Hello August!
COMICS
In case you missed it, here is the single-panel comic from July!
You can buy the print at INPRNT!
ART
Last month…
I finally have finished art to share! After so much prep work in June, I’m so pleased with everything I got done in July!
First, I really enjoyed working on the single-panel comic (above). I mean, it’s basically a full illustration. I wanted it to be seasonal, but also wanted Ghost to be the central character. And I love the concept of “Summerween” (Thanks Gravity Falls!). So a mash-up of summery and spooky stuff just makes me happy. Plus, late summer is the best summer.
Second, The Skeleton is done!
I tried to stay as close as possible to the original Inktober drawing for this one. The line art is really thin, which I haven’t done a lot. It was something I was experimenting with in Procreate, and I really like how it looks!
And then last, but absolutely not least, is the next piece in my Summer Myth series.
The realism of colors in The Summer Myth #1 was so good for making it really feel like watching a storm roll in. But with The Summer Myth #2 I was determined to play with the colors. I wanted dramatic colors, and a pink and gold combination. It’s so warm, like the heat of summer — but it’s not cozy, it’s electric! My default, again, is literal colors. Literal shading. Lighting. This was not that. This was pushing myself to play and have fun and it shows. It really feels like all my study on style is starting to pay off with this series. I LOVE IT.
I’m sure it’s not unrelated that I’ve been sketching a lot in July too. That practice is really so important. And I’m often reframing how I approach sketching, and I think I’m starting to find what works best for me. (I’ll talk more about it below!)
That included some fan art, finally! This time I drew Piccolo, from Dragon Ball Z!
This month…
I need to keep working on comics. I only did one single-panel comic last month. I’d like two get two comics done this month… Though admittedly, there is supposed to be a new comic on Sunday and I just don’t know if I’ll get it done yet. This week has been a bit of a mess. So we’ll see… not getting off to a great start, I know. But hopefully I can rally!
For sketching, July’s sketchbook theme was probably my last monthly art theme for Patreon. They’ve often been fun to work on, but they aren’t always the most helpful. I don’t work quickly, so I spend a lot of time working on themed sketches, when I’d rather be using that time practicing something else…
I love the direction my art is taking. And I want to get even better at it. And while making more art is a great way to do that, intentional sketching practice is just as important! I’ve expressed that sentiment in the past, talking about where I wanted to improve. But usually it’s been sketching to get better at something I could do. Or trying something new.
At this point, right now, I want to focus and get really really really good at what I’m already doing. I spent some time reviewing my favorite work (can you believe I’ve only been doing cartoons and comics for a few years??? I’d started out ages ago making all kinds of different art!). Anyway, I thought about what elements, characters, subjects, and themes kept showing up. I thought about what I wanted to improve on to make those pieces better. That kind of thing. The results of that review of my work are the things I need to be sketching!
Sketching can be messy or pretty or a little bit of both. But ultimately for me, it’s practice. Working through ideas and testing out approaches. So I need to keep practicing over and over, to get better! In my art, I keep coming back to the same things over and over. My sketchbook should reflect that too (not that I can’t explore entirely new stuff either, but that shouldn’t be the primary focus of sketching). The Patreon art theme was fun, again, but it was taking time away from that focus. So this month, I’m just going to keep drawing and practicing the things I need to do better to make better art! And I’ll share an overview of my practice on Patreon, and keep sharing some of the sketching on social media throughout the month.
Here’s a little doodle of a ghost playing rugby! Because I like drawing ghosts! And rugby is dope!
Lastly, I’ve gotta keep working on illustrations!
I’ve started drafting The Summer Myth #3. Hopefully I’ll get that finished this month. And I want to start brainstorming my next illustrations. I’ll take a break from the myths for a bit. I suspect I’ll return to it again though. But it might be fun to work on a t-shirt design again. It’s been a while since The Donut!
So, let’s do this!
Thanks for reading!
P.S. – You can support my work (and get cool stuff!) by shopping prints, shirts and more at INPRNT and TeePublic! And can you tell I’m on Patreon now? Because I’m totally on Patreon! Just $3 a month! (And you can sign up for free to get my social media updates all in one place!)
Bee Sauls Art 