A week or so ago it was Draw Cat Rackham Day on Twitter, and I whipped this up.
Cat Rackham is the webcomic (and now print comic) of Steve Wolfhard. It is endlessly enjoyable. This is a grayscale version of a drawing I was working on for awhile that I'm tossing into the ol' scrap-heap.
It isn't a paid job, and the deadline is flexible, so I have that luxury.
Priorities change when working on unpaid work or personal work. On a paid assignment, the emphasis is most often on creating the best piece within the timeframe that the client and budget allows. On personal work, there are different, less rigid guidelines. What is this piece doing for my portfolio? What is this piece doing to advance my drawing ability or career? Is this something that people would buy if I made it available as a print?
When the only reward for making a good piece is, well, having a good piece, working can become difficult. When there is a loose or no deadline, you have all the space to second guess every line, every mark, and to go back and change them.
On this drawing, too many of those little negatives added up and I felt like I was just barely treading water. The drawing is filed away, and we move on.
It may not suit the portfolio, but I hope you hang onto that drawing- you may see a lot of negatives now but later could change. For what it's worth, I think it's a really nice drawing.
ReplyDeletereally digging the undertakers drawing too. Great work!
ReplyDeleteYou would have no trouble at all getting that drawing into next year's American Illustration annual, as is. I guarantee this.
ReplyDeleteI'm trying to get pieces done for my website/portfolio an I'm having the same problem. It's difficult to see a drawing with fresh eyes when you know every detail that went into making it. You end up looking at the problems rather than the piece as a whole. Love the undertaker drawing I'm finding it endlessly enjoyable, It'd be great to see it in full colour!
ReplyDeleteYour drawings are purely narrative, that's really impressive
ReplyDeleteThis piece is going to be dope! It's already well on its way. Nice work Sam!
ReplyDeleteLove your "Cat Rackham", Sam! I, too, am going through the weeding process over the past month. I bought a lot of archival clamshell boxes, labelled by subject, and have begun the...sort of weird...process of putting years of work away for good. I think it will allow more psychological room for fresh, new ideas! The undertakers really are great, and I respect your strength for moving on!
ReplyDeleteAh the undertakers drawing is so promising! I can't wait to see the final version!
ReplyDeleteStill makes a wicked drawing. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteUndertakers is fantastic, would love to see it finished!
ReplyDeleteDude this is fantastic!
ReplyDeletei'd be really curious to know what elements you thought weren't working. i'm a big fan of all your stuff, but i found myself scrutinizing that drawing like i would suddenly see something and go OH thats it, thats why he dropped it! but then sometimes its just really personal, maybe you were shooting for something and it didn't hit the right notes, so it becomes a reminder of what NOT to do rather than a success to leap from.so many times i've done the same, tried to create something that veers away from my commercial work, in the hopes of discovering new processes, more often than not, the overworked mess acts like a clear out, like your expelling every idea at once. i guess thats healthy. its gutsy posting the stuff you don't like, thanks for sharing it.
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