Admin Post: Community Check-In for August 2021

[goss]

Today's the last day of August, and we'd love to have you check in and chat with us. How have things been with you this past month?

Did you sign up for or take part in any fandom activities in August, or have you been working on any personal art projects? Are you currently trying to meet a deadline? Feel free to share upcoming challenges that have got you excited, any frustrations you've been experiencing, possible goals for the next month, and so on. :)

A special welcome to our newest members of the community! \o/ We're always happy to have new members here, and look forward to having you join in our activities when the muse strikes.

Also, a reminder to all our members that the 39th Art Challenge - Face Your Fears - is on right now, and the Round-Up post for this challenge will be made at the end of September.

Comments

[goss]

Er...I haven't really done any artwork this month. /o\

However, I have been learning a bit of Sanskrit and as a result have started getting into Hindi script calligraphy. I am finding it quite fun to come up with my own lettering flourishes as well as the word design itself. So in a way that does count as drawing, I suppose. *g*

Fear Your Fears

As for the "Face Your Fears" challenge, being a perfectionist, my greatest fear/frustration is when my artwork comes out less than perfect, especially in terms of realism. And I think this weakness lies in my sense of proportion, which, from what I understand, is caused in part by my astigmatism.

So for this month ahead, I am going to give myself simple items to look at and draw, with a focus on practicing and correcting proportion in my drawings.

I think my strengths lie in my sense of composition, use of colour and lighting, so those are things that I am not going to put my energies towards. With that in mind, I'm thinking of just limiting my artwork to line drawings for this month, so that I can put my (probably limited) time and effort towards getting the proportions right.

[lomelinde_laurea]

I also find proportions really difficult, that’s something I should practice as well.

Hindi script calligraphy sounds interesting (as does learning some Sanskrit).

[goss]

Hindi script calligraphy sounds interesting

I find it fascinating how the basic lettering of different language scripts are exaggerated and stylized when creating fancy calligraphy. ^__^

[mific]

Your Sanskrit calligraphy is lovely.
Proportions! Sometimes I look at a finished pic and can't understand why I didn't see when drawing it that the person's hands are ridiculously huge, etc!
Do you ever have that problem I've seen some Youtube artists complain about - that when drawing flat on a table the view you see is distorted (foreshortened)? So some of them use an easel. I've taken to using a slanted board at about 45deg from vertical to draw and paint on, although that can make the paint run if it's too wet!

[mekare]

I think going back to something simple will be good for me too. Somehow I don‘t want to draw faces at the moment...

[minoanmiss]

A story tackled me so I've been writing it instead of any of the things I should be doing, including drawing for the latest challenge.

[goss]

Yay for writing! Glad that you're getting your creativity going either way. <3

The challenge is on for the next 4 weeks, so there's still lots of time if you feel inspired. :)

[mific]

Stories are always cool! :)

[lomelinde_laurea]

It’s fun when a new story grips you! All the best for the writing process :)

[lomelinde_laurea]

I did a bit of art this month: one piece of digital due South art and one traditional media Doctor Who painting for the Redux Challenge, which in turn inspired a short Doctor Who/due South crossover fic with young Ben Fraser wandering into the TARDIS.

I’m also working in some complimentary art for a due South/C6D Big Bang Podfic, which I’m enjoying a lot, as well as a Remix Revival piece. Work is bound to get crazy from next week on, so I hope I can get everything done the way I’d like to!

As for the Face Your Fears challenge - I think I’ll focus on drawing full body poses freehand, which is something I’ve always struggled with. I’ve also never drawn with ink before, so I got myself some black ink and nibs (and dug out some of my dad’s old ones) and will experiment a bit.

[goss]

Good luck with your BB and RR pieces! :)

I got myself some black ink and nibs (and dug out some of my dad’s old ones) and will experiment a bit

Cool! Experimenting with ink can be a lot of fun. :D And practicing freehand poses is a great idea for this challenge. Hope you enjoy it! ^__^

[lomelinde_laurea]

Thanks! :)

[mific]

Yes, a busy time with the due South/C6D Big Bang! Go you with the full body poses in pen and ink - I find it hard to get the paper right for that - rougher ones don't work so well.

[lomelinde_laurea]

Thanks for the tip! I’ll have to get myself some finer paper I think, the paper I tried out in was fairly rough.

[dhampyresa]

Basically haven't even opened my sketchbook s ince the cat moved in. She already chases after my writing pen, how do I get her to stop?!

[mific]

Heh. Draw with one hand and wave a cat toy about with the other?

[dhampyresa]

You assume a level of coordination I do not have

[goss]

Hee! Your icon is too perfect for this comment. ^__^

[mekare]

Ooof another month is over and summer is ending here. I haven‘t done any art that I can remember though I definitely meant to. RL stuff and me needing a break got in the way. I am determined to start again though and started a sketch last night. It‘s not for the challenge but just to get back into a drawing habit.

[mific]

Sometimes a break is what's needed. And yay for getting back into some drawing!

[mific]

I managed a couple of my SGA tarot cards in August, Strength and The Hanged Man, but was otherwise mostly occupied writing and planning complement art for the due South C6d Big Bang. It was a quiet month, largely spent pottering inside due to the full lockdown in Auckland.

[seleneheart]

Your tarot cards are so cool!!

[mific]

Thanks! :D

[seleneheart]

I completed my commission and that was about it. Aside from the usual casual stuff in my bullet journal.

I'm trying to think what to do for the Face Your Fears challenge. I've been on DW so little this month that I didn't know it was a thing. ^_^

My fears definitely have to do with humans. *ponders*

[mific]

yes, I'm still trying to decide what to do for it.