Friday Six: The Sculptor; Pratchett; Sketching
[dc]S[/dc]ix things on my mind or worth mentioning. In no particular order, because I dislike Top (whatever) Lists as much as you. Hey, at least it ain’t a slideshow!
Five isn’t enough and seven is excessive.
[ ] Shape Up: I finished reading Scott McCloud’s The Sculptor (remember, I went to his signing here in Lansing). Wow. Great storytelling and very beautiful. Plenty of feels. I got weepy more than once.
Image via Amazon.
[ ] Fillings: I read an article once about an artist/cartoonist who said he always tries to fill the pages of his sketchbooks. He’ll even draw over what’s already on the page in some cases.
Ever since I read the article, I have tried to do the same. His point was to not treat his sketches as precious darlings, but rather what they are: rough sketches and practice. It’s a good mindset, as it leaves you more open to experiment.
[ ] Digital Sketching: Speaking of sketchbooks, I keep digital versions on my Surface. I create a new blank document in Clip Studio Paint (aka Manga Studio) and just draw. When the page gets filled, I increase the canvas size (usually just the height) and keep drawing.
Doing this helped improve my drawing on the Surface, for sure.
[ ] Pratchett: With the passing of fantasy author Terry Pratchett, I realized the last time I read one of his Discworld novels was several years ago. Far too long. I’m reading Guards! Guards! now.
While I didn’t first read Pratchett until after I finished writing my fantasy humor novel, his work at least let me know there was an audience for such a thing—which was perhaps his biggest influence.
[ ] Behind the Scenes: A photo on my Instagram of thumbnails and the ‘script’ for this week’s comic.
[ ] Live Alive: I went to a live figure drawing class on Wednesday night. I enjoyed myself, and I might go again soon–it certainly was a different vibe than the drink an’ draw crowd (way more serious).
It’s good practice, although I drew less of the model and more of my own characters using the model’s pose–which is good practice too.
