit Texture Supply Co. and I’ve been loving them. They’ve really helped me feel reinvigorated by my workflow and incorporate new exploration into my work.
So recently, I bought more from them and the art above has been made using their brushes, papers, and textures. I’ve been having fun exploring how to use new creative materials and all the possibilities that come with that.
Their packs work in Adobe, Procreate, Clip Studio, and more. I’m not being paid to share this, just a happy customer!
Of course, an honorable mention to Taylor Alison Swift. Her new album Tortured Poets Department has been on repeat since it came out and that too has clearly inspired some work.
Grow
The results of the hard labor.
Sometimes you have a lot to show for what you’ve worked on lately, and other times not so much. Right now I’m focused on my work and hoping, with fingers extra crossed, that one of the many projects I’m working on pulls ahead and moves forward. Until it does though, I just keep working…
Seedlings
This month’s Seedlings Roundup features a selection of more personal unposted work, including behind-the-scenes on things I’m working on.
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