Once more into the cats. I tried using reference on this, even stooping as low as tracing, but it just wasn’t working at all. Finally, in desperation I just winged the whole thing, plunking down the cat, adding the smile, then asking myself, “Why is it smiling?” and answering with, “Because it is contentedly crushing flowers in a pot.”
#makingarteveryday
Cats today! I found a reference for the general pose, then applied my own color scheme, and went with a bold, flat style using ink brushes.
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Another day, another dog. I thought a cartoon version would be easier and it was–a little!
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I had to choose between a poodle and a ragdoll cat. I chose poodle because I thought it would be simpler. Ho ho.
This took a lot of work and it made me crazy. It’s not bad and I learned a few things, so I’m content with that.
I present the initial version and the finished one. I looked at the initial version and found that it was so hard to see the eyes it looked like they had been gouged out. Also, the ears weren’t quite as fluffy as I wanted, so I went in and did some canine surgery that was…mostly successful.
Final form of poodle:
Poodle from hell version:
#makingarteveryday
I originally was going to really cheat on this and make it nothing but a black silhouette. I ended up adding a little bit of shading, but this was another late night rush job after spending most of the day with a massive headache.
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Late again and this one was really quick. It’s not very good, but it is indeed a penguin.
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I used a cartoon crab as reference and did this quick, as I was a day late and falling behind.
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Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Book Review: Bird by Bird
There are a couple of important things to remember when reading Bird by Bird. The first is that it was published in 1994, so it predates the internet. This means that the writing advice is not informed at all by the last 27 years of technological and social change. It makes a difference.
The second is that, while Anne Lamott is enthusiastic and funny, this is not anywhere close to a formal how-to on writing. Lamott covers some broad topics–writing every day, not worrying about the quality of first drafts, how publishing shouldn’t necessarily be looked on as an end goal–but does not get into any kind of nitty-gritty. The advice is more inspirational than nuts and bolts.
A lot of it is amusingly written. Lamott seemed a tad neurotic at the time but also rather self-deprecating, so a lot of the book consists of colorful recollections on how she dealt with various writing-related crises, and sometimes her advice translates to simply “don’t do the thing I did.”
I was glad to finally read Bird by Bird, but the passage of time, changing markets and new technologies have made some advice less relevant in 2021. Some fault may also undoubtedly lie with me–if this was one of the first books on writing I’d read, I probably would have found it hilarious rather than amusing, and found the tips more compelling. Still, it’s a quick read and a lot of the information it contains remains relevant today.
UPDATE, September 24, 2021: I have fixed a few egregious typos and such in this review. I always seem to commit the worst writing mistakes when reviewing books on writing.
I also think my take on the book is a bit glib–this is a well-loved classic and I think I was in an especially cynical place when I read it, and that colored my view of it. If you are just starting on your potential career in fiction writing, this is one of the books I highly recommend reading. There is a joyfulness in it (along with pain) that you don’t find in many books on writing.
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I was originally going to leave off the suckers, then decided to spend 5,000 hours adding them. Hooray!
And for the third sketch in a row, I immediately saw things I wanted to fix after posting.
Fixed octopus is first–the shading on the tentacles was fixed, along with replacing one row of suckers that were done in a slapdash style. I also went and tidied up a bunch of suckers because I am a sucker…for punishment! (lol)
#makingarteveryday
I suppose it makes sense that I’m a day late with a turtle. They can be rather slow.
But not this one–it’s a sea turtle! I decided to just keep it as a basic pencil sketch, but it turned out decently.
Again, I noticed things I wanted to fix immediately after posting, so the fixed turtle is first, the original is #2.
#makingarteveryday
Yes, another workout on the treadmill, mere days after the last one instead of mere months.
I set the pace at 6 for the first 15 minutes, then bumped it to 6.2 for the second 15 minutes. I felt like I was slower, which didn’t surprise me, as the reason I got on the treadmill was due to feeling lazy and indolent and guilt caught up with me.
I stopped after hitting 300 active calories burned as per my Apple Watch, same as last time. And it turned out all of my stats were slightly better, woo.
Stats:
Pace: 10:39/km (10:47 km/h) Time: 30:54 (30:033) Distance: 2.90 km (2.83 km) Calories burned: 302 (301) BPM: 144 (146)
This is a rainbow shark of sorts. I decided to do it all in pencils, which was…interesting.
I spent way too long on this for some meh results, but I did learn a few things along the way, so all goodish!
Also, I spent way too long trying to pick the background color.
Fake edit: After posting I went back and made some changes to the sketch (prompted by the “bucktooth” in the original). The revised version is first, followed by the original.
#makingarteveryday