I'm just gonna go ahead and write two blog posts in one night, because really, that first one doesn't count. That's just the foreword.
Let's talk work for a moment. I work nights at a register at one of our local grocery stores, tending to the beer and wine section specifically. It's a pretty idiosyncratic job that I can ramble about (and I'm sure I will—did I mention I've got a bunch of journal post ideas already?), but one I'm pretty happy with. I like the people there a lot, I get a lot of space and privacy to dink around, and all the managers fucking love me. I know I got really lucky with my first job, so I'm not taking it for granted. I'm there and I will be there as long as they have me (and I don't have something better, natch).
The thing is, though, I just do not have 35+ hours of work to do there. They sure gave me those hours though! I think 37-38 is my record? And sure, I'm getting paid for pretty easy work—but it really is mind numbing. I'd rather take a slight pay cut to stay home longer and work on my art instead, and thankfully, with the hour budget in all the departments getting strangled a bit, they knocked me down to 30 total. I go in at 4 and stay until closing at 10 for the next two weeks. Still more than I initially thought I'd get, still plenty of money coming in. Tonight was my last eight hour shift for a good while, and I am rather thankful. My legs are still sore.
Speaking of art, I've seriously been getting into it these past two months. I'd been tinkering with it, taking it sorta seriously this entire year, but something clicked when September hit and I just got this major burst of confidence and I'm taking it as far as it takes me. I'm gonna have finished three entire pieces this month in a couple days, and we're only halfway through October. (I'm gonna try to go for a fourth!)
As such, I've been seeing some pretty seismic growths in my abilities. Definitely gonna have some redraws to do in the next year or so (but doesn't everyone?) Seriously, compare this Wyn from February with the battle Caby I just finished. Wack. Stuff is seriously just starting to make sense to me now. I figured out snoots, I figured out where eyes go in relation to snoots, I'm getting more confident in my shading and my ability to have objects hidden behind other objects.
Here's what I just picked back up after being stuck on it for a few weeks. It's that Setter you see on the front page lounging on a big island with his sandals off. I got stuck on the tree and it put me off art almost altogether again, but I knew I couldn't stop here, no! Took another pass at it yesterday and absolutely killed it. It's not like an amazing tree or anything, but it is solid. That's always been my goal and it'll stay my goal: no shortcuts, fundamentals over shiny shit. I'd rather have a wobbly drawing that shows my actual skill level than a real flashy drawing that absolutely falls apart when you look at it. (Challenging yourself is good! Cheating with fancy shading and overlays to hide crappy anatomy is not.)
Now I'm working on colors. That WIP just has the colors I put down for masking purposes so I didn't end up with a ton of bleed errors, those are obviously not going to be the real colors I use. I think this is turning out goddamn adorable so far, must be said. My goal is to light it with real warm shadows and some highlights and possibly a glow at the end. Of course, if you're reading this and I haven't rearranged the entire site layout yet, you can see the result on the front page! But here's a link to the finished piece if I have (futureproofing and all).
I've still got a ton to talk about, ideas, life improvements, trying to live healthier, but so I don't blow your head off with my words, I'll wait until tomorrow to write more.
