The Objective
As an artist and illustrator, I always seek to improve my work and master new skills and talents. I received my first digital drawing tablet and started digital illustration in January 2014. It was new and challenging, and I often found myself frustrated with my lack of skills. I wanted to create beautiful illustrations like the ones I have seen in games and around the web, but I created nothing measurable to my inspirations.
The Process
Although I felt disappointed, I continued to practice until I was capable of creating decent artwork worthy of sharing. It was certainly not easy, and I had moments where I was close to giving up. However, I would always be able to find new motivation and inspiration to learn more and practice.
These three portraits showcase the progression of my self-development and self-learning journey. On the left is my first portrait study piece. At the time it was completed, I was very proud of this painting, but I knew I had lots of room for improvement. The middle portrait was drawn a few weeks later. Between the first and second portrait, there is improvement in regards to shading techniques, blending, and colour value. The portrait on the right is the latest portrait painting I created. It was created in 2015—a year after the first two paintings. The latest portrait displays more contrast between the black, greys, and whites, the shading is more realistic, and the facial features are more accurate.
One particular aspect of my drawings that I am proud of is the creativity behind them. I like to create my drawings completely from scratch. The best thing about creativity is the ability to create new things, and almost every drawing I create is original and the result of my imagination.