This is the year. Be honest with yourself.

(This journal is as much for you as it is for me, so feel free to ignore if you don't like reading semi-inspirational self-deprecating monologues)

I really feel like this is the year for me to break through and become the best artist I can be. Until today, school has always been in the way but now i'm graduating and have given myself an entire year to become an art until I head off to college. I think it's time to be honest with myself and my art, and speak about where I feel I need improvement. Along with setting a few wildly ambitious goals. All of this is going to be wildly challenging while I attempt to carve out time to work on my political project. 

First, I gotta go back to the basics. My anatomy- sure, most of it is technically correct but my compositions are BORING! Every picture in my gallery is the same If there's one thing I suck at, it's coming up with different and interesting poses for my characters. I always like to play it safe lest I make some sort of weird mistake. BUT THERES NO OTHER WAY TO GROW BUT BEING WEIRD! I want to get way better at that by this time next year, and for once I actually have the willpower to do what it takes. Even if it means sketching 2-4 hours a day (which i've really skimped out on), and drawing skeletons/musclies whatever. 

Second, I need a refresher in digital painting. The current cutesy/anime/kawaii style I have now is nice, but it really doesn't lead to anywhere since everyone's doing it. Ideally this can become a secondary source of income far in the future, but for now I want to go for a far more epic, expansive and conceptual aesthetic to contrast with the work i'm doing today. Believe it or not, I was doing digital art kind of like this at one point on my old account but life got in the way and I went back to "easy" coloring. The guy who got my old account also shut it down
By this time next year I want to be completely unrecognizable. 

  


_{Even more unrecognizable than when you put these two pictures that were done at the same time together.}

Third, Speed: Everyone here, all my watchers and friends- you guys deserve much more than a piece of art every week or two. Even if it's just sketches or works in progress, I have to get onto a regular schedule and stick to it. I should be there by July. 

Fourth, Concentration: Getting digital art completed in a timely way has always been a huge challenge for me since i'm so easily distracted online. If I want to get serious then I have to focus by limiting sketch time into intense 30min-1hr sessions followed by break time. 

SO HOW DO I DO IT? Here's my public goals checklist. Ultra public for accountability and junk. Pls harass/remind me if these aren't worked on in a timely fashion. beeZah dogebutt this means u 

Phase One

Add "done" and the date completed/you did it or a link to a journal with the thumbs when the assignment is complete.  

First, I need to get my cool artsy fx brushes together and clean out space on my computer. This is prep work before I draw anything. 
Done? 

Second, I should get my old bricked computer fixed somehow just to read MSJD again. Yes, this is an extremely low priority but it's still a priority. 
Done? 

Second.5, Take inspiration time every day for an hour to look at pictures by other people on front page and in your faves. Watch YT tutorials and emulate literally all the time. 

Third, time to put the pedal to the metal and learn anatomy. The goal is to do 5-10 sketches daily in the sketchbook but ideally far more. Areas of focus should be:

Arms
Back
Muscles of the Torso
Legs and Hips
Skeleton
Skull and Face
Eyes, with a focus on the finer details of the eyelids and eye socket. 
THE GREAT SATAN (hands  )'
Head (the loomis method)
SIDEQUEST: Actually learn animal anatomy so you can draw animals in more than just one pose. 

Doing this once is not enough Kiwi, you need to practice these literally dozens to hundreds of times. Until you're comfortable drawing all angles of said disembodied body part without a reference you are not ready for the next step. 

Done? 

Okay, once you have your basic anatomy down then start drawing poses on body construction you find around dA. No more tracing. Do it freehand and focus on construction. Do several of these poses (at least 2) with your daily anatomy sketches and gradually up the number until your sketches are mostly poses. 

Done?

Phase 2

Alright, THEN AND ONLY THEN, once you have your basic anatomy down should you move onto getting better at "realistic" digital painting. 

Step 8: Look at photographs and try to copy them. Especially the hair. Use color picker at first. 

Done? 

Step 9: Learn dramatic lighting. 
Done? 

Step 10: Do studies of other artists' pictures. In these studies you are banned from using the color picker. Always make clear that these are studies. I would like a series of 10. 
Done? 

Step 11: Landscapes, backgrounds, all that "stuff" that adds flair to your art. It's important never to worry about how long a picture takes. If it takes more than a single sitting or day, then let it take all the time it needs. Nobody cares how fast you painted something if it still looks like crap. 

Step 11????

Congrats! You are now an art! Now go forth and profit. 

When will all this begin? Mid-June hopefully. I'll still have my phone and everything, so i'll be able to take and upload photos of my sketches. 

Good luck kiwi i'm counting on you~ 
Make yourself proud!