something I am grateful for today

[johncomic]

Noticing how my drawing practice is paying off.

Since around May of 2010, I have been drawing comics regularly -- as in rarely a day passes that I don't do some sort of work on a comic. It finally occurred to me how much of an effect this has had on my speed. In the case of a normal page (not a lot of fine background details and tricky perspective and whatnot), I can now pencil it in about an hour. And I can ink it in about an hour. The graphic editing on computer takes around two hours now. This means that the most time-consuming aspect of drawing a page is waiting for the ink to dry (3 or 4 hours).

I realize that I haven't focused like this on drawing comics since I was in junior high. In the decades between, I always had a bunch of other things I also wanted to do, so my time was divided. Or I was simply too scattered, or whatever. But I was never able to draw as fast as I can now.

No point in bemoaning the years where I never got serious and got down to work. But I can start re-thinking what projects I might be able to take on in future, if this continues...

Comments

[ginsu.livejournal.com]

It finally occurred to me how much of an effect this has had on my speed.

I remember predicting this would happen on Yap, and I see you're getting the benefits of it, too. Easier/faster always means more progress, which usually means more happiness.

[johncomic.livejournal.com]

I remember predicting this would happen

Yes indeed you did. The trick, it seems, was being sufficiently patient...

[traypup.livejournal.com]

I am so impressed and happy to come back to LJ and find a Happy Wee. And I'm glad you posted this, because I always envy certain artists, forgetting the fact that they practice so much more than I do. If I stop criticizing and just keep going, I'll get to be as good as I wanna be. And you are further proof to that end.

[johncomic.livejournal.com]

Another thing that I learned, schlunchie, is that you may think you have some idea of how long you “should need to” practise, but there's no way you can really know that. Results come when they come.