I had every intention once Inktober had wrapped, to select the best pieces (in my mind) and colour them; to keep the momentum going. You know what they say about intentions, right? At any rate, here we are now approaching the end of November, but I haven't given up!

This was actually one of the pieces from Inktober I was disappointed in. If I recall correctly, I was in a rush that day so I chose to draw a character of mine from way back. He was part of a pitch idea I had for a failed kids anthology that never got off the ground. I've been a part of quite a few projects that could never find their footing. At any rate, I loved the character at the time but I feel like the anatomy's off in this picture. I've been thinking a lot about the character's story, some of the pitfalls of the idea, and what would be needed to shape it up a bit. So I suppose I chose this one to give more attention to because it's been on my mind, rather than because I felt it was a particularly strong Inktober contender.

I purposely chose colours I didn't normally use, worked in a more saturated palette (at least in the foreground), and tried to limit the amount of 'extras' I typically default to. This was done all in an effort to push myself a bit out of my comfort zone. I find I stick to patterns if I'm not provoked to do otherwise.

Labels: 8-Bit, arcade, Inktober, video games

Just like that, the first two weeks of November escape me!

I wanted to write up a brief wrap up of my Inktober 2014 experience. I would say for myself, overall it was a big success. All in all, I'd call 23 out of 31 a success. Probably the most art output I've had in a single month in quite sometime. Sure, there were a few failed experiments and a few duds, but I stuck with it the best I could given all other prior commitments and I got some new art to show off in the process.

Not only did I learn what I think works and doesn't work for me in terms of style, I also gained some new technical knowledge that I hope will help me going forward. From a bit better execution with a brush pen, to scanning markers, it's been a whirlwind for sure. I think ultimately, the thing that held me back was not having a focus, and really just making things up as I went along. I also get very leery of simply drawing other characters from the Big Three or pop culture. I'm not knocking those that do, but for myself it's a bit boring. I love the thrill of designing something new.

Next year, I'd like to try and output a cohesive story or set of images. A few of the artists that I follow did that, and it was great watching that play out over the month.

Up next for me is perhaps some more paid illustration work (which I can't show you) and adding some colours to the Inktober pieces I really enjoyed!

Labels: brush pen, Inktober, pen and ink