Self Portrait

I'm behind on my blog, and it is partially because of the self portrait assignment. I had never attempted a self portrait before, and I hated the idea of it. I had a grand idea combining many techniques and several styles. I probably worked 10 to 12 hours on my first design, and I liked various aspects of it, but in the I just was not happy with it. I started anew, and in about 2 1/2 hours, I had a finished design I didn't mind showing others. This goes to show that sometimes the simpler designs just work better.

I'm still a rookie

It's apparent that I'm still a rookie, because I made a rookie mistake. A friend I hadn't seen in about 12 years emailed me about working on his logo. He is getting married and wanted a couple swing dancing. I asked all the typical questions, and received vague or no answers. Instead of pushing for better answers, I figured I know what he'll like. I came up with a design I thought was perfect. Instead of sending him a copy of the sketch, I just ran with it and did a final version. I sent the finished file to him, a got the reply "It's a great start, but...". After 4 or 5 hours of work, he wanted me to enlarge the hat, add a suit jacket, and completely redesign the pose to have the male throwing the female into the air. I've learned my reason. This time he's getting a pencil sketch.

Passion vs obsession

When does passion become obsession? I've always been interested in art. I used to envision working for Disney. I used to strive towards becoming a cartoonist, but I never had the overwhelming desire to excel at anything until I found computer graphics. The more I learn, the more I develop my skills, the stronger my desire to learn and develop becomes. This may be passion, this may be on the brink of obsession. But last night I was dreaming Of a current project, and actually made progress in my dream that I used in the waking world. Now I don't know if this qualifies as obsession, but I do know I need to lay of the pepperoni and swiss before bed.