Taking a detour

It happened much sooner than I had expected: I completed The Guardian Project! It's so funny, when I was getting ready to begin with the project it seemed so huge I thought I'd never make it beyond the first week, and now, less than four months later, I've completed the (apparently impossible) task. 

I've drawn all the How To Draw... series published so far, some of them even more than once.  I should be bailando en una pata, like my mom used to say -it's a saying in my country that literally means dancing on one leg, and it's actually used to mean something like happy as a lark-, but I'm actually kind of disappointed. Don't get me wrong, I've had a great time -in fact, I hadn't enjoyed myself this much since I was 10!-, and I guess that's exactly the problem. 

You see, for me, this whole adventure has been like a daily party, and I don't want the fun to end. I know I can keep drawing everyday, but I also want to keep learning on a daily basis -learning to draw different characters, animals, landscapes and objects (and everything else!), filling my artist toolbox with more and more tricks and cool techniques. 

The matter had been haunting me for the last few weeks, and every new guide took me closer to this dreaded point, where I feared I'd end up lost and adrift. But there was this crazy idea with its deam glow, shimmering at the bottom of my mind, buried under a mountain of fear and confusion. 
What if I searched for some new tutorials on different realms of the WWW, beyond the cozy boundaries of The Guardian's HTD guides? What if I took this mad venture one step further, and aimed for even more artistic knowledge by reverse engineering some of the top kidlit artworks in the world?

Although these seemed to be the best (and most obvious) options, I was afraid to lack the discipline and perseverance to dive into such deep waters without losing myself in the process. But as the fatidic moment approached, without any alternative options at sight, that's exactly what I decided to do. 

So, to sum up all this endless verborragia -even I'm getting sick of it!-, I'll begin to work on other tutorials (I'll label these illustrations as The (Alternative) Guardian Project), but I'll stick to The Guardian HTD series anyway (as soon as they materialize in the blogosphere). 

Thanks for sticking around! Stay tuned for more novedades!

The Path So Far

Some of you must have realized by now that I'm rushing quite a bit more than I had originally planned, and I'm actually working on a totally new guide every single day. What can I say? I got carried away, and it turns out that working on a brand new tutorial each day is much more fun (and addictive!) than I could have guessed. The obvious outcome is that I'll be running out of tutorials in a bit over a month or so, and this is why I'll be asking for help, hoping that any of the great illustrators out there, from any tiny bit of this Wonderful World Wide Web, might lend me a hand.

So if you've illustrated a book and you've made a brief guide (it can even be a single page long) showing how to draw something, like your main character or an animal, get in touch with me, and I'll publish your guide on my blog and wish you eternal happiness! :)

The Road So Far

Another great thing about drawing every day is the way it frees you from fear. I used to be scared of drawing, because I was terrified of making mistakes. And the only way to avoid making mistakes is by not drawing at all. So, the more you draw, the less you fear it -and, as a consequence, the more you enjoy it.

A great thing happens when you experiment with different styles and techniques. You grow a lot as an artist, as you begin to discover a universe of endless possibilities.

Having fun is fundamental. You have to enjoy drawing -the whole process, instead of just rushing it to get to the end result. Oh, and remember to doodle a lot. It helps  you to free your mind (and your hand). 

The Road So Far

As you may have guessed by now, I’m a hopeless Supernatural fan. And I’m crazy about cats, suns and candy (maybe that last one’s not so obvious just yet, but sooner or later you’d end up discovering it anyway…).
So, back to the Project… 
Don’t underestimate Facebook. For many, it can seem like a waste of time, but it you take a closer look you’ll find tons of wonderful artists who share their WIPs and masterpieces in their amazing FB pages. Tony DiTerlizzi, Catalina Estrada… the list is endless! 
When it comes to finding inspiration, besides the above mentioned resource, there are infinite possibilities -as long as you’re willing to take the time to surf the waters of this ever expanding ocean. 
I’d also like to credit CuteAmigurumi.com for inspiring my Windy Day monkey –these creations are so adorable that you can’t help but falling in love with every single one of them!

And I also wish to thank you for all the support you’ve been giving me! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

The Road So Far

A few things I've learnt this week:

1. Scanning is tricky. Your art will rarely look the same after your scanner turns it into bits.

Get yourself a good scanner and see conclusion #2.

2. Photo editing software can be an artist's best friend. After scanning an illustration, you'll always feel the need to fix it somehow. This could mean adjusting its brightness or opacity, or even some sort of major intervention.

Conclusion: If you haven't done so already, download some photo editing software (you're definitely going to need it!). Some good choices are Gimp or Photoshop.

3. Learn from the pros. No matter what kind of artistic problem or difficulty you may trip over along the road, there's a good chance that someone else might have gone through that already.

Conclusion: Get your digital surfboard and surf the net (or your local library, if you dare to swim in deeper waters) to find out how others have solved this kind of problem.  (I found some very useful tips about Removing Texture from Watercolor Scans at kidlitartists.blogspot.com.)

Weekly Roundup

It's been a fun week! I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.

So, I'd like to share with you a few things I've learned so far:

1. Rubbers are underestimated. I used to think that all rubbers were the same, but I was wrong. The rubber I had stained my drawings every time I used it. The solution? A Faber-Castell pink rubber I found at a local general store. It works like a charm!

Conclusion: get yourself a good rubber!

2. Like rubbers, warming up is also underestimated. I used to skip right to the good part, without doing it (caramba! I still forget it, sometimes), trying to save a few minutes, but every time I warm up first my drawings improve a lot.

Conclusion: (always) warm up before drawing!

3. Doodling swiggles and turning them into something else by adding “mouths and eyes (and anything else you fancy)” -like Luke Pearson's birds or Alan Snow's trolls- is a great way to "warm up your brain and drawing hand" (both quotes are Alan Snow’s words, from his How to Draw… guide).

See conclusion #2.

See you tomorrow!