He’s finally done! This is “Reef”, a PYO Oriental Dragon! I have spent more time on this piece than I think any other piece I’ve ever done, and I hope it shows! This took me approximately 53 hours to complete. I’ve learned a lot (like, 4 colors PER SCALE is way too much to blend efficiently!) but I am really happy with the way he turned out.
The first Kitty Griffin that I’ve painted in a while! This is painted in my scheme “Dusky Sunset”, and is marked with a #1 on his felt pad, as well as being signed by me.
I’ve painted two new Paint Your Own Windstones since I last made a post! Here they are, “Deepwater Dun” the Hippocampus, and “Dusky Sunset” the Rock Dragon – the first of this type I’ve ever painted.
If you are interested in a commission, please check out my Commissions Page!
This week I worked on this piece – a Paint-Your-Own Keeper dragon in a very sweet and gaudy color scheme I call “Candy Stripe”. This piece has a glossy topcoat, metallic periwinkle eyes, and her stripes have been topped with interference green paint so they have a lovely shift.
I’m considering taking more pictures of the process of painting these statues and including tips that I’ve learned along the way. I thought about doing it while painting this one but the time was never quite right! Next time.
Once again, it’s been a long time. I’ve got no excuses, just the hope that I’ll get better at updating this page and increasing my art output.
I painted this watercolor picture about 8 months ago, and have recently been working hard on getting into painting Windstones again. It’s been refreshing and nice to concentrate on something productive after a year of being relatively unproductive.
Motivation is always the killer, and the most substantial wall blocking me from improving on my art. This last year has been probably one of the biggest motivation killers I’ve ever had.
My goal this year is simple. I need to practice more, plan less. I get hung up on things not being “perfect”, even though nothing ever is, and I let those hang-ups help kill my motivation because it’s just easier not to try. Watching TV is easier. Playing games is easier. If I want to improve I need to learn to motivate myself, even if it is manufactured.
Because in the long run, I love to make art. Looking back at old pieces – as flawed as they can be, and as imperfect as they are – lifts me up. I get a boost of serotonin just from seeing even the smallest improvements. Imagine how it would feel to improve in a major way! It must be achieved in small steps – ones that I may not even notice until I look back.
How do you motivate yourself to achieve things?