So I thought it would be fun to do a bit of a review of my artwork from the year… Because despite everything else, I did keep pretty productive.
I really tried to fine tune my schedule so I could have a sustainable creative routine. So between that, working through The Artist’s Way (which I do still plan on reviewing eventually), getting heckin’ motivated by Buy Yourself the F*cking Lilies, and not running my Etsy shop… Yeah, I’ve stayed pretty busy!
I focused mostly on watercolor, gouache, and ink. And I spent a lot of time in my sketchbook with colored pencils… I started the year working on ink and watercolor abstract landscapes and scenes. Explored abstract non-representational watercolors. Did a few ink & digital color pieces (one or two are still waiting on color. still. oops.) Learned about mapmaking– made a few maps. Bounced back to some watercolor landscapes again. Then started trying to work with gouache, loved it, and have been alternating my time between watercolor and gouache pieces.
I tried to focus on certain themes and subjects and that helped keep me working. I noticed I got too overwhelmed wondering what to work on, so by narrowing it down it was easier to move from one project to the next. Landscapes, still life, animals, abstracts, maps, and what was originally “single page comics” now also includes my little instagram comics too. I still gravitated to space, floral and food elements, as I always have. So that was fun to see pop-up throughout my work still.
In total, my count is about 35 finished paintings and illustrations! Not including comics, which I have two on Instagram and three queued up! (Look at me, working ahead!?!). And I put my sketchbooks to work this year too. I don’t have any pretty & organized sketchbooks this year, but maybe that’s something I can work on next year…
Lastly, I thought it would be fun to end this year picking my favorite piece. Fortunately, it was really hard to choose! And it was fun to look back and see which ones still jump out as personal favorites… but I think as of right now, the winner of My Favorite Piece from 2020 is:
So there you have it! I’m so looking forward to eventually being able to reopen my shop and turning all this artwork into prints! And I can’t wait to see what new stuff I’ll make next year!
In the meantime, I wish you all a safe and happy holidays! See you in 2021!
Summer Child Designs 