The Pitfalls of the Internet
Today I thought I would express my love/hate relationship with browsing the internet. On one hand, it's a great place to find inspiration and ideas. I often save modelling photos and fashion blog photos for inspiration or use google maps to screenshot buildings. I look at other illustrators and feel inspired by their work and it makes me want to improve and learn more and research and try new techniques.
On the other hand however, I can be happily clicking around and reading and looking and all of a sudden, without even really realising it I'm feeling as if my work is super inferior to everything else that I'm seeing. This is the pitfall of the art world online. I think it's so great to be able to really quickly see what other artists are up to but if you happen to be looking at a time when you're not feeling so confident about your own output; maybe you've done a lot of not so great sketches that day or a commission just isn't coming along as you would like or you get feedback to change lots of things, then it can really get you down. I can very easily suddenly think I have no skill compared to others, or why would someone buy my work when they can by X, Y or Z's work?
It's then that I have to draw the negativity out. Literally. I have to pick up a pencil and draw and draw until something quite nice pops out and I can reset and keep going. And if that doesn't work then I bake!
I draw because I have to. It eases stress away. It helps me to think and solve life problems. It gives me immense pleasure. It allows me to bookmark important moments. I hope one day to do this full time but until then I will close the laptop lid and open a pen lid instead.
I finished a picture yesterday of Katz's Delicatessen in New York City, location of the iconic orgasm scene in When Harry Met Sally. Here it is. I am absolutely not going to look and see other illustrators drawings of it. Nope....
On the other hand however, I can be happily clicking around and reading and looking and all of a sudden, without even really realising it I'm feeling as if my work is super inferior to everything else that I'm seeing. This is the pitfall of the art world online. I think it's so great to be able to really quickly see what other artists are up to but if you happen to be looking at a time when you're not feeling so confident about your own output; maybe you've done a lot of not so great sketches that day or a commission just isn't coming along as you would like or you get feedback to change lots of things, then it can really get you down. I can very easily suddenly think I have no skill compared to others, or why would someone buy my work when they can by X, Y or Z's work?
It's then that I have to draw the negativity out. Literally. I have to pick up a pencil and draw and draw until something quite nice pops out and I can reset and keep going. And if that doesn't work then I bake!
I draw because I have to. It eases stress away. It helps me to think and solve life problems. It gives me immense pleasure. It allows me to bookmark important moments. I hope one day to do this full time but until then I will close the laptop lid and open a pen lid instead.
I finished a picture yesterday of Katz's Delicatessen in New York City, location of the iconic orgasm scene in When Harry Met Sally. Here it is. I am absolutely not going to look and see other illustrators drawings of it. Nope....
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