Redbubble holiday challenge - week two

Sometimes an idea you have doesn't translate to the page quite as you'd like it to... but that's ok



Mistletoe mishap by KarinaLawrence
Last week I had an idea for the week 2 holiday challenge, the above is what I ended up submitting. Sometimes I am really happy with the art I create, proud even. This week I feel like I didn't quite create what I wanted to in my mind.

Don't get me wrong, I still enjoyed the week, trying out new techniques and drawing new things.

As you can see by the penguin doodle on the left of this image... not every attempt is a good one! That's probably why I like practicing so much. It doesn't matter how bad a first attempt is, all that matters is that you keep trying. With that in mind I will be revisiting this idea in the future, trying to get the actual image I had in my head onto paper.






Karina_Lawrence on instagram





This little guy is the highlight of this project. I love how happy he looks. He is 100% what I had in my head when I started.











I tried a couple different designs... using watercolour in the ones below... not sure why, but I just didn't get that same happy feeling from him.



The main problem I have with the finished project is the reindeer. Do I hate the drawing? No. I just think he looks too realistic for what I wanted to create. Ironically it's my own fault I struggle to draw cartoon characters.

When I was a kid I loved drawing, but wanted every drawing to look super realistic. I hated when people said anything I drew looked cartoony, and practiced for hours, took lessons, until eventually I could draw really realistic animals... I guess this will just involve many more hours of practice until I can get it right.

Now don't get me wrong, I chose to make time for other stuff this last week. Stuff that mattered to me more. So I'm not too bummed about how this turned out. It could have been better, and eventually I'll get it right and update the image on my redbubble shop like this never existed... unless anyone convinces me otherwise!



The week 3 challenge is already up and running, and I must admit I already finished mine... you can get a sneak preview on my Redbubble store or my Instagram. I'll also be breaking down the full story behind the project in an upcoming blog post!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Change, it comes in all shapes an sizes

Image
How long would you dedicate to change your life?  A day, a week, a month, a year? It is, after all, the only life you're getting. So you better be prepared to take what you want while you can, as it may well be the only chance you get. How about three weeks? Just 21 days, to change the way you live your life. It's not a lot but somehow it might just be enough. Research shows that small changes can become new habits within just 21 days. The bigger the change though, the longer you'll have to dedicate. But lets start with three weeks to make a small change, that first step. After hurting my foot and having to cancel a trip I sat at home wondering this very question. Did I hurt myself because I had become so out of shape? I looked in the mirror and the stranger on the other side shrugged, jiggling about the extra pounds that had formed over the past few months... Well, self pity wasn't going to do anything for my mood, my figure or my career... In fact, the only one...
Read more

It's been a year... in more ways than one

It's been a year since I last felt the urge to blog, and this year has been quite the year already. This month has felt like quite a year to be honest. The term "unprecedented" is being used a lot where I work. These are indeed unprecedented times for us, but the world has recovered from this type of event before. And I personally hope that we learn so much about what our priorities are and what we want our new normal to look like after this period of unprecedented change. My life already looks vastly different. Before Covid I was commuting for an hour each morning to get into the office. I begrudged my job, because I spent 13 hours of the day out of the house just to complete a 10 hour work day. Now my "commute" is thankfully 1 minute as I have been afforded the privilege of being able to work from home. And I do see it as such a privilege, with so many of my friends being furloughed, losing their jobs or bravely risking their safety and that of their famil...
Read more

If you were to put yourself into a tumble dryer

Image
Or how anxiety and my chronic illnesses like to make pals and render me temporarily useless.  @KarinaLawrence on twitter @karina_lawrence on insta I just spent the better part of 3 days in agony, not being able to eat and having nightmares when I managed to fall asleep. Finally being on the other side of this feels like absolute heaven, even though the chronic illnesses that caused it are never going anywhere. I also know from personal experience that there are people that are way worse off than me, and they're my absolute heroes and keep me fighting for a better quality of life. Eight weeks ago I decided to stop letting my illness dictate what I could and couldn't do. Now, my illness is just as stubborn as I am, so it's more a case of balancing the scales in my favour. My two goals are to get stronger and be healthier. The difference between this latest case of my body attacking itself and the numerous others I've had over the years? I knew the causes, fr...
Read more