I might’ve been a little too ambitious for this project for the amount of time we were given…
I had chunked out my time and organized it so that I could finish it on time, but, as always I underestimate the amount of time art takes.
I started on this around 2:00 PM in the afternoon and managed to work until 11:30 PM only for a few bathroom brakes and a 40 minute dinner + chores and shower + brushing my teeth. I was impressed I had the energy to work non-stop, especially since I have lots of other school work as well.
This project has been very different than much of my other work for years. I’ve always preferred inking (black and white) my art. I tried to convince myself that it was because I liked the look of ink– and I do, but I’ve never really admitted that I was scared of using color.
What scares me most is that I can’t go back on color, if I apply color to paper, the color is going to stay there. If I don’t do it right, or if it doesn’t look as good as I envisioned, I cannot save the drawing I already have.
This speaks a lot about my tendency to always have an out plan, but I think also prevents me from making improvements in the color aspect.
Most of the time I use color on digital drawings because I can easily “undo” with a button or a tap– it’s safe.
When we entered 2024, however, I made a big decision to not pursue art as a career, and this has somehow given me more freedom and joy to enjoy art, which also means I’m less scared to make mistakes and more prone to be experimental.
I’m rather proud of the outcome of this project with the time I was given to do it; I felt I’ve broken through a barrier keeping my art very binary and stiff.
In 2023, I would’ve never thought to draw a comic without clearly penned panels nor outlined subjects. I probably would’ve also never been bold enough to use highlighters as a main source of color. I would’ve never been satisfied with the uneven black marker colorings. But now, I feel it gives the art a more lively and futuristic look, precisely what I wanted to achieve.
Lesson Learned: Experiment with stuff, it’s pretty rewarding once a satisfying product is produced.