fan_eunice | (no subject)

Last month when I determined I was going to try to learn how to draw, several of the beginners books and web tutorials that I started with suggested I do a self portrait before getting down to business so I could compare it against progress later. This turned out to be the best advice ever.

Because yesterday I was working on another self portrait and I was at my frustration breaking point. I'd got the lay in off when I started and didn't catch it until it was too late to really fix it, I couldn't nail the shape of the eyes at all (both these things resulting in my 'self' portrait not looking like much like, well, me), my light source changed midway leaving me baffled as to how to complete the shading and even the thought of attempting to finish out the hair and ears made me want to cry. Along with a ton of tiny things that just weren't coming together. I was about to throw the world's biggest temper tantrum and give up forever.

And then I dug out the initial self-portrait from my growing pile o sketches and laid it side by side with the one I was working on. Evidence. Evidence that I am actually making really good progress! Right there in front of me. I could still see all the things wrong with the recent one (and there are so many things wrong with it), but now I was measuring it by the progress made and not the sketch itself, and that progress was pleasing to me. So I share how far I've come.

Check it out

A month ago. I never thought I'd show that to anyone, ever, but now I'm kinda chuffed it exists (and weirdly I actually like it more now, because it's a hot mess, but I can actually see potential in it looking back)

Yesterday. Still a hot mess, but one that is actually going somewhere. If I can get from there to here, why couldn't I get from here to where I actually want to be? No reason. No reason at all. \o/