December 2022 Newsletter

Let me just say that I was surprised by the end of November…and now that it’s over, I’m not sure how much of it I remember… with that in mind, let’s get to it…!

ART

My first goal for November was to work on a new illustration. I started a new sci-fi themed illustration, and so far have most of the pencils done. I had to do a fair bit of practice and study in my sketchbook as well, since I’m still not well-versed in sci-fi motifs. It’s learning a whole new way of thinking. I’m having a lot of fun with it though. And I should hopefully start inking and colors pretty soon, since the background was the most complicated part. By the time I’m inking, most of the big decisions have been already made. It’s just play at that point!

Pictured: A few progress shots of the sci-fi illustration. Also a page of my sketchbook — a recent episode of Bob’s Burgers included a colorful sci-fi cityscape and this is a study of some of the buildings and windows.

I’m hoping that my workflow will be a little faster moving forward. I really want to be able to do a hand-drawn illustrations and digital illustrations simultaneously. I really liked taking breaks from penciling to sketch in Procreate. I’m still working on figuring out how I want to draw digitally — mostly figuring out which brushes I want to use for outlining and colors. I have a lot (like A LOT) of options. So it’s mostly just trial and error and personal preference. Sometimes it feels just hard to decide!

Whereas in previous months I’d been focusing on how I wanted to draw cartoons stylistically, now I’m going to be focusing on the finishing details. So like I said, figuring out what brushes I want to use digitally to outline my work. Also figuring out how I want to add color. There are so many different styles for coloring, just like there are styles for drawing. I tend to keep colors simple, but I do like when other artists add more texture and details in their colors. So it’s just a matter of figuring out what feels most intuitive for me. I also want to explore some physical color media as well. I still like the idea of alcohol markers, and acrylic markers. So I’ll need to make time to work with them as well and see if that’s something I want to use in the future.

I think for December though, my focus will largely be on that trial and error. Drawing in my sketchbook and in Procreate to build that confidence and figure out what approach I like the best. I learned so much during Peachtober, and I just want to keep up that momentum.

I’m excited about where I want to go with my art, now I’ve just got to make it!

COMICS

I only managed one comic in November… I thought I could get one done over Thanksgiving, but that was silly, and definitely didn’t happen. The good news is that I’m very very pleased with the comic I did.

BOOKS

I’m still reading The Expanse series, slowly but surely. It’s still so good. Seriously some of the best characters I’ve ever read. But I’m also taking a little break to read other books that have been sitting on my shelves for so long now. I’m in the middle of Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. I loved his book The Martian, and I LOVE this book too. It’s sooo good.

I’m also trying to read The Color of Magic by Terry Pratchett…again. I loved Good Omens, which he wrote with Neil Gaiman. But I’m just not sure I get it. Like, I can tell there are comedy beats, but I don’t always find them funny (or even understand what’s going on?). I really want to like it…but also it makes me feel stupid…

Which is kinda funny, because I felt so smart reading The Martian. Like, “yeah Mark Watney that makes total sense! Good idea!” And then I remember I suck at math and science and have no idea what Weir is writing about really, but he explains it just well enough that I can nod along like… ”hmmm, yes yes, I concur…”

I am silly.

MISC

This is the part where I get really fuzzy on details for November. I know I worked. I got to visit my family for Thanksgiving, which was really nice. But anything before the holiday is just gone. I know we watched a lot of Taskmaster on Youtube. I still love that show…

My family was a good sport and watched some really wild B-movies during our visit. We watched Trancers which was definitely in the camp of “so bad it’s good.” I even watched the first of many sequels when we got back home…Yikes…

OH. I remembered why I don’t remember November… I decided it would be a good idea to watch all the Resident Evil movies.

That was NOT a good idea.

In fact they might be some of the worst movies I’ve EVER seen. They were all consistently terrible. The writing, the effects. Just bad. All bad. I think the second one might have been the best? But ultimately it didn’t matter. Not just because the rest were awful, but they specifically retconned the story of the second movie later on as well. Bad… But really it was kinda fun. Again in a “so bad it’s entertaining” way. Love it.

So silly.

SHOP

It’s not too early to start holiday shopping! May I suggest gifting some art?! I know Society6 regularly offers sales, and the framed mini-prints would make a cute stocking stuffer! There are also cute mugs! Everyone needs a cute mug for hot cocoa! Check it all out here!