2021 summary

What a busy year this was!

That being said, I also feel like I didn't have the opportunity to make art and be creative so much in a long time. 

But while I still love watercolor,  I focused more on other things  this year. 

I got the comic going, and practised more model building.  And... on the side, also made a few cross stitch pieces.

So here are a few examples of what I've done in 2021. I'm excited  what 2022 will bring, and with every piece and project , good and bad, I'll be improving!

Happy new year!

Artworks January to June

Half of 2021 has already passed!

And of course I have found a way to make art each week, sometimes more and sometimes less.

So without further ado, here are some of the work from January to June.

 

For this one I mainly wanted to paint with acrylics, which I haven't done for a long time!

In a story, a Koi came across a waterfall. To continue on his way, he tried to jump over it, and failed and failed. So, he tried to jump over the waterfall for 1000 years. And finally, he did! As a "reward" for his effort and not giving up, he was turned into a dragon.

Spring time, and ladybugs are wonderful!

Just a watercolor landscape.

Another spring time drawing. It took a very long time. I wanted to see the contrast between color and pencil.

Om

I love fennec foxes!

November Art

Inktober has come and gone.
I know I forgot to share the drawings of its last week, and now it's kind of too late to do so, in my eyes.

Anyway, after drawing something else each day, it was nice to now focus on a single drawing over a longer period of time.
Colored pencils are a slow medium, so it fitted quite well for it.

To calm down some more I came up with the idea of a zen stone stack. I made one only few weeks before!
The drawing itself isn't made with any references though. For this drawing I liked to just do it how I thought it would look nice.
Even the streaks on the sky are intentional, they show a little bit how the sky looks like for me each day, because it looks more like the sky I see with my eyes each day.

Using references

Some hate them, some see them as essential.
But what is it about using references that divides opinions so much?

Those who are against references, emphasize that everything we draw should come from our own mind and skill. They see references as a way of copying, diminishing creativity and the will to improve and practice based on the own observations of real life.

And those who see them as essential...well, many of them want to draw or paint as realistic as possible! They think of references as important, as it helps understand shadows and cast shadows, form, value and colors. And, it is a form of practice too.

Both standpoints hold a truth to it. While using references help to get a drawing more accurate - for example when drawing a portrait of someone - doing this only might not help with creating your own landscapes or characters. But even there it can help! It is possible to combine elements of different photographs, to create your own backgrounds or ideas. If you don't know how to draw something, a reference can help you analyse the object and learn about it. In that way, it can improve you how to draw.

So basically, references are a tool and once again, it is just a matter on how or whether you want to use them.

And what if you want to use another artists artwork as a reference? Well, of course you can get inspired by it to make your own drawing or painting. But if you use certain elements completely, or even want to copy the whole painting or drawing and claiming it as your own, so purely copying references, without adapting anything is another matter once again!