Monday

I got some work done today in the art arena, but I didn’t do much else.

My wife got some unpacking done, and she’s really been great. I came home from work early – left at noon – and simply passed out at about 4:45 p.m. I hope, with everything in me, that I won’t be up all night. I need to get a good night’s sleep if I want to beat this stupid cold. It’s not fun to miss so much work right out of the gate, in the first month of being employed at a place that seems kind of … I don’t know. Different. More … uptight, I guess.

So, I have to watch my P’s and Q’s, and make sure that I do the things they want. What they seem to want is to have me assume more and more MS Access development projects from the guy who’s “training” me, so he can move on. With all that in front of me, I have to adjust the way I think about things and handle my priorities. I have to try and do more faster, and that’s not going to be easy. I’ve never been a developer before, and that’s a bit disconcerting. It’s a new arena, and I feel like I need more hand-holding than I should.

Ah, well. I’ll do what I can. If you’re a praying person, any prayers you want to toss up on my behalf are welcome.

So, the passage of time has afforded me an opportunity to look over the drawing that I put up over the weekend on various sites, and I must say, I’m not happy with it. I’m going to re-do it, but I’m not sure how. I’ve seen some really great marker work done lately, and I don’t have any markers, but I’ll look at doing something in ink. I think it would be good for me.

On the programming front … well, there is no programming front right now. I have to get cracking on that ASAP, but right now, the unpacking takes precedence. I don’t have any way of working efficiently right now, and I’ll have to review and start over. So, when that starts up, it’s something on which I have to put a lot of emphasis. I just don’t have a lot of confidence in myself right now and I’m not sure I’ll survive where I am for a year.

Prayers. Sorry to be greedy.

Artistically speaking, I’m struggling again. I go through this on a cyclical basis. I get into it, I get going good, and I hit a wall wherein my art seems to actually get worse. I think, in these instances, I need to work on the drills for life-drawing, but that’s not as easy to do as it is in a classroom setting. I have to see what’s around me, with what subjects I have to work, and what time is available. The other variable is the baby. She’s not undemanding, and isn’t getting any better right now.

Well … enough complaining. I tried several sketches today, and they were so-so. I tried it in four different ways: realistic (as much so as I can do with my limited ability), semi-realistic, value-based and cartoony. I really want to learn that whole animation-style, that “Joe Maduriera” feel to my stuff, or even more so, toward Skottie Young, or more so. I don’t know. I just want to get there and I can’t seem to do it no matter what I do. I know I’ll hear about life drawing, life drawing, life drawing, but I’ve yet to see anyone explain the “magic” in life drawing that enables you to do other styles, or even develop one of your own. Any ideas, anyone?

Well, I’ve got to run. I’ll see if posting those sketches yields any feedback from the “gang” out here on the ‘Net, but I’m really, REALLY hesitant to post on PencilJack anymore. I get nothing for crits, and even if I do, they don’t really direct me toward improvement; they only show me what I do wrong.

Oh well. Talk to you later, gang.

God bless,
-JDT-