A fabulous take on the creative process

As an artist, one often suffers from anxiety of whether or not one is good enough. Perhaps you do some brilliant work, that everyone loves, and then suddenly there is this pressure to continue to perform at that level. What if you can't? Fear of failure, some would say, but really it all comes down to a fear of success. After all, if we succeed, people are going to continue to expect success from us. Yikes! The pressure. I feel that what I truly suffer from is a fear of success.

So today, while at work, I was listening to some of my podcasts as I worked on some new designs, which lead me to check out Iain McCaig's blog which lead me to check out some of the blogs on his sidebar which lead me to a TED talk by Eat, Pray, Love author Elizabeth Gilbert about the creative process. And I must say, it certainly has changed me outlook on the work process and takes off a bit of the pressure. I often complain that the muse doesn't always speak to me, and she often decides to nag me at times when I cannot accommodate her with my pencil or paintbrush. But now I come across this video, and a certain amount of calm washes over me and gives me a new perspective on how to work. As long as I show up at the drawing table everyday, there is nothing to fear, because I've done my part.

So check it out! :)

Pirate attack thumbnails

So I have found a mentor! YAY!! His name is Craig J. Spearing and he is awesome and humble all at the same time! Perfect mix. At first we were thinking I would revisit the Dungeon Delve challenge and make it a sweet portfolio piece, but I was feeling sort of burned out on it, so we've moved on to greener pastures with plans to revisit the Dungeon Delve at a time when it nags me to work on it again :)

So here's the art spec he gave me for my first "assignment" :)

A Ship Being Invaded-

8"W x 10"H

A pirate aboard a ship at night. Several humanoid creatures (more than one, but it doesn't have to be dozens) are boarding the ship. It can be a combat scene, or a moment of lurking tension before the pirate notices them. The ship is only a setting, focus must be on the characters.

Certainly sounds like fun huh? So here are my thumbnails. I did at least 16, reallllly rough ones in my small Moleskine, but some were so rough I'd probably be the only one who would be able to tell what was going on. I made a point to only use a cheapy ball point pen so wouldn't be able to erase and get picky with the details. I took my 5 strongest ones and put them in Photoshop to clean up/clarify. There were a few others I still wanted to visit and see what I could do with them, but the main character is a tad too small I felt or it's face was hidden from view. So here they are:

(click for larger image)