Gone Too Soon
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I generally try not to talk too much on my art posts, but I feel that this specific case it's... warranted!!
My birthday was earlier this week, and I have a tradition that I try to stick to every year where I redraw one of my older pieces for my birthday. It's a gift to my younger self.
Seven years ago, on my birthday, I drew the first iteration of this piece. I redrew it for the first time two years later, not for my birthday tradition but just... on a whim. Now, seven years after the original, I've returned to these characters once more to bring the image my younger self had in mind to life.
I'm so proud of how far I've come. In character design, in lighting, in form and composition and background-- I've grown so much in the past seven years, as an artist. And I'm so excited to keep growing, to keep developing my skills over time and learning as much as I can.
Note that the characters on the left have changed over the years, as a result of shifting friend groups. The original two versions had characters that do not belong to me in them. This version's characters are all mine.
Here's the original piece. Below the cut will be a side by side comparison of all three, each labelled with the year they were drawn in.
Never stop drawing. Never give up on developing your skills. I've only taken one or two formal art class, and both of them were introductory classes that covered topics I'd already taught myself. I truly believe that with practice and work, anyone can do art.
All it takes is time.
