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Some time ago, I won an Amazon gift card from The Pioneer Woman, using my amazing skills of 80s movie trivia. (I knew that was going to come in handy some day. So glad I learned retained movie trivia skills all these years instead of math!) With these spoils, I purchased myself a low-end digital tablet, with the idea being that I would use it to embark on a future of glory in drawing cartoons. Like Hyperbole and a Half or Cyanide & Happiness or Dinosaur Comics.
Okay, I probably wouldn't need a tablet to do something like Dinosaur Comics, but instead of a tablet I'd have to be funnier than I actually am, so that wouldn't work either.
Anyway, last night I finally sat down with my beautiful new tablet, determined to spin comic gold, and was faced with the inevitable realization that I can't draw cartoons. I try and I try but they just aren't good. I am, however, completely enamored of my tablet. I've always had a very tight, photorealistic drawing style, which endlessly vexes me, and in addition to being completely rubbish at comics, I've been completely rubbish at anything slightly impressionistic or sketched. I just. Can't. Do it.
Luckily, I'm also rubbish with a tablet pen! And my complete lack of even basic mastery over my tools makes my drawings very scribbly indeed. Normally I'd be a bit upset about that, but actually I think it's brilliant. I've accidentally found competence at a drawing style I've been hopeless at! It's an exciting day to be me.
Anyhow, when my cartoon attempts failed dramatically, I instead produced a few 10-minute sketches from a few of my Horse Expo photos.
They could be better, and I expect with some practice I'll be doing some interesting things with the tablet (I am determined to draw that cartoon about my dog's love of Christmas lights, and hopefully by Christmas I'll be ready).
Okay, I probably wouldn't need a tablet to do something like Dinosaur Comics, but instead of a tablet I'd have to be funnier than I actually am, so that wouldn't work either.
Anyway, last night I finally sat down with my beautiful new tablet, determined to spin comic gold, and was faced with the inevitable realization that I can't draw cartoons. I try and I try but they just aren't good. I am, however, completely enamored of my tablet. I've always had a very tight, photorealistic drawing style, which endlessly vexes me, and in addition to being completely rubbish at comics, I've been completely rubbish at anything slightly impressionistic or sketched. I just. Can't. Do it.
Luckily, I'm also rubbish with a tablet pen! And my complete lack of even basic mastery over my tools makes my drawings very scribbly indeed. Normally I'd be a bit upset about that, but actually I think it's brilliant. I've accidentally found competence at a drawing style I've been hopeless at! It's an exciting day to be me.
Anyhow, when my cartoon attempts failed dramatically, I instead produced a few 10-minute sketches from a few of my Horse Expo photos.
They could be better, and I expect with some practice I'll be doing some interesting things with the tablet (I am determined to draw that cartoon about my dog's love of Christmas lights, and hopefully by Christmas I'll be ready).
