Hello February!
COMICS
In case you missed them, here are the comics for January!
Both are now available at INPRNT!
ART STUFF
Last month…
I started January with my goals all set and ready to go for the new year! Then I realized it probably would be a good idea to make sure my daily routine was set up to actually help me reach those goals!
I know it had been difficult lately with the puppies, the move and just like, life stuff… but still. I have other priorities too that I seem to always find time for, like working out or playing video games… but sketching? Eh. Not so much.
But no longer!
Art is obviously a priority! It’s my job! And I need my day to reflect that as best as I can!
So first, I set up my new studio in our new place. It’s a smol room, but that just means it’s cozy! I have a little desk set up, my favorite art books rounded up for reference, and some of my favorite art on the walls for inspiration! (not so fun fact: we lost some stuff in the move, so that narrowed my selection down quite a bit!) It’s very cute, and I try to work in there everyday… Sometimes it’s just more practical to work from the couch while the puppies are playing, or working in the evening. But I love my little studio now!
There’s still a couch. I mean, I’m still ME.
My smol desk…but it tilts! A legit drafting table!
Next, while I was sorting through my favorite art books, a pattern was emerging… a LOT of how to draw manga books… The cartoon and comic strip books were not a surprise. But the amount of manga style was. I’ve definitely worked on it before, it was a large part of my focus last year. But it kind of went by the way side… and honestly, I think because its just …difficult!
So now part of this reprioritization isn’t just my schedule, but my work (again). I think manga-style art is important to me. But it’s just tough! BUT. That’s okay. I just have to keep at it. Like burpees. I flippin’ hate burpees. But fitness is important to me, so I do the crappy burpees slowly and awkwardly in hopes that one day they won’t be so difficult. They might even get easy? I don’t know. I don’t know if burpees get easy for anyone. But I won’t get better at them if I don’t do them. So I do them… Manga-style drawing is like burpees. If getting better at it is important to me, that means I need to actually show up and do it.
Bleh.
So I’m still cartooning, and doing my comics (I’m FINALLY back on a comic strip schedule! YAY!) But I’m also, I don’t know — USING — that stack of how-to books to work on getting better at manga-style drawing. I’m using my time better and doing sketches (which I’m now considering “practice” rather than “high-stakes pretty drawing time”) and even planning for my next illustration in that style. And still also doing fun little sketches and fan art in my cartoon style too, so I don’t get rusty!
I want to do both. So I have to practice both.
I guess it’s nice that I have a focus for my goals. That’s great. But it’s just a start. January was just the start.
This month…
So yeah, this month is all about making better use of time. Being intentional. I don’t necessarily have MORE time (puppies y’all), but I can be better about the time that I do have in my day.
Already I have an illustration planned out that I’m looking forward to starting. But first I have a new comic due this weekend that should be fun!
I’ve been doing a bit better sketching since it is “just practice” so hopefully I can keep up with it too. Mornings are usually fairly quiet so I’ve been enjoying getting back to the ol’ breakfast sketches. And again, I definitely want to work on sketching manga-style characters, and cartoons too…
I also want to design another t-shirt, that is definitely on my to-do list. Hopefully I can get that going once I get further along in my illustration project!
And let’s not forget secret project… which is now secret project #1, because there is also secret project #2! (by my own design…let’s not get carried away. It’s not an NDA situation. It’s a “if I spill the beans too soon, I may lose my momentum” kind of thing…BIG difference! But sooooooon…)
Well, time to get back to work!
Thanks for reading!
P.S. – You can support my work (and get cool stuff!) by shopping prints, shirts and more at INPRNT and TeePublic!
Bee Sauls Art 