The real issue is that I've just been afraid..

I've reflected deeply on myself and I realized the way I've been thinking about work and rest ( and the relationship between the two ) and my beliefs associated with them have been completely toxic. Taking time off entirely might seem good on the surface, but I'd just be back to where I was. Slow and steady is where it's really at ( for me ). I might reach 'success' faster if I worked more, but I'll be able to actually sustain myself by going slow.

I'll be recovering over the month of June, and I might as well learn to keep going and take it easy. I see this as a test to see how committed I really am to my art. I'm not backing down now. Posts will be once a week, showcasing what I've learned and my progress ( it won't be too much, and that's okay ).

Alright. So I got into TERM 3 and decided to go for the chest anatomy portion first. This past week I got through everything and went along with the class, finishing things off with the first portion of the assignment. Here's what I've done:

While I've been learning new things, I've also been making sure to go over older content. For now this has been getting back into gesture drawings and facial anatomy ( so much to re-learn and master! ). Here's a glimpse at where I'm currently at:

IMG_0129.jpg3622x1746 1.98 MB

Overall, this past week has been tough because all of the internal fears I've had to overcome, reflect on, and release. Hopefully at some point things will get easier as I calm my mind with meditation ( been at it for a few years and it's helping me understand my mind now ) and rest. I'll see you next week. Oh, and feedback is much appreciated! Also, thank you for replying with your support.

I've had a rough week, and I'm taking this week completely off from ArtSchool. There are a lot of very high-stress and anxiety provoking things occurring in my life and I wish to gain some perspective on it all instead of forcing my creativity to come out. I love to learn and work, but I need to learn that the world isn't going to end if I simply have enough self-respect to take a break. Here's what I've created this past week.

I will post an update at the end of the month with my progress. I have internal things to figure out and external chaos to learn to live in peace with.

I've learned a lot, and released a lot. And growing my 'muscle' of discipline ( if you can call it that ). I'll be posting an update monthly ( so I can focus more on the work itself ).

I can hardly believe I began art school almost a year ago ( last July, in 2020 ). But anyway, that's all I have to say for now. Here is a look at my progress since the last post:

I'm open to receiving feedback on these, so feel free to point out what I need to work on. I'll see you next time!

I'm about to enter my last university semester and finally graduate at the end of the year. I plan to finish ART School by the end of 2021 ( if not, by mid-2022 to the end of 2022 ), and I'll focus on characters, creatures, and environments ( these are the things I am most passionate about creating ). Thank you for the suggestion regarding the gesture drawings, I watched the video and it made a lot of sense ( though I'm still adjusting to that loose method of drawing them ).

Here is a glimpse of where I'm currently at:

I'll be working diligently on TERM 4 this month, and will post an update at the end of the month. Feedback is appreciated, and I will see you soon!

Here's the work I've done on TERM 4:

I went for analogous colors for the character at the end. Otherwise, here's where I'm at for older content:

The faces were too much for me to learn all at once, so I've gotten back to the basics of simple shapes. Once I finish the anatomy portion of TERM 4, I'll extend the amount of time I spend on each gesture drawing so I can draw all of the muscles ( loosely ). So I feel by the end of the year I'll have much better knowledge of anatomy than when I began. My semester has been challenging for the first week or so, but now that I'm back in "school mode," it should be easier to to adjust and balance my time.

Anyway, I'll continue working on TERM 4 and getting my act together. I'll slow down as well, since patience is key ( and this will be a lifelong journey ). See you at the end of the month!

Not Art School related, but I wanted to share this fan art on my blog:
( https://forums.cubebrush.co/t/joe-art-blog/9486/12 )

Last month was rough. I understand now thinking I could finish all of this by the end of the year was a grave overestimate. I'm simply going to slow down and become more methodical ( so to speak ) and intentional with art school. I am striving to be the best artist I can be, but that's a lifelong journey, not a destination. Anyway, I got around to finishing up the lower anatomy lesson as well as doing the gestures and faces and whatnot. Here's my work currently:

IMG_2869.jpg3825x2851 2.39 MB

So there's my small update. I'm slowly developing a habit of being more productive and focused, and this is what will inevitably help me in the long run. See you at the end of the month!