4/8 Blog #2 Baby Steps

     Hey everyone! It’s been two weeks since I have officially set the goal for myself to improve at drawing. When I set that goal, it came with the resolve to start small. And so, I did. I had already decided to start by drawing perhaps the most basic of basic things; an apple. I found a guide online on how to effectively draw an apple. Yes, the website is made for little kids. Don’t make fun of me, alright? I’m working with the skill set of a little kid so I need all the help I can get. I went by this guide and created a rudimentary sketch of an apple. I think it looks pretty alright, and I plan to come back to an apple later on to see if I can draw a better one.                                                                                            

    I’ve also been working toward my goal by watching videos on improving one’s drawing skills until I settled on one particular channel. Dan Beardshaw is a very talented artist with a YouTube channel who provides advice for drawing beginners and veterans alike on how to improve. The particular video I watched provided six pieces of advice for those just getting their feet wet in drawing. The main takeaway from this video, for me, was the suggestion that it is very important to have a strong connection to what you are drawing. I found this to be a pretty funny coincidence, since this entire project is about intrinsic motivation and finding the ability to improve at something through your own desire to do so.                                                                                                                                              

    Taking Mr. Beardshaw’s advice to heart, I thought about some things I felt a strong connection to that could inspire a drawing that I may want to try out. There was one idea I had during this long thought process that stood out to me. I wanted to draw something from Hollow Knight. For those of you who are not familiar, Hollow Knight is an indie metroidvania game created in February of 2017. I’ve been sinking my teeth into Hollow Knight recently and it’s a strong recommendation of mine for anyone looking for a video game to get in to. The game features a riveting soundtrack, interesting characters to interact with, fluid movement, challenging fights, and a gorgeous art style. The game’s art style is cartoony and cute (which masks the dark and depressing story within the game), which I figured would make for a fun thing to attempt imitation of. I drew my interpretation of the game’s protagonist and playable character. The character design is very simple, so I figured it would be a reasonable and manageable task. The character is not named, though his sister often refers to him as “Little Ghost”. I think it’s a pretty cute character, with a pretty cute name, so it would be a lighthearted and calming thing to draw.                                                                                                                                                    

    These drawings that I created thus far are very, very simple. I intend on holding on to these drawings and improving them later on. I refrained from drawing Little Ghost’s cloak he is always seen wearing because I do not yet have the skill set to draw a rather detailed and tattered piece of clothing. This is because I plan to master certain skill sets as I continue and improve upon my old drawings. I began by improving my knowledge of drawing basic shapes and how to mesh them together into a cohesive drawing this week by starting with simple figures. I plan on improving these drawings moving forward by drawing Little Ghost’s cloak or adding more ornate details such as shading. Both drawings I have made will be shown below. Thanks for reading!