KoKo-Chan's Art Book...2!

Delicate Unicorn Haired girl~ (& talking about overcoming hating your art)

❈-Sometimes the things you create when you're not thinking of the result can suprise you and unfold in very unexpected, satisfying ways-❈

Soooo There was no plan for her! XD She came into being from a sudden urge to create! And i didn't even know what color I wanted her skin or hair to be. Lol.

However, When it came to color, I did know I wanted her to feel soft and gentle visually.
So I thought of pastel colors and played around with some copics on a separate sheet of paper until I saw something that was satisfactory. ^^

These days I've been trying to find what speaks to me when I create my own original art.

I haven't been as satisfied with simply creating a character with cookie cutter techniques that I've learned from tutorials over time...I wanted to discover a way to draw a person that I could feel myself in when I looked back at it, something that reflected myself as a person in a way. Something fundamentally unique to me.

Now when I say that, I don't mean anything like I want to re-invent the nose XD
How silly that would be...OR WOULD IT?! 😱 (Jk xD )

I guess in short...I've been wanting to develop my own recognizable style!

For awhile I felt so much pressure when it came to developing a style, it was like I couldn't do anything right and I never felt satisfied with what I put down on paper.

I kept feeling like a watered down, less skilled version of the artists I was learning from. I didn't feel much of a connection with my original characters like i used to and it became hard to find a desire to share anything i made with anyone for awhile.
And it bothered me...quite a bit.

I knew thinking this way was wrong and I could see that it was affecting my output as an artist...but I didn't know what to do to fix this mindset.

Now about a week or two ago I was listening to an art live stream. (Been listening to a lot of those lately.)

It was an artist interview with someone who had worked on a few different films and done fantastic illustrative work. I can't remember exactly who it was but, while i was listening, I remember hearing them say something like this:

"you can't force a style, rather than you chasing after it...it finds you as you learn and grow. "

At the time I wasn't sure how I felt about that. On one had that's great because that means you don't have to worry about anything...it'll come along in due time as you learn.

But on the other, that also meant I didn't have complete control over when I developed it...I couldn't create something I wanted desperately now.
Haha.

I fumbled around with feeling both motivated and discouraged like an up and down rollercoaster for awhile over it.
In a way I sort of felt like if I couldn't craft a style then somehow I didn't have an identity as an artist and the negative thoughts just kept me falling in a downward spiral. 

Gosh, when I say it out loud like this it sounds so dramatic. ('°_°') Haha.

But really, no matter your skill level, I think this is something that potentially anyone who likes to draw or create goes through at one point.