Expected Colors
Having just finished another page on my sketchbook with acrylic paint markers, I flipped back to the first page I did when the markers were new. It seems that a lot of people like to diss their own past works, especially if they're younger, but putting down yourself is really not the way. I like seeing where I started and how much I've grown.
One noticeable thing is how looser I'd gotten. The first time I tried, I was very adamant on doing solid fills and bold outlines, cel-shading style. It works well with acrylic markers, but since then I'd moved to a more painterly style, leaving white spaces and half-blended areas, noticeable brush strokes. I think studying impressionist paintings influenced the shift.
Another difference is how comfortable I am now to blend and shade with a completely different color from the base. My earlier works were flatter, utilizing only what is termed the "local color". Apple is red. Sky is blue. Now I can confidently skew it to purple with greenish tint, say, or all sort of crazy combinations on the spot, then tame it to read more or less "correct". It feels like unlocking a superpower, because I no longer fret when I choose the wrong color.
I picked on my hangnails a little too much out of anxiety, which developed into an annoying case of paronychia. Lessons learned, do not pick on your hangnails. The pain kept me awake for many nights, almost ruining a sketchwalk and a weekend with friends.
My travel sketchbook is 1/3rd filled, my black sketchbook is halfway filled, and my doodle sketchbook is 2/3rd filled. Would be nice starting September with a freshly cracked one. I participated in a character design "contest" early August (it's a really small fandom event, I doubt they have more than 10 submissions) and talked about doing Spooktober again this year, but with the end of my contract looming I'm likely to take it slowly. I don't know, taking part in Spooktober as a not-coder for once sounds interesting.
Thinking of working more to afford some art books. Having them on your hands is just a lot different from looking at them on the screen.